Office of Academic Affairs
Office of Faculty Affairs

Chapter 1 — Section 1

 

1.0 Governance documents

As described in the sections below, every unit is expected to maintain a pattern of administration (POA) and an appointment, promotion, and tenure (APT) document. The POA document describes the administration of the unit, including the unit’s mission, the faculty’s rights and responsibilities, organization of services and staff, decision-making guidelines, roles and composition of committees, the unit’s administration, and faculty workload guideline, among others. The APT document describes the procedures for appointments and promotion, including the makeup and responsibilities of the committee of eligible faculty, the unit’s criteria for appointment and promotion, and the procedures for candidates seeking promotion.  

All approved governance documents are maintained on the OAA Faculty Affairs Governance Documents web page.  

1.0 Pattern of administration 

1.0.1 Departments and schools (hereafter, TIUs) and colleges 

Faculty Rule 3335-3-35 requires chairs of departments and directors of schools (hereafter, TIU heads) to develop a POA document in consultation with their TIU faculty. Similarly, Faculty Rule 3335-3-29 requires college deans to develop a POA document in consultation with their college faculty. Both Rules provide guidance about minimum POA content. Neither Rule requires formal faculty acceptance of a POA document. Accordingly, a TIU head or dean may implement changes without consensus. Units may provide for such a process, however, since it is obviously desirable for TIU heads and deans to reach consensus with their faculty on their unit’s document. 

The Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) expects newly appointed or reappointed TIU heads and deans to submit a revised or reaffirmed POA to OAA no later than one year from the date they are appointed or reappointed. TIU-level POAs must be approved by the relevant college office before submission to OAA. Time extensions for submission can only be authorized by OAA and deans need to make the request on behalf of their college or TIU.  

If a TIU head or dean wishes to reaffirm the POA without amendment, it must be current with university rules and policies. Specific sections of the document can be revised as the need arises. For TIUs, such revisions must be approved by both the dean of the college and OAA. The current POA remains in effect until a revised or reaffirmed one is approved by OAA. The senior vice provost for faculty encourages TIU heads and deans to submit drafts of POAs to OAA for consultation and advice prior to formal submission of their document.  

1.0.2 Regional campuses 

Although not stipulated in Faculty Rule 3335-3-29.1, which details the responsibilities of a regional campus dean and director, OAA requires regional campuses to develop a POA in consultation with their campus faculty. Formal faculty acceptance of the POA is not required, though a regional campus may provide for such a process. However, a dean and director may have to implement changes without consensus. 

1.0.3 Required POA outlines 

The required outline for the POA for departments and schools is available in the TIU POA guideline document.  

The required outline for the POA for colleges with TIUs is available in the college with TIUs POA guideline document.  

The required outline for the POA for colleges that are TIUs is available in the college as TIU POA guideline document. 

The required outline for the POA for regional campuses is available in the regional campus POA guideline document. 

Directions about individual components of the relevant POA are provided in an instruction sheet that precedes each guideline document.