CHAPTER 2 / UNIVERSITY
STRUCTURE
Revisions accepted by the Faculty Senate 5-10-=2004
A / ADMINISTRATION
2.01 / The Board of Regents --
http://webs.wichita.edu/inaudit/ch1_07.htm
2.011 / Regents' Institutions Councils
--http://webs.wichita.edu/inaudit/ch1_07.htm
2.02 / WSU Board of Trustees and Endowment
Association -- http://webs.wichita.edu/inaudit/ch1_07.htm
2.03 / University Administration
-
http://webs.wichita.edu/inaudit/ch1_03.htm
2.031 /
President
2.032 / Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research
2.033 / Vice President for Administration and
Finance
2.034 / Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean
of Students
2.035 / Vice President for University Advancement
2.036 / Vice President and General Counsel
2.037 / President's Execuitve Council
2.037
/ Council of Deans
2.038 / President's Cabinet
2.04 / College Administration
2.041 / Deans
2.042 / College Handbooks and Governance Documents
2.05 /Departmental Administration
2.051 /
Chairpersons
2.052/ Chairpersons Policies and Procedures
2.053 / Policy on Public Employee Relations Board
Unit Determination Decision
2.06 / University Advisory Committees
2.061/ University Budget Committee
2.062/
Committee on Athletics
2.063 / University Alcohol/Substance Abuse Advisory
Board
2.064 / Regents Distinguished Professorships Panel
2.065 / University Computing and Telecommunications
Center Advisory Committees
2.066 / KMUW Radio Advisory Committee
2.067 / Library Appeals Committee
2.068 / Traffic Appeals Committee
A / ADMINISTRATION
Wichita State University has a governance structure that includes both external and internal bodies. External agencies include the Kansas Board of Regents, various coordination councils, and, through the budget process, the Governor and the Legislature. Internally, it includes an organization of administrative officers and an extensive structure for faculty and student participation.
Wichita State University is one of
six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents.
Established in 1925 by the Kansas Legislature, the Board is
composed of nine members appointed by the Governor with the
advice and consent of the Senate. Board members serve overlapping
terms of four years; no more than five members may be identified
with the same political party. The Board is assisted by a
professional staff, allowing the members to address questions of
general policy. In its consideration of policies, the Board is
also guided by recommendations from the chief executive officers
of the six Regents' Universities. Normally, the Board delegates
to the University President and his/her staff the internal
administration and operation of an individual University.
2.011 / Regents' Institutions Councils
Several state councils provide the
mechanisms through which cooperation and coordination among the
Regents' Universities are achieved. The Council of Presidents
(COPs), composed of the Presidents and Chancellor of the Regents'
Universities, makes recommendations to the Kansas Board of
Regents on subjects of system-wide significance. The Council of
Chief Academic Officers (COCAO), composed of the Academic Vice
Presidents of each University, is responsible for coordination of
academic planning. The Council of Business Officers (COBO)
coordinates budget and fiscal matters. The Council of Faculty
Senate Presidents and the Student Advisory Committee (SAC) meet
regularly to exchange information and develop coordinated
positions on issues important to faculty at the Regents'
Universities. In addition, there are many other specialized
councils.
2.02 / The WSU Board of Trustees and Endowment
Association
The legislation that established
Wichita State University under the jurisdiction of the Kansas
Board of Regents also provided for Wichita State University Board
of Trustees of nine members appointed by the Governor. The
present assets of the Board of Trustees and its related
corporations-- the Student Loan Fund, Inc. and the University
Alumni and Faculty Club, Inc. - include the WSU Golf Course, the
University Club, Marcus Center, and various property holdings in
the immediate environs of the campus. The Board manages these
properties and receives funds to promote the educational purposes
of the University. A distinctive source of funds for the
University is the 1.5 mill property tax levied by Sedgwick County
and the City of Wichita, which was established to repay the
bonded indebtedness existing at the time the University entered
the State System. To the extent that revenues have exceeded this
requirement, monies from this source have been devoted by the
Board to acquire land needed for campus expansion, increase
University student aid, provide faculty enrichment, and conduct
institutional studies.
On April 2, 1965, a group of
community leaders created the Wichita State University Endowment
Association to seek contributions, receive and manage assets, and
distribute its income to support the educational goals of the
University. The Endowment Association Board of Governors has a
membership of 67 persons whose activities are directed by an
Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Investment Committee, and
Development Committee. In the course of its history, the
association has created a substantial endowment, underwritten
several major capital projects, and currently expends in excess
of $1 million a year for professorships, fellowships,
scholarships, and other University programs.
2.03 / University Administration
The administrative structure of
the University includes the officers and supporting staffs of the
central administration and the administrative structures of the
six colleges, the Graduate School and University Libraries.
College and
Academic Outreach. The university's organizational structure is
shown in Figure 1.
2.031 /
President
The chief executive officer of the University is the President, who is appointed
by and serves at the pleasure of the Kansas Board of Regents. The President has
ultimate responsibility for the University's administration. The President is
assisted in the administration of the University by a staff that includes
various vice presidents.
2.032 / Vice President for Academic Affairs and
Research
The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research has the following specific
responsibilities: exercises a coordinating role among the vice presidents and
other senior administrative officials to assure that all actions and decisions
properly reflect the academic needs and priorities of the institution; works
closely with the college deans in all academic matters, including program review
and accreditation, new program initiation, and program discontinuance; prepares
the academic budgets, advises the President on overall budget strategies and
priorities, including both state and city/county mill levy budgets, assists the
President in reviewing proposed development and expenditure of private funds to
assure that they reflect the academic needs and priorities of the institution;
responsible and in coordination with the college deans, for all faculty
personnel matters, including recruitment and retention of faculty, faculty
evaluation, faculty development, affirmative action, and conflict resolution;
responsible, through the Office of Research Administration and in coordination
with the college deans, for the promotion of research programs of the University
and for nurturing their proper relationship to the graduate programs and faculty
development; provides active liaison with external agencies and boards,
including the Academic Office of the Kansas Board of Regents, its Council of
Chief Academic Officers, the WSU Board of Trustees, and the WSU Foundation;
works with the Faculty Senate, its elected leaders and its committees to assure
and maintain an active faculty role in all matters related to the academic
policies of the institution.
2.033 / Vice President for Administration and Finance
The Vice President for Administration and Finance is the chief business officer
of the University with responsibility for the areas of fiscal management,
financial accounting and reporting, business management, and administrative
management. Fiscal management includes the responsibility for the University's
budget, institutional research, internal control, audits, and management of
investments. Financial accounting and reporting includes the administration of
the Controller's Office, development and maintenance of accounting procedures
and systems, and preparation of financial reports and analyses. Business
management encompasses the operations of physical plant, new construction and
capital improvements, campus police, purchasing, inventory control, financial
management of auxiliary enterprises, business and fiscal advice to the WSU Board
of Trustees and the WSU Intercollegiate Athletic Association, and insurance and
risk management. Administrative management includes the responsibility for
administration of personnel management, including faculty and staff benefits and
classified employee relations, and administrative responsibility for the
Rhatigan Student Center, the University Post Office, and Central Services.
2.034 / Vice President for Student Affairs
The Vice President for Student Affairs has administrative responsibility for a
wide range of programs and services for students. The major sub-units include:
Enrollment Services, Student Life and the federal TRIO programs. The Vice
President for Student Affairs also oversees University-owned residence halls,
fraternities and sororities, and the Student Government Association. Other
responsibilities include handling student disciplinary matters, and assisting
students with the Academic Court of Appeals process, the Emergency Short Term
Loan program and the Student Legal Aid referral service.
2.035 / Vice President for University Advancement
The Vice President for University Advancement is the University's chief
advancement officer. The Vice President for University Advancement has
executive responsibility for coordination of private and corporate fundraising
activities. The Vice President oversees the operations of the Office of
Communications and Marketing, the Alumni Association, the WSU Board of Trustees,
the WSU Foundation, and the Ulrich Museum, and works closely with the WSU Alumni
Association.
2.036 / Vice President and General Counsel
The Vice President and General Counsel is the University’s chief legal officer.
The Vice President and General Counsel has executive responsibility for handling
all legal matters involving the University, University Administration and
University employees and serves as the University’s liaison with the state
Attorney General’s Office. The Vice President and General Counsel also oversees
operation of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity
2.036 / Vice President for Research and
Governmental/Business Relations
The Vice President for Research
and Governmental/Business Relations is responsible for liaison
with legislative bodies and governmental agencies as well as for
the administration of the Office of Research and Sponsored
Programs and the National Institute for Aviation Research.
2.037 / President's Executive Council
The President's Executive Council
is comprised the President and the Vice Presidents as well as the President's assistant. The group meets weekly.
The President's Cabinet is
comprised by the President, the vice presidents, the deans,
senate presidents, various directors, and others. The Cabinet
meets on a bi-monthly basis.
The Council of Deans serves as a forum for
consideration of matters of academic policy. The Council is chaired by the Vice
President for Academic Affairs and Research and is composed of the academic
deans, the deans of University College, Continuing Education
Services, the Deans of University Libraries and the
Graduate School and others specified by the Vice President for Academic Affairs
and Research.
2.041 / Deans
The chief administrative officer of each
degree-granting college is a Dean, who is responsible to the Vice President for
Academic Affairs and Research for the leadership and general management of the
college. Areas of responsibility of the dean include: college program
development and future planning; determination of the educational, fiscal, and
physical plant needs of the college; development of the budget for the college;
formulation of college-level recommendations concerning salary, appointment,
assignment, promotion, and dismissal of faculty and staff, based in part on the
prior recommendations of chairpersons; and representation of the college and its
programs both within the University and before professional and community
groups. The dean is aided in carrying out administrative responsibilities by
one or more associate or assistant deans. The management of the college is
exercised largely through department chairpersons.
2.042 / College Handbooks and Governance Documents
Within the framework of University policies, many aspects of college governance are "local" in the sense that they have been established by administrative or faculty action at the college level. Faculty handbooks have been developed by a number of the colleges to provide detailed information regarding college procedures, regulations, policies, and practices. In some colleges other documents may need to be consulted. Where policies in college handbooks and governance documents differ from policies explicitly stated in this University Handbook for Faculty, the University policies govern.
2.05 /Departmental Administration
2.051 / Electorate
The faculty electorate for the purposes of departmental administration is defined as those holding half-time or more appointments at the rank of instructor or higher in which the primary duties are fifty percent or more teaching, research, and/or library service. This group may, by majority vote, establish as a policy the extension of the electorate to temporary departmental appointees whose primary duties are teaching, research, or library service. Administrators, as defined in the Faculty Senate Constitution, (Article IV) , are excluded from the faculty electorate for the purposes of department administration.
The six undergraduate degree-granting colleges are organized by departments headed by chairpersons. A statement of University-wide policies and procedures on the role, selection, review, and evaluation of department chairpersons has been adopted by the University faculty.
2.053 / Chairperson Policies and Procedures
Title of the Office:
The term "chairperson"
as opposed to "head" is used herein to suggest
consultative and open administrative procedures.
Role of the Chairperson:
Appropriate functions of the
chairperson include the following duties:
Academic Leadership:
To inspire and to facilitate
departmental staff action that identifies and moves effectively
toward the realization of goals of the department. To create and maintain an
environment conducive to continuous departmental development by
employing carefully considered and highly selective recruitment
practices and by encouraging and facilitating professional growth
in all members of the staff.
Representation:
1. To represent to appropriate
groups beyond the departmental staff, such as students, college
administration, university administration, and the general
public, the academic, professional, and economic needs and
interests of the department and its staff.
2. To represent to the staff the interests of identified relevant groups beyond the departmental staff, such as university administration, college administration, students, the academic discipline, and the general public.
Budget:
To act on all budgetary matters of
the department in consultation with representative staff and the
Dean.
Personnel:
To act on personnel problems of
the department, and, in consultation with representative staff,
to make decisions on or transmit to the Dean recommendations
regarding:
a. Assignment of staff d. Tenure
b. Evaluation of staff e.
Promotion
c. Level and equity of financial
reward f. Non-renewal of employment
The role of the chairperson is important to the well-being, morale, and development of the professional staff and to the operation of the University. The departmental staff, the Dean, the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research, and the President all share an interest in developing and following procedures to facilitate the selection of chairpersons who will foster the highest standards of professional performance, or when necessary, infuse new life into a department. Thus, the Committee recommends that the following procedures be utilized in the selection, appointment, and evaluation of chairpersons.
Term of the Chairperson:
The term of the chairperson shall
be set by a majority of the departmental electorate at not less
than three years nor more than five years. The chairperson may
serve more than one successive term on the vote of a majority of
the departmental electorate. A chairperson shall have the
prerogative of resigning the office at any time, with reasonable
notice. The departmental electorate may, by a petition signed by
a majority of the total electorate, ask the Dean to consider
removal of the chairperson, but in no instance shall such request
be made prior to the first annual evaluation of the chairperson.
If so requested, the Dean shall initiate a hearing. If an
agreement cannot be reached, procedures stated under
"IMPASSES" below shall be followed.
The Dean may request, at any time, for good and sufficient reason, that the department consider removal of the chairperson. When removal is considered, the chairperson shall be accorded an opportunity for a full hearing, before the electorate and the Dean, on his or her alleged shortcomings and have opportunity to respond.
A majority vote of the department electorate is required to support removal from office. If an agreement cannot be reached, procedures stated under "IMPASSES" below shall be followed.
Nothing in this document shall preclude the President of the University from removing a chairperson from the position and/or appointing an interim chairperson if the President is convinced, beyond reasonable doubt, that the integrity of the University and its effective functioning requires such action and if the President has explored the situation, insofar as time permits, with faculty members and the chairperson of the department involved, and with the Dean and appropriate committees of the college in which the department is housed. In keeping with the consultative spirit of this document, it is recommended that in reaching such decisions the President also seek the advice, insofar as practicable, of representatives of faculty and administration.
In the event of termination of a chairperson (due to completion of the term of office, resignation, or removal), he or she shall be accorded the same professional rights as any other faculty member of like academic status.
If it is necessary to appoint an acting or interim chairperson for longer than one semester, the Dean shall make the appointment, except that on petition of a majority of the departmental electorate, he or she shall institute the same selection procedure as is used in naming a chairperson for a full term. If the appointment of an interim or acting chairperson is for a semester or less or for serving for a chairperson who will return to his or her position, the Dean and the regular chairperson shall decide on the interim appointee.
Electorate:
The electorate for nominating a
department chairperson shall as a minimum include is defined
as all full-time
professors, associate professors, assistant professors, and
tenured instructors, at least fifty percent of each of whose
university teaching, research, and/or library service duties are rendered within the department. This group
may, by majority vote, establish as a policy the extension of the
electorate to (but no further than) all those in the department
enfranchised to vote under the Faculty Senate rules.Constitution.
The electorate defined above may, by majority vote, assign the function of nominating a slate of candidate(s) for chairperson to a Committee of its choosing. In the final choice of a nominee or nominees, the total electorate shall be accorded the right to vote. Under no circumstances shall a faculty member who has tendered his or her resignation or is serving in the last year of a terminal appointment be accorded the right to vote on nominees for chairperson.
The Dean shall ensure that the electorate is convened only after due notice.
On convening, the electorate shall choose a presiding officer to serve until the selection of a chairperson is completed.
Eligibility for Chairperson:
No eligibility requirements as to
age or length of university service are recommended. However, in
no instance may a nominee for the position of chairperson be of a
rank less than assistant professor, but the electorate may by
majority vote establish a policy further limiting eligibility
requirements.
Impasses:
In the event of an impasse between
the Dean and the departmental electorate over the selection or
removal of a chairperson, the Dean shall meet with the entire
departmental electorate, give reasons for and discuss his or her
position regarding the decision, and respond to questions and
discussion from the faculty. An attempt shall be made to find a
mutually acceptable solution.
Failing a solution, the departmental electorate shall proceed through the nomination procedure a second time and make a nomination or nominations to the Dean.
If an impasse persists, the issue shall be submitted for fact finding and mediation to an ad hoc committee of five persons. This committee shall consist of one person named by the Dean, one person named by the departmental electorate, and three persons named from the full-time teaching faculty of WSU, by the two previously appointed representative members. If the fact-finding and mediation activities of the committee do not resolve the impasse, the committee will transmit its findings of fact and its recommendations, which shall be made public, to the Dean, to the President, and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research for their action. In addition, a vote by secret ballot shall be conducted among the department electorate to determine the number that support or oppose the recommendation of the Dean. The record of this vote shall accompany the recommendation. Any member or group of the electorate shall be accorded the opportunity to make a statement in writing, support or opposing the recommendation, to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research.
Evaluation of the Chairperson:
There shall be an annual,
anonymous, written evaluation of the performance of chairpersons
by the electorate of the department as previously defined. The
evaluation instrument shall include questions submitted by the
Dean, by the chairperson, and by representatives chosen by the
departmental electorate from its membership. The results of the
evaluation shall be available to the Dean and to the chairperson;
on the initiative of the chairperson, the results may be made
available to others whom he or she designates.
Appointment Procedures:
The electorate of a department
recommends a nominee to the Dean of the college. The Dean, with
the concurrence of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research,
unless there is an impasse, may proceed to appoint the individual
as chairperson of the department.
Addenda, Exceptions, and
Implementation:
Addenda: In all votes provided for
under the above procedures, measures shall be taken to ensure the
anonymity of every voter.
In the event that a new department is created and has no staff, the Dean shall have the prerogative of appointing the initial chairperson for a term not to exceed three years.
In the departments with an electorate of five persons or fewer, departures from the stated procedure may be made. In such instances the Dean shall utilize methods that conform to the spirit of democratic and consultative procedures implicit herein.
Implementation: All provisions stated herein shall be in full force and effect upon approval by the University faculty.
2.053 / Public Employee Relations Board Unit
Determination Decision
In response to petitions from
organizations and faculty members, the Kansas Public Employee
Relations Board, in Case 75-UD-1-1980, held hearings to determine
the appropriate bargaining unit for WSU faculty if, in the
future, the WSU faculty choose to form a union and engage in the
"meet and confer" process. The decision dated September
1981, is set out below.
The appropriate bargaining unit of
the faculty of Wichita State University, subject to the
provisions of certain joint stipulations regarding Directors,
academic assignments, part-time, and temporary faculty shall be
comprised in the following manner:
(a) INCLUDE: All unclassified
personnel with the faculty ranks of instructor or higher, whose
duties are 50% or more teaching and/or research and/or library or
media service.
(b) EXCLUDE: University president,
vice presidents, assistant and associate vice-presidents, deans,
assistant and associate deans, department chairpersons, the
registrar, and all others not specifically listed in (a) above.
2.06 / University Advisory Committees
2.061/University
Budget Committee
Composition: 7 -- Vice President for Administration
& Finance, Chair
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research
Member from the Council of Deans
President of the Classified Senate
President of the Faculty Senate
President of the Student
Government
President of the Unclassified
Professional Senate
Staff Resource: Associate Vice
President for Administration & Finance and Director of
Budgets
Charge: The purpose of and
the charge to the University Budget Advisory Committee is to
offer advice and comment on the priorities and policies in the
Legislative Budget, the Operating Budget, and the Mill Levy
Budget. the University Budget Advisory Committee reports its
advice and comment to the President of the University. In turn,
the University budget Advisory Committee communicates to the
constituencies of the members of the committee the results of its
advice and comment as well as the policies and priorities that
have been adopted by the President.
Composition: 9 -- 6 Faculty: Full-time members of
the university teaching faculty. No more than two members from
one college.
1 Administrator
3 Students
3 Community
1 Athletic Director or designee
(ex officio & non voting)
Selection: Standard for
five (5) faculty members, after consultation with the President
of the university. One faculty member appointed directly by the
President. Administrator and community members appointed by
President, three (3) students appointed by SGA after consultation
with President of the university.
Charge: Advises the
Director of Athletics. Its members, including ex officio members,
constitute the faculty representatives to the Intercollegiate
Athletic Association, Inc.
2.063 / University Alcohol/Substance Abuse
Advisory Board
The University Alcohol/Substance
Abuse Advisory Board has been established in an effort to
complement the current campus community and city education
efforts in the area of alcohol/substance abuse and to address the
prevention, identification, and treatment needs of Wichita State
University students, faculty, and staff. The individuals on the
Board shall serve in an advisory capacity. The three focus
sub-committees shall coordinate the activities of the Board in
the areas of Education, Policy Recommendations, and Resource
Development. These sub-committees may involve other resource
persons from the campus and community as needed.
2.064 / Regents Distinguished Professorships
Panel
When a Regents Distinguished
Professorship becomes available, the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research will initiate a process of consultation to solicit
nominations of disciplines or specialties for a new appointment.
Selection of disciplines to be considered for receipt of the
Regents Distinguished Professorship at Wichita State University
shall be conducted through a nomination and review process
conducted by the WSU Regents Distinguished Professor Panel. The
review process will be informed by Board of Regents criteria (II,
F, 4, a, (2), (a-1) and will result in the recommendation of at
least two departments or disciplines for consideration to the
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research, who will in turn forward
them to the President for final disposition.
The Panel is charged with
establishing and implementing a process to solicit campus wide
nominations and justification of disciplines or specialties to be
considered for housing the Regents Distinguished Professorship at
Wichita State University. Regents criteria and the University
mission shall be used to inform nominations. Upon receipt of
nominations, the Panel shall review them with or without the aid
of external consultants for consistency with Regents guideline
and WSU mission and resources, and will formulate recommendations
about departments which should receive further consideration.
2.065 / University Computing and
Telecommunications Center Advisory Committee
The Management Information Systems
(MIS) Advisory Committee will advise and make recommendations to
the Director of the Computing Center (or the Data Base
administrator) concerning all aspects of the data base
development and use, including: data base management,
integration, use of data bases, networking, and communications.
Committee membership consists of representatives from
Advancement, Deans' Council, Enrollment Services, Library, and
Student Affairs; a faculty representative expert in MIS; and
eight administrative offices representatives. Members are
appointed by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research.
2.066 / KMUW Radio Advisory Committee
The purpose is to advise the
Director on programming and policy decisions in accordance with
the mission of KMUW. Members are appointed by the President.
COMPOSITION: 12 members: 3
Faculty, 3 Students, 5 Community representatives, Director, KMUW
(Ex Officio & Non-voting)
SELECTION: Nominees will
serve upon appointment by the President of the University. At
least three nominees will be provided for each available
position. Nominees should reflect the diverse needs and interests
of the community served by KMUW Radio and should demonstrate a
broad understanding of the needs and interests of the university
or the community.
CHARGE: Available from the
Director of KMUW.
2.067
/Library Appeals Committee
Composition:
Classified Staff 2 members 2
alternates
Faculty 2 members 2 alternates
Students 2 members 2 alternates
Unclassified Professionals 2
members 2 alternates
Univ. Administration 1 member
appointed by President
Selection:
Each Senate appoints two members
and two alternates from their constituencies.
Charge:
The Library Appeals Committee
shall hear and rule on appeals filed by Wichita State University
personnel and students arising from loan policies of the Wichita
State University Library.
2.068
/ Traffic Appeals Committee
Composition:
Classified Staff 2 members 2
alternates
Faculty 2 members 2 alternates
Students 2 members 2 alternates
Unclassified Professionals 2
members 2 alternates
Univ. Administration 1 member
appointed by President
Selection:
Each Senate appoints two members
and two alternates from their constituencies.
Charge:
The Traffic Appeals Committee
shall hear and rule on appeals filed by Wichita State University
personnel and students arising from traffic policies of Wichita
State University.
Wichita State University
Faculty Senate
1845 Fairmont
Box 111
Wichita, Kansas 67260-0111
(316) 978-3504
Email: bobbi.dreiling@wichita.edu