Here follows an outline of such procedures (these selection procedures were followed in the Spring of 2003, for the appointment of the Associate Dean of Social and Applied Sciences):

I. General Qualifications for Associate Deans:

A. Must be tenured associate or full professors of the faculty.

B. Must have significant personnel and administrative experience (normally experience as a Department Chair or Program Director will be expected).

C. Cannot not hold the position of Department Chair or Program Director during time of service.

D. Cannot serve for more than 6 consecutive years.

II. Selection

A. Normally the Dean of the college will initiate the appointment process early in the spring semester.

B. The Dean of the College will solicit nominations from all faculty with voting franchise.

C. After the close of nominations, the Dean will interview all qualified and willing candidates.

D. A short list of finalists will be presented to the relevant Faculty and the Dean will solicit comments/reactions/recommendations.

E. Following deliberation, the Dean will offer the candidate an initial appointment of 3 years.

III. Training

A. After selection of a new Associate Dean has been made in early spring, the new Associate Dean will begin a mentoring relationship with the outgoing Associate Dean. This should include consultation on most decisions, interaction with relevant departments, and attendance (when possible) at Dean’s Council and other relevant meetings.

B. The Provost and Dean of the College will provide opportunities for each Associate Dean to attend at least one of the professional meetings of deans held yearly and/or other seminars or training meetings for college administrators.

C. In-service training on specific issues will be provided as needed in special Dean’s Council meetings and regularly scheduled retreats.

IV. Evaluation

The Provost and Dean of the College and the Associate Deans of the five Faculties should be regularly evaluated. Once yearly a sample of those working with the deans will be selected and an instrument of evaluation (to be developed with the help of ARP) shall be administered. Results will be shared with the appropriate dean for purposes of constructive criticism and improvement of performance.

V. Compensation/Reward

A. The Associate Deans will normally receive 4 courses of released time to perform their administrative duties.

B. The Associate Deans will receive a stipend in recognition of their 10-11 month commitment.

C. Time as an Associate Dean will be counted toward the next sabbatical leave.

4. Evaluate three specific structural models and adopt the one most likely to achieve clarity, efficiency, and accountability in the decision-making process.

President Thomforde has expressed his preference for going forward with the current system of Provost and Dean of the College with one Assistant Provost and Associate Deans of 5 faculties.

5. Delineate the Duties and responsibility of the College Council vis-à-vis those of the Dean’s Council, faculty committees, and the faculty at large.

The College Council

The following statement concerning the responsibilities of the College Council has been drafted by President Thomforde:

The College Council is the strategic, long-range planning body of the college. It is a deliberative body that represents the college community as a whole, focusing its attention on long-range, strategic issues. It has the power of making recommendations to the president. The president, who also chairs the Council, passes on the recommendations he receives to various constituencies--the faculty, the Student Government Organization, the Cabinet, the Board of Regents—according to their jurisdiction, for their consideration, further deliberation, and possible modification. The president then acts upon these recommendations according to his best judgment.

Personnel include:

Three students: the president of the student body (ex officio); one junior senator; one sophomore senator. The senators are elected for one-year terms by the SGA.

Eight staff members: Four elected from non-exempt staff, four from exempt staff. Must have served at the college for five years in order to be eligible. Term is three years.

Eight faculty members: All tenured members of the faculty are eligible. Nominees will be selected by the Faculty Nominating Committee and elected by the faculty. Term is three years.

Six members of the president’s cabinet: provost and dean of the college, vice-president and treasurer, vice-president for advancement, vice-president and dean of enrollment, vice-president for college relations, dean of students (ex officio).

Up to three additional at-large appointments, made at the president’s discretion. Term is three years.

For further information on the College Council and its relationship to other governing bodies at the college, see "Achieving Our Mission Through Shared Governance" (September 20, 2001), found on the President’s Office web page.

The Dean’s Council

The Dean’s Council is a deliberative group that offers advice and makes recommendations to the Provost and Dean of the College concerning all aspects of the academic program. The Council is not a legislative body, nor does it set College policy. Rather, as a consultative and advisory body, it meets regularly at the discretion of the Provost and Dean and assists in administering the academic program of the College. Current personnel include the five Associate Deans of the Faculties, the Assistant Provost, the Registrar, and the Special Assistant to the Provost.

The Faculty

The duties and responsibility of the faculty have been defined in broadest terms by Article VIII of the College’s By-Laws (cf. also "Academic Administration Job Functions and Responsibilities" cited in #1 above, and the relevant sections of the current Faculty Manual):

Faculty

Section 8.01. Powers and Duties. Subject to final review by the Board of Regents, the faculty shall have primary responsibility for (1) determining requirements for the degrees offered in courses, within the Departments established by the Board of Regents; (2) determining when students meet the requirements for degrees and approving candidates for degrees to be granted by the President and Board of Regents; (3) adopting procedures for selecting faculty representatives in institutional governance; and (4) determining the structure and procedures for faculty grievances.

Subject to final approval by the President and Board of Regents, the faculty shall share responsibility for determining (1) curriculum, subject matter and methods of instruction; (2) policies pertaining to student life that relate to the educational process; (3) practices and procedures relating to faculty research; (4) faculty status, and policies and procedures related to faculty compensation; and (5) structure and procedures for faculty participation in institutional governance.

The faculty may advise or make recommendations to the President, other officers of the Administration, or the Board of Regents on other matters in which the faculty have an interest.

6. Implement "Governance Reform, Stage II" as soon as possible.

Duties and responsibilities of the Provost and Dean, Assistant Provost, Associate Deans, Department Chairs, and Program Directors fall largely under the purview of the college’s administration. Faculty governance, on the other hand, i.e. the governance of the college that is taken care of by duly elected committees from the faculty, falls under the purview of the faculty. The Review and Planning Committee began work on "Governance Reform, Stage II" during the 2002-2003 academic year; an RPC subcommittee has been appointed and will develop a plan for faculty governance reform that will be presented to the entire faculty during the 2003-2004 academic year.