CHARACTERISTICS OF A DEPARTMENT/SCHOOL

1. Departments and schools are considered equivalent units for purposes of university policies and the collective bargaining agreement.

2. A department/school is part of a college.  Schools do not include departments as sub-units.

3. A department/school offers a major or minor or concentration

4. A department/school has faculty with tenure rights and normally has a minimum staffing of four (4.0) full-time equivalent faculty.

5. A department/school elects a peer review committee which recommends hiring faculty members and performs evaluation functions for re-appointment, retention, tenure, and promotion of faculty.  In order to fulfill its personal functions, there must be enough faculty in the department/school and/or cognate disciplines to serve on the required committees.

6. Whether called a chair or a director, the head of a department or a school is selected according to the University Policy for Selection of Department Chairs (#S85-145) and reports to the dean of a college.

7. Considerations which will normally apply in designating a unit a school include professional accreditation, licensing or certification requirements for graduates, seize of the unit and common practice in higher education of administratively referring to the discipline as a school.

8. Request for change in sub-college unit title originate with the unit faculty, are recommended by the college dean, and are approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.