1420 - Appointment Procedure And Responsibilities Of Deans And Academic Unit Administrators; Appointment With Rank

CONTENTS:

A. College Deans
B. Unit Administrators
C. Selection of Acting Dean or Unit Administrator
D. Selection of Interim or Term Dean or Unit Administrator
E. Appointment with Rank of Academic Administrator or Service Officer

A. COLLEGE DEANS.

A-1. APPOINTMENT.

a. Each college is administered by a dean who is appointed by the regents on recommendation of the president subsequent to the provost’s hiring decision recommendation. Such recommendation is formulated through procedures that (a) solicit the advice and include the active participation of faculty members and students of the college and (b) are consistent with the bylaws of the college faculty. [See 1520 IV-7.]

b. When a vacancy in the position of dean occurs, the provost convenes a search committee to advise in the selection of a new dean. The provost determines the size of the committee, including the number of members from outside UI, and appoints the members. The provost also names a person to chair the committee. To ensure adequate representation and participation of the college faculty in the search and selection process [see 1520 I-4-A], the following will be observed: (a) faculty members from the college concerned comprise at least 50 percent of the membership; and (b) these faculty representatives are selected by the provost from a pool of faculty members presented to the provost through procedures established in the college bylaws that provide for the representation of the major academic disciplines in the college. The pool must contain at least 150 percent of the number of members needed from the college for the committee. Additionally, search procedures must provide some means for the entire college faculty to participate in the interviewing of finalists and for individual faculty members, staff, students, and external constituents to forward their comments and recommendations directly to the provost for their evaluation. The provost makes the hiring decision.

The search committee shall be responsible to solicit a pool of candidates to be considered for the position, evaluate applicants from the pool of candidates in accordance with criteria specified in the position description, recommend finalists for further consideration by on-site interviewing, summarize the strengths and weaknesses of each finalist ,and report on their acceptability for the position. The report of the process and recommendation is submitted to the provost.

c. The college faculty may request senate leadership (Faculty Senate Chair, Vice Chair and Faculty Secretary) to discuss the selection of a dean with the president or provost.

d. The college dean serves in their administrative position at the pleasure of the provost, and the regents receive annual recommendations from the president concerning the dean’s status.

A-2. RESPONSIBILITIES.

a. The various colleges differ widely in size and organization. Consequently, this statement of responsibilities is intended to be general enough to allow for different procedures and different degrees of delega­tion of authority and responsibility within the colleges. These matters are dealt with specifically in the bylaws of the individual colleges. The principal variation lies in the responsibilities placed in the hands of administrators of intracollege academic units.

b. The college dean is the chair of the college faculty in the development of policies and priorities governing the academic program of the college. The dean is responsible both for the exercise of leadership in these matters and for the development of the leadership roles of other faculty members in the college decision-making process. The academic program of the college is directly affected by program planning, definitions of goals and priorities, instructional methods and standards, student advising, research policies, allocation of resources, and the development of professional standards peculiar to the branches of learning for which the college is responsible. The academic program of the college includes undergraduate and graduate instruction, research and creative activity, and extension services.

c. The college dean is the chief executive officer of the college in the implementation of policies defined by the college or university faculty and approved by appropriate authority. As such, it is the dean’s responsibility to:

1. Foster academic excellence in the college and each of its units.

2. Operate a system of academic advising and counseling for students [see 4310].

3. Present to the Faculty Senate or its committees matters that have been proposed by the college faculty and require approval by the Faculty Senate.

4. Present to the Academic Leadership Council or to other bodies problems of policy implementation that need university-wide attention, including the implementation of interdisciplinary programs.

5. Develop budget proposals.

6. Control expenditures from approved budgets.

7. Develop recommendations concerning appointments, promotions, tenure, salaries, layoffs, and terminations of college personnel.

8. Assign duties to the faculty. [See also E-1 below and 3240.]

9. Define job responsibilities, assign duties, and supervise the activities of nonfaculty personnel.

10. Maintain contacts with the professions for which the college prepares graduates.

11. Supervise the use, maintenance, and security of property entrusted to the college (responsibility for security is shared with Facilities Management and Campus Security).

12. Allocate space assigned to the college within limitations imposed by the Space Governance Group (see APM 40.10).

d. College deans, individually and as members of the Senior Leadership Council, advise the president on such university-wide matters as: (a) admission, registration, advising, counseling, retention, and dismissal of students, (b) personnel policies, (c) institutional goals, (d) budgetary priorities, (e) university relations, and (f) day-to-day problems of institutional operation that require the attention of the president’s executive staff.

e. The dean is encouraged to organize their activities so as to provide time for personal involvement in teaching, research, or equivalent professional endeavors.

B. UNIT ADMINISTRATORS

B-1. RESPONSIBILITIES. The administrator of a school, division, or department (i.e., the first organizational unit below the college level) is responsible for interpreting university and college objectives and policies for the faculty of the unit and, through leadership, ensuring faculty participation in formulating and carrying out the unit’s policies within the framework of the objectives and policies of the college and university. The role may be defined more specifically by the bylaws of each college, but it is understood that the general responsibility for leadership includes: assisting higher administration in the assignment [3240 A] and in the evaluation [3320 and 3340] of the services of each member of the unit’s faculty and staff; promoting effective leadership of personnel and management of departmental resources; providing leadership in the development and implementation of unit plans; providing for open communication with faculty and staff; fostering excellence in teaching, scholarship and outreach for faculty, students, and staff in the department; effectively representing all constituents of the department; and continuing personal professional development in areas of leadership.

B-2. TITLE.

a. The title of the administrator of a school or division (i.e., a division that is the first organizational unit below the college level) is “director.”

b. The title of a departmental administrator may be either “department chair” or “department head,” as determined by the bylaws of the individual colleges.

c. The title of the administrator of a non-academic program or function or an administrator that is the second organizational unit below the college level is “program director.”

B-3. SELECTION OF PERMANENT ADMINISTRATOR.

a. The responsibility for recommending unit administrators shall be shared between the voting faculty members (as defined by Article II, Section, 1 of the UI Constitution) of the unit and the dean of the unit’s college.

b. When a vacancy occurs, it is the responsibility of the college dean to assemble a search committee. The search committee should represent a balance of interests including diversity, unit disciplines and specializations, and faculty rank. Appointment to the search committee shall be in accordance with the bylaws of the unit and the unit’s college, provided that the search committee shall be comprised as follows:

1. At least two-thirds of the members shall be voting faculty members of the unit who were nominated by the faculty.

2. At least one member shall be a UI faculty member from outside the college selected from three persons nominated by the faculty. (A role of this outside member is to assure compliance with the process for selecting administrators).

3. In consultation with the faculty of the unit, the dean will select the overall committee to represent a balance of interests including diversity, disciplines/specialization, and rank.

c. As provided by the bylaws of either the unit or the college, the search committee may include student members, alumni, representatives of the unit’s constituents, and other UI faculty from outside the unit.

d. Faculty members of the unit who are candidates for the administrative position may not serve on the search committee nor participate in any faculty voting regarding the position.

e. Once the search committee has been formed, the dean of the college will select the chair after consultation with the committee.

f. In accordance with the provisions of the bylaws of the unit and college and with the recruitment policies and procedures of the UI, the search committee shall, in consultation with college and university administration:

1. Develop a position description.

2. Determine whether an external or internal search shall be conducted. (An external or internal search is determined by circumstances unique to each vacancy; e.g. availability of funds, departmental needs, and departmental and college policy, and shall be resolved in accordance with college or unit policies and procedures.)

g. The responsibilities of the search committee shall be to:

1. Solicit a pool of candidates to be considered for the position;

2. Evaluate applicants, from the pool of candidates, in accordance with criteria specified in the position description; and

3. Recommend finalists for further consideration by the unit’s faculty and administration.

h. All voting faculty members of the unit shall have the opportunity to participate in interviewing finalists for the position.

i. After the unit’s voting faculty members have completed interviewing the finalists, the chair of the search committee shall obtain, by secret ballot, the preferences of the unit’s voting faculty for the administrative position.

j. The chair of the search committee shall forward the name(s) of one or more candidates acceptable to the majority of the unit’s voting faculty and a report documenting the search process to the dean. The dean will then meet with the unit faculty members or the search committee to discuss the proposed candidates.

k. If, after subsequent rounds of voting, no candidate obtains a majority of votes of the unit’s faculty members, the chair of the search committee shall poll the voting faculty members for an appropriate course of action.

l. If the unit’s voting faculty is unable to determine a course of action for selecting a unit administrator, the matter shall be referred to the dean.

m. If the individual(s) selected by the voting faculty members are acceptable to the dean, the dean shall forward the recommendation to the provost.

n. If the dean and a majority of the unit’s faculty cannot agree on a candidate who will accept the administrative leadership, the dean prepares a written summary of the relevant issues, including the results of the faculty vote, for the provost. Faculty members are encouraged to forward their written comments to the provost. The provost shall make a reasonable attempt to achieve congruence between the dean and the majority of the faculty; and in any event, makes a recommendation to the president regarding an appointment or an alternate course of action.

o. In the case of a recommendation to appoint an individual not currently on the faculty, the dean must also receive the recommendation of at least the majority of the full professors (and where appropriate, of the associates) in the academic department for the academic faculty appointment and rank.

C. SELECTION OF ACTING DEAN OR UNIT ADMINISTRATOR.

C-1. Absence or vacancy up to 12 weeks. For an absence or vacancy in the position of dean or unit administrator anticipated to last up to 12 weeks, the provost shall appoint an acting dean and the dean shall appoint an acting unit administrator, in consultation with the college or unit faculty. No further process is required. If the absence or vacancy is anticipated to extend beyond 12 weeks, the procedure set forth in C-2 must be followed before the end of the 12^th week.

C-2. Absence or vacancy longer than 12 weeks but no longer than six months.

a. Absence or vacancy in position of dean. When an absence or vacancy in the position of a dean is anticipated to or does in fact last longer than 12 weeks but not longer than six months, the provost shall select a faculty member, acceptable to both the provost and a majority of the college’s voting faculty, to serve as its acting dean for up to six months or until an interim, term, or permanent dean is selected, whichever occurs first.Preference shall be given to a member of the college; if no college member is acceptable to both the provost and the majority of the college’s voting faculty, a faculty member from outside the college may be appointed following the same procedure. If no candidate is acceptable to both the provost and the majority of the college faculty then the provost shall make the final hiring decision.

b. Absence or vacancy in position of unit administrator. When an absence or vacancy in the position of a unit administrator is anticipated to or does in fact last longer than 12 weeks but not longer than six months, the college dean shall recommend to the provost a faculty member, acceptable to both the dean and a majority of the unit’s voting faculty, to serve as its acting administrator for up to six months or until an interim, term, or permanent administrator is selected, whichever occurs first. Preference shall be given to a member of the unit; if no unit member is acceptable to both the dean and a majority of the unit’s voting faculty, a faculty member from outside the unit may be appointed following the same procedure. If no candidate is acceptable to both the dean and the majority of the unit faculty then the provost shall make the final hiring decision.

D. SELECTION OF INTERIM OR TERM DEAN OR UNIT ADMINISTRATOR. When an absence or vacancy in the position of dean or unit administrator is anticipated to last longer than six months, an internal search shall be conducted according to section B above and APM 50.01.

D-1. Interim dean or unit administrator. When an absence or vacancy in the position of dean or unit administrator is anticipated to last at least six months but not longer than 23 months, the position shall be filled by an interim dean or unit administrator.

D-2. Term dean or unit administrator. When an absence or vacancy in the position of dean or unit administrator is anticipated to last a specific term of time typically not greater than 36 months, the position shall be filled by a term dean or unit administrator.

E. APPOINTMENT WITH RANK OF ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATOR OR SERVICE OFFICER. An academic administrator or service officer may be appointed with or without academic rank, except that an administrator of an academic department must hold academic rank in a discipline. The faculty of the department in which it is proposed to grant academic rank to an administrator is asked to evaluate the person as a potential colleague.

Version History

Amended July 2022. Descriptions of administrative roles other than deans and unit administrators deleted; University faculty meeting procedure removed to FSH 1540; information regarding review of administrators removed due to conflict with FSH 3320; procedure for selection of acting, interim, and term administrators revised; content of FSH 1567 regarding appointment with rank incorporated into this policy.

Amended July 2012. The selection of a dean was clarified.

Amended July 2011. A formal process was put in place to communicate presidential action taken on university policies.

Amended July 2010. Section E-6 was moved to FSH 3320 to consolidate the evaluation process into one policy.

Amended July 2009. Editorial changes.

Amended June 2009. Editorial changes.

Amended May 2008. Editorial changes.

Amended July 2006. Major revisions in subsections A, B, and C appeared to reflect reorganizations of the senior administration, and editorial changes.

Amended July 2000. Editorial changes.

Amended July 1999. Major revisions in subsections A, B, and C appeared to reflect reorganizations of the senior administration.

Amended July 1999. Section E was substantially revised.

Amended July 1998. Substantial revisions were made to the subsections dealing with the selection and tenure of departmental administrators (E).

Amended July 1997. Editorial changes.

Amended July 1995. Material concerning the presidential veto (A-1-c) was added.

Amended July 1992. Material concerning the ombuds (C-4) was added.

Adopted 1979. This section is original to the 1979 edition of the Handbook.