Academic Unit Definitions

The following definitions are taken from University Policy Regarding the Establishment or Revision of Academic Administrative Structures (3342-2-03.1).

College

A college may be created to align more effectively academic departments, schools and programs that share a common mission, similar instructional goals and related scholarly programs. Typically, the component units of a college shall represent disciplinary or professional specialties that have a close affinity with one another.

The primary rationale for a college is to facilitate cooperation and collaboration among its various academic components while at the same time providing enhanced visibility and stature for these units within the university and with external publics.

A college is also expected to yield substantial benefits for faculty, students and staff, as well as external constituent groups.

A college shall be established or eliminated by the Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the president and the provost. Prior to recommending the establishment or elimination of a college, or the substantial modification of the structures of an existing college, the provost shall consider the recommendation of the appropriate curricular and governance bodies, including the Educational Policies Council and the Faculty Senate.

A college shall be headed by a dean who shall report directly to the chief academic officer of the university (i., provost) and who shall have primary responsibility for all curricular, budgetary, and personnel actions of the college. The dean shall be appointed by the provost upon the recommendation of the appropriate advisory body and approval of the Board of Trustees.

Department or Dependent School

A department or dependent school may be created to house one or more academic programs with associated faculty, degree programs and students.

The primary rationale for a department or dependent school is to provide instruction in a professional discipline, an academic area or field. Each department has a resident faculty that offers instruction in one or more academic disciplines or fields. Each dependent school has a resident faculty that offers instruction in one or more professional disciplines, academic areas or fields.

Department and dependent school faculty set degree requirements for unit major programs, with the approval of the College Curriculum Committee and the Educational Policies Council.

The department or dependent school is a unit of analysis for student headcount, credit-hour generation, faculty appointments, academic staff and budgetary support.

Other purposes of departments and dependent schools are to focus scholarly and disciplinary activities of the faculty and to provide professional services in the areas(s) of departmental expertise.

A department or dependent school shall be established or eliminated by the Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the president, the provost and the dean. Prior to recommending the establishment or elimination of a department or dependent school, or the substantial modification of the structure of an existing department(s) or dependent school(s), the provost shall consider the recommendations of the appropriate curricular and governance bodies, including the College Curriculum Committee, Educational Policies Council, and the Faculty Senate.

A department or dependent school shall be headed by a chair or director who shall have primary responsibility for all curricular, budgetary and personnel actions of the unit. The chair/director shall be appointed by the dean in consultation with the provost upon the recommendation of the appropriate faculty advisory body and approval of the Board of Trustees.

Independent School or Graduate School

An independent school or graduate school may be created to house one or more academic programs with associated faculty, degree programs and students.

The primary rationale for an independent school or graduate school is to provide instruction in a professional field. Each independent school has a resident faculty that offers instruction in one or more professional disciplines or fields.

Independent school or graduate school faculty set degree requirements for the school’s major programs, with the approval of the Educational Policies Council.

The independent school or graduate school is a unit of analysis for student headcount, credit hour generation, faculty appointments, academic staff and budgetary support.

Other purposes of independent schools and graduate schools are to focus scholarly and professional activities of the faculty and to provide professional services in the area(s) of the school’s expertise.

An independent school or graduate school shall be established or eliminated by the Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the president, the provost and the dean. Prior to recommending the establishment or elimination of an independent school or graduate school, or the substantial modification of the structure of an existing independent school(s) or graduate school, the provost shall consider the recommendations of the appropriate curricular and governance bodies, including the Educational Policies Council and the Faculty Senate.

An independent school or graduate school shall be headed by a dean who shall report directly to the chief academic officer of the university (i.e., provost) and who shall have primary responsibility for all curricular, budgetary, and personnel actions of the school. The dean shall be appointed by the provost in consultation with the appropriate advisory body and approval of the Board of Trustees.

Center

A center may be created to make faculty expertise available to university and outside constituencies; research, while endemic to its operation, is not necessarily the primary focus of a center. Centers typically provide a service or serve purely an administrative purpose.

The rationale for a center is to provide an administrative structure to focus and bring together the efforts of a faculty on a single area or cluster of related areas. Centers shall supplement and complement the mission of the academic department and college.

A center shall be established by the provost upon the recommendation of the deans of participating colleges and independent schools and the chairperson(s) and director(s) of participating department and dependent schools. in the case of regional campuses, a center shall be established by the provost upon the recommendation of the vice president for regional development and the regional campus dean(s). Prior to recommending the establishment of a center, including those at a regional campus, the provost will consider the recommendations of the appropriate governance bodies (i.e., department or dependent school curriculum committee, college curriculum committee, and the Educational Policies Council, the Faculty Senate and the RCFAC, when appropriate).

A center shall be headed by a director or coordinator appointed by the provost upon the recommendation of the appropriate dean(s) and approved of the Board of Trustees.

The director or coordinator shall file an annual report with the dean, chairperson or director. The annual report for each center shall be included in the regional campus, college department or dependent school, or independent school annual mission report, whichever is appropriate.

Institute

An institute may be created to facilitate comprehensive research on a major problem or on a cluster of significant related topics or issues. The topics or issues that provide the focus for the institute shall involve two or more departments or schools and incorporate a university-wide perspective. Ordinarily, institutes are created because the organization, advantages, and support they provide are not feasible under existing departmental or school structures. Institutes shall be supported insofar as possible through extramural resources.

An institute shall facilitate and administer the performance of research and provide an organizational identity to selected research programs and participating faculty, staff and students. An institute shall supplement and complement the mission of the academic departments, schools and colleges.

An institute shall be established or eliminated by the Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the president and the provost. Prior to recommending the establishment or elimination of an institute, the provost will consider the recommendations of the appropriate curricular and governance bodies (i.e., college curriculum committee(s), Educational Policies Council and the Faculty Senate).

An institute shall be headed by a director appointed by the provost upon the recommendation of the appropriate dean(s) and approval by the Board of Trustees.

The director shall file an annual report with the appropriate dean(s), with copies to the provost and the vice president for research and dean of graduate studies.

Division

Divisions within academic affairs exist to provide services beyond those offered by colleges, department and dependent schools, or independent schools and graduate schools. These services include, for instance, advising, fundraising, instruction in library use and in research methods, management of the library’s collections and databases, and planning and installation of classroom technology and/or technology support.

Regional Campus

A regional campus may be created to provide instruction, outreach and research for a geographical service area distinct from the Kent Campus.

Each regional campus provides on-site academic and administrative services and generally maintains its own physical plant.

Regional campus faculty set degree requirements for associate degree programs through cognate committees with the approval of the provost, the regional campuses curriculum committee, the college curriculum committee, and the Educational Policies Council and Faculty Senate.

The regional campus is a unit of analysis for student headcount, credit hour generation, faculty appointments, academic staff and budgetary support.

A regional campus shall be established or eliminated by the Ohio [Department of Higher Education] and the [Kent State University] Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the president and the provost. Prior to recommending the establishment or elimination of a regional campus, or the substantial modification of the academic structures of an existing campus, the president and provost shall consider the recommendation of the vice president for regional development and the dean for regional campuses. The president and provost also shall consider a recommendation from the appropriate curricular and governance bodies, including the regional campuses FAC and curricular committee, the Educational Policies Council and the Faculty Senate.

A regional campus shall be headed by a dean who shall have a dual reporting line to the provost and to the vice president for regional development.

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