Faculty Handbook

II. Governance and Administration

A. BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The University is administered by a Board of Trustees and a group of administrative officers headed by the President. Names and positions of administrators are given in the catalog and in a roster of university personnel which is distributed at the beginning of each academic year. The Board of Trustees meets regularly twice each year to handle matters of general importance. Certain committees of the Board meet more frequently as necessary.

B. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

The President is responsible to the Board, and administrators are directly responsible to the President. Present Cabinet-level administrators include the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Vice President for Finance and Administration, the Vice President for Enrollment Management, the Vice President for University Advancement, and the Vice President for Student Development.

C. ACADEMIC ORGANIZATION

Reporting to the Vice President for Academic Affairs are various committee chairs, chairs of the seven academic divisions, the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, the Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies, and those responsible for support areas. That list of support personnel includes the Registrar, the Director of the Library, the Director of the Honors Scholars Program, the Director of the Leader Scholars Institute, the Director of Student Support Services, the Director of The Institute for Learning Enhancement (TILE), and the Director of Assessment.

D. APPOINTMENT OF DIVISION CHAIRS

Each Chair is appointed by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the President in consultation with division faculty. The normal tenure for a division chair is four years, after which the chair may be succeeded by another member of the division faculty or may be re-appointed. There are no stated qualifications for this position, but the appointee should be an experienced member of the division who, in the judgment of the President and Vice President for Academic Affairs, will be an effective leader. Where special circumstances warrant, the four-year rotation practice may be set aside temporarily. Division Chairs receive a 3-hour release per semester for administrative duties as well as an additional one month extention of their contract.

E. RESPONSIBILITIES OF DIVISION CHAIRS

To provide leadership for the division and its individual departments.
- To conduct a continuing review of course offerings within the division and to encourage innovation and experimentation in course content, teaching methods, and styles of instruction.
- To speak on behalf of the division to other divisions and to the University as a whole.
- To conduct a continuing review of the role and contribution of the division and its constituents to JBU.
- To be an exemplar of good teaching and sound scholarship.
To administer the work of the division.
- To coordinate and evaluate divisional course offerings.
- To make recommendations for divisional and discipline budget allocations, and to administer the budget assigned.
- To schedule regular meetings of the division faculty.
To maintain concern for professional development of both students and instructors within the division.

To encourage improvement in teaching and professional development among all members of the division.
To take divisional leadership in identifying qualified candidates for professional appointment.
To evaluate the professional performance of members of the division and make recommendations for promotions and sabbatical leaves.
To identify and encourage student academic leadership in the division and to maintain an active interest in advising students in graduate and vocational opportunities.
To coordinate the advising of students during fall, spring and the Early Registration Program (ERP).

To be responsible to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for the work of the division.
- To interpret the needs of the division to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and to interpret the needs of the University to the division.
- To be a member of the Undergraduate Council and to share actively in its discussions, recommendations, and decisions.
- To communicate UGC discussions, recommendations and decisions to the divisional faculty members and staff.
- To complete an Annual Report of division activities (see Appendix A).

F. EVALUATION OF DIVISION CHAIRS (SEE APPENDIX B).

G. DEPARTMENTAL ORGANIZATION

Academic divisions are organized around departments. Each subject-matter area is considered a department. In departments consisting of several instructors, a Department Head is usually appointed by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the President in consultation with department faculty and the division chair.

H. GUIDELINES FOR DEPARTMENT HEADS

Administrative duties vary according to the size and programs of the department. The department head works closely with the division chair on common problems and exercises general oversight of the department. Other duties include preparing proposals for course and curriculum changes, making personnel recommendations, and preparing annual department budget requests. The department head reports problems with facilities and equipment to the division chair and follows through to see that needed steps are taken.

I. COMMITTEES

A list of Elected and Standing Committees, with details of their responsibilities, is prepared annually and distributed by the Office of Academic Affairs to all persons concerned. Committee membership is determined by faculty election and/or appointment by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and/or the President. Preference for membership on particular committees is considered in the appointment process assuming they are communicated to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and President well before the appointments are made over the summer.

Faculty are elected by their colleagues to the following committees for three-year terms: Faculty Athletic Committee, Faculty Development Committee, Core Curriculum Committee, Graduate Council, Adult Academic Council, and Faculty Status Committee. Elections are held each Spring semester during the last Faculty Meeting of the academic year.

The Standing Committees consist of faculty members, staff members and in some cases, a student representative. The Standing Committees are: Admissions and Financial Aid, All-Campus Judiciary, Assessment, Campus Diversity Planning, Commencement, Educational Policies, Employee Benefits, Environmental Health and Safety, Freshman Year and Student Body Retention, Honors Scholars, Information Technology Advisory Council, International Programs, Long-Range Planning, Professional Development Schools, Scholastic Petitions, Spiritual Life, Student Awards, and Student Disabilities.

Student representatives on committees may legitimately have voting privileges. For example, the Honors Club president, elected by honors students, should have voting privileges on the Honors Scholars Committee. However, faculty-elected committees represent the voice of the faculty. Students may be represented on these committees but should not be voting members. The following distinction has been approved by the faculty (May 2004):

Standing committees that have student representatives will allow students to have voting status.
Students do not have voting status on faculty elected committees.

Please refer to the document entitled “Committee Appointments” (See Appendix C) for information on each committee and the committee members. Questions regarding committees can be directed to the division chairs or the Office of Academic Affairs.

J. FACULTY ORGANIZATION

The John Brown University faculty meets monthly during the academic year. Voting members are all full-time University employees who teach at least one course per year and others as designated in the Faculty Constitution. The Chair of the organization is the President of the University; the Vice Chair is the Vice President for Academic Affairs. (See Faculty Constitution , Appendix D)

Section III. Support Units