Office of Academic Affairs
Office of Faculty Affairs

Chapter 5: Office of Academic Affairs Administration

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1.0 Regional campus advisory boards

1.1 Composition and administration

A regional campus advisory board has been established for each of the university’s regional campuses located in Lima, Mansfield, Marion, and Newark. Composition and administration of the regional campus advisory boards shall be as follows:

(1) Each of these advisory boards shall be composed of ten members appointed by the executive vice president and provost (“the provost”) in consultation with the dean/director of each regional campus. 

(2) Nine members of each advisory board shall be private citizens. One member of each board shall be a student who is currently enrolled and in good standing on their campus. 

(3) Citizen members shall be appointed for terms of three years. Terms will be staggered so that three terms end each year. If a vacancy develops, the provost may appoint a citizen member to fill the remaining part of the unexpired term, based upon the recommendation of the dean/director. No citizen member shall serve more than three terms, consecutive or otherwise. (In determining eligibility for reappointment, an initial appointment of two years or more shall be construed as a term.) 

(4) The student member shall serve a term of one year and is eligible for reappointment as long as they remain a student in good standing on their campus. 

(5) Terms of the appointed members shall begin on July first. 

(6) Board members shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. Board members shall be provided immunities or indemnification against any claims or liabilities which may arise from the performance of their duties to the full extent permitted by law. 

(7) The dean/director of each campus, in collaboration with the senior vice provost for external engagement and provost, shall establish campus priorities. The chair of each board shall advise the dean/director in establishing board agendas that promote these priorities. Reasonable staff services and other assistance as may be required by a board will be provided by the dean/director. The dean/director may attend all meetings of the board. 

(8) The provost or the provost’s designee, in cooperation with the deans/directors, shall serve as the liaison between the regional campus boards and the various colleges, TIUs, and offices of the university, and may attend all meetings of these boards. 

(9) The chairs of the Lima, Mansfield, Marion, and Newark campus faculty assemblies shall serve as resource persons to their campus’s board and, to serve that function may attend all public meetings of the board. 

1.2 Nominations and appointments

Nominations for and appointments to regional campus advisory boards shall proceed as follows, with the goal of continually ensuring a strong, independent group of dedicated members of diverse backgrounds who represent a range of professions and experiences. 

(1) All members of the regional campus advisory boards are appointed by the provost, in consultation with the dean/director of each campus. 

(2) The deans/directors will consult with their boards in determining nominees.

(3) The following criteria shall guide the nominations of community members: 

(a) They are well acquainted with their respective campus and its region; with the other regional campuses; and with The Ohio State University as a whole; 

(b) They have a record of community service;

(c) Consideration should be given to nominating individuals with diverse professional expertise and perspectives; and 

(d) Employees of the university and their immediate family members, employees of the co-located technical college and their immediate family members, and members of the board of the co-located technical college are ineligible to serve as citizen members. 

(4) Student members are to be in good standing on their respective campuses, with an active interest in improving the campus and The Ohio State University in general, and must be willing to inform themselves about the needs, interests, and concerns of other students. However, in their capacity as board members, the student member’s role is as that of any other board member—to balance the needs and issues of all constituencies in their deliberations, not to represent a single constituency. 

(5) Deans/directors will communicate their nominations to the provost no later than the Tuesday following Memorial Day of each year. 

(6) Vacancies shall be filled by the provost in the same manner and subject to the same qualifications as appointments for full terms. 

(7) Members of the regional campus boards serve at the pleasure of the provost.

1.3 Responsibilities

The regional campus boards shall serve in an advisory capacity to the dean/director of their respective campuses. Each board shall: 

(1) Assist in maintaining key relationships with external constituencies by: 

(a) Developing support for its campus;

(b) Being knowledgeable about The Ohio State University, in general, and, in particular, about the campus served by the board; 

(c) When appropriate, serving as a knowledgeable and effective advocate for its campus and for The Ohio State University with the state legislature and state and local agencies; 

(d) Ensuring effective coordination with the board of the co-located technical college in all areas of common interest; and 

(e) Ensuring effective coordination with the Columbus campus through service by appointed board members on appropriate Columbus-based councils and committees. 

(2) Offer advice and guidance, as appropriate, about its campus’s strategic plan, campus plan, student life plan, safety and security plans, etc. The regional campus boards shall have no jurisdiction with respect to faculty. The hiring, evaluation, promotion, tenure status, duties and responsibilities, and compensation of faculty shall be conducted in accordance with established university rules. The advisory board has no jurisdiction regarding the hiring, review, and/or compensation of staff members.

(3) The deans/directors of the regional campuses may, at their discretion, seek the advice of their respective boards on such matters as annual budgets, capital projects, partnerships, etc.

1.4 Meetings

Regular meetings of the regional campus advisory boards shall be held on such schedule as may be established by these boards in consultation with the dean/director at times that shall be set and publicly announced. 

(1) Special meetings may be called at the direction of a board chair, in consultation with the dean/director, or may, in consultation with the dean/director, be called by a chair at the request of three members of their board. In such cases, notice to all members of that board shall be given not less than five days prior to the meeting and publicly announced. 

(2) Non-binding recommendations to the dean/director may be passed by a majority of the voting members present. 

1.5 Conflict of interest

No regional campus advisory board member shall participate in deliberations on a university contract, action, or transaction when the board member has a financial or personal or fiduciary interest in any person or entity affected by such contract, action, or transaction. The board member having the prohibited interest shall make full disclosure thereof and shall abstain from any deliberations on any such matter. Board members shall provide the provost on or about August first of each year with a full disclosure of any financial or fiduciary interest the board member, a member of the board member’s family, or any business associate of the board member may have in any service provider who may be qualified to do business with the university.

1.6 Officers

Officers of regional campus boards shall be as follows: 

(1) The executive committees of the regional campus boards shall consist of a chair, vice chair, and a recording secretary of each board. These officers shall be elected annually by their respective board on a schedule to be determined by that board. No officer may serve more than two consecutive, one-year terms in the same office. 

(2) The chair shall preside at all meetings of their board, shall appoint members of any committees created by the board, shall serve as an ex officio member of all standing and special committees, and shall approve the agenda for all board meetings. 

(3) The vice chair shall perform the duties and exercise the powers of the chair during the absence of the chair or in the event of the chair’s inability to act. 

(4) The recording secretary shall be responsible for ensuring that minutes of board meetings are produced and maintained; for ensuring that board members are kept informed about board activities and campus issues; for ensuring that correspondence of the board is properly conducted; and for posting board minutes to a designated location on their campus’s website in a timely fashion.

1.7 Committees

Committees of regional campus boards may form and operate as follows: 

(1) In consultation with their respective deans/directors, the regional campus boards shall establish such committees, both standing and ad hoc, as needed to inform their advice and recommendations to the deans/directors. 

(2) The charge and composition of the regional campus board committees shall be determined by the board chairs in consultation with their respective dean/director.

(3) The work of the regional campus board committees shall be facilitated by such offices on the regional campus as student life, student academic success, diversity and inclusion, business and finance, and other units as may be appropriate to a committee’s charge. The provost or the provost’s designee will assure the regular and ongoing contact of the regional campus board committees and Columbus campus offices/leaders as appropriate. 

(4) The regional campus board committees shall also work with individuals and entities, as appropriate, at the technical school co-located on their campus to ensure the continuing collaboration and mutual benefit of both institutions.

 

2.0 Faculty fellow program

2.1 Purpose

This program enables OAA to obtain the services of tenure track or clinical/teaching/practice associate professor or professor for an in-depth, time-limited administrative project, releasing them from 20% or more of their regular duties. The program also is designed to provide a leadership development opportunity for faculty who are in a later stage of their careers.

2.2 Compensation

A faculty fellow appointment does not entail additional compensation. OAA will transfer funds to the faculty fellow’s home unit to cover their compensation in proportion to the percent FTE that OAA is obtaining for their time.

OAA Administration Compensation can include summer funding for faculty who are on 9-month appointments.

2.3 Appointment process

Vice provosts, vice presidents, or senior vice provosts will submit a proposal for an administrative project for a faculty fellow to lead beginning the following academic year. Projects will usually be one year but could be proposed for two years. Proposal due dates will be announced each spring. The senior vice provost for academic leadership will appoint a screening committee to review proposals and make a recommendation to the provost for a maximum of eight projects. The provost will approve the final proposals for projects to be undertaken. 

Once the proposals are approved, OAA will call for nominations, including self-nominations, through OnCampus and an electronic message sent to faculty, department chairs, school directors, and deans. Applicants will be requested to provide a statement of interest, and a CV. The statement of interest is to include the candidate's vision for their future academic leadership roles. 

The hiring individual will interview and recommend a faculty fellow for their proposal to the provost and senior vice provost for academic leadership who must approve the final candidate. The selection process must include consideration for future leadership potential. Faculty members who have demonstrated academic leadership (e.g., a chair, department-level leadership, college-level leadership such as an associate dean or center director) will be given preference. Selections will be completed by May 1.

2.4 Carole A. Anderson Fellow

Participation in a leadership development program or significant university service will be a factor in the selection of the Carole A. Anderson Fellow, named in honor of Carole A. Anderson, professor emerita of Nursing, retired July 31, 2011, passed away June 5, 2023. Only one Anderson Fellow will generally be appointed at any given time. A vice provost, vice president, or senior vice provost whose project has been approved may propose a candidate for this distinction when recommending that candidate for selection by the provost and senior vice provost for academic leadership.

2.5 Fellow leadership development program

The senior vice provost for academic leadership will lead the leadership development program of the OAA faculty fellows. The cohort of OAA faculty fellows will join the Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Program cohort in on campus program meetings with academic leaders and will participate in monthly programs.

3.0 Dual career hiring cost-sharing fund

Ohio State is committed to enhancing academic excellence. Recruiting, supporting, and retaining faculty of the highest caliber is a core component of this commitment. As part of this commitment, OAA has established a hiring fund to help support dual career academic appointments. This fund provides up to three years of partial salary support for dual career partner opportunity hires in which a potential or current tenure-track, clinical/teaching/professional practice, or research faculty member has a spouse or partner who also is interested in an academic appointment. In such cases, the chair or dean of the hiring unit may engage the Office of Dual Careers and Faculty Relocation (DCFR) to assist with identifying a possible unit(s) of interest for the dual careers partner. The office also can assist in establishing (in collaboration with both the requesting unit and the potential hiring unit) whether the dual career partner is to be given consideration based on appointment criteria in the hiring unit. 

If there is alignment between the dual career partner and the hiring unit, that unit will determine the appropriate type of appointment and consult with its faculty in accordance with its own APT document. The unit can either perform this appointment review as part of a national search or following obtaining a search waiver (all TIUs' processes of reviews and recommendation need to be followed after that point). 

Once there is an agreement to offer an appointment, OAA will provide one-third of the initial salary, on a cash basis, for a period of up to three years. The remaining salary and all of the benefits will be split between the hiring units, or in the case of a dual career couple being hired into the same unit, assumed by that unit. The unit making the initial hire is responsible for initiating a Memorandum of Understanding that outlines how the funding will be split and administered. The OAA dual career hiring fund applies to any faculty or postdoctoral position. The units can be within a single college, as well as across colleges. Colleges should submit requests for cost-sharing from this fund using the Faculty Affairs Request process. Once the unit has initiated the dual career funding request, it will route to the vice provost for academic policy and faculty resources for review and response. If a Dual Career Search Waiver is desired, the Faculty Affairs Request process is to be used to initiate the search waiver for the dual careers partner hire. Allocations to this fund are made annually and disbursements are subject to the availability of funds at the time of the request.

Units may choose among three funding packages, all equivalent to a year of salary support, excluding benefits:

  • 75% of the salary in the 1st year and 25% in the 2nd year
  • 50% of the salary in the 1st and 2nd years
  • 33% of the salary over each of 3 years

The university does not expect any department/school/college to hire candidates that do not meet the same quality standards as candidates hired in the receiving department.

The process will be conducted with all deliberate speed to reach a final agreement in time to allow a successful recruitment of the faculty candidate.

 

4.0 Waiver of a national search

4.1 Dual career program candidates

Units considering a partner hire through the dual-career program may request a national search waiver. 

4.2 Internal candidates

Units moving an internal candidate from an associated faculty position (e.g., lecturer, senior lecturer) to a clinical/teaching/practice or research faculty position do not need to request a search waiver. The change of title is recommended following a review by the TIU, a positive recommendation from the TIU head, and approval by the dean. 

Units moving an internal candidate to a tenure track position must conduct a search. 

The Department of Extension is the only exception. In that instance, the department will not request a search waiver. The change of title is recommended following a review by the TIU, a positive recommendation from the TIU head, and approval by the dean.

Units moving a staff member (e.g., research scientist, staff position with teaching duties included in the role) to a clinical/teaching/practice or research faculty position must request a search waiver. If the waiver is granted, the TIU must complete a full review, the TIU head must provide a recommendation, and the dean must approve the hire. 

4.3 External candidates

A search must be conducted for all external candidates, regardless of the faculty position. The only exception is for dual career partners, as described in section 4.1 above.

4.4 Approval

All search waivers are to be submitted for approval via DocuSign to the vice provost for academic policy and faculty resources. No additional steps in a search may be conducted until approval is granted.

5.0 Faculty Emergency Fund

The Ohio State University Faculty Emergency Fund is available upon request to full-time faculty. The purpose of this fund is to support faculty in meeting expenses associated with the successful continuation of their work at Ohio State. Although these resources are limited, the university attempts to make emergency funds readily available to ease the financial burden of unexpected expenses, including, but not limited to, relocation expenses and emergency dependent care expenses. Each full-time faculty member is eligible to borrow up to $1,500. The application form is available here. Faculty receiving funds will be required to submit an application to the Office of Academic Affairs. Normal processing of the application should result in the distribution of funds to the faculty member in the next paycheck processed. 

The program is administered through the Office of Academic Affairs. This revolving fund is available on a first-come, first-served basis. New funds are released as previous recipients repay their funds. If a faculty member wishes to use the emergency fund more than once, they must repay in full the previous funds and remain in the queue until funds are available. The funds released to faculty are interest free.

Because this is a revolving fund, individuals are required to repay the fund through an automatic payroll deduction or by check to the Office of Academic Affairs. There will be a payment of $300 each month beginning the semester following the loan dispersal and continue for a total of 5 months. There is no penalty if faculty wish to repay the funds more quickly.