PROPOSAL FOR UNIVERSITY RESTRUCTURING PLAN

The following are ideas for the reorganization of the proposed College of Social & Behavioral Sciences. The primary intent of these recommendations is to increase efficiency, relieve faculty of responsibilities that could be performed by others without doctoral degrees, distribute responsibilities in a fairer and more equitable way, enhance the quality of instruction, and increase funding

Role & Responsibilities of Department Chair

  1. Each Department should have a Chair at .70 FTE who teaches one course/semester.
  2. Primary responsibilities of the Chair should include the following:
  3. Grantsmanship: Chairs should have as a primary responsibility the procurement of external funding for their Department.
  4. Strategic planning: Chairs should provide leadership in the development of the Department’s strategic plan.
  5. Program oversight: Chairs should supervise Program Directors.
  6. Supervision of faculty & staff and program evaluation: Chairs should conduct annual evaluations of faculty and staff.
  7. Program development: Chairs should provide leadership in the development of new programs and initiatives consistent with the Department’s strategic plan.
  8. Convening and meeting with Advisory Group composed of national/international, regional, and local leaders that can provide support to the Department and its programs/activities. Chairs should establish relationships with those within the community, professional associations, and local, regional, and national organizations on behalf of their Department.
  1. Administrative Assistant
  2. Each Department should have an Administrative Assistant (preferable MS or comparable experience) who is supervised by the Chair of the Department and handles all administrative responsibilities:
  3. Preparation of AORs, schedules, etc.
  4. Managing the budget with supervision of Chair,
  5. Ordering supplies, maintenance of equipment,
  6. Supervision and training of secretary/receptionists,
  7. Preparing documents for requests to hire, etc.
  8. Receiving and cataloguing of faculty syllabi,
  9. Attendance/recording,
  10. Organization of departmental office and records,
  11. Attending college/university meetings to address the above issues, etc.
  12. Other relevant duties
  13. Program Directors
  14. Each program should have a program director at .50 FTE.
  15. One secretary/receptionist should be assigned to the Undergraduate Program, depending upon size of the program and one or more to Graduate Programs depending upon size.
  16. Responsibilities of Program Directors would include the following:
  17. Graduate Program Directors:
  18. Advising graduate students
  19. Coordination of process for reviewing applications for admission
  20. Monitoring student progress
  21. Recruitment of students
  22. Assignment of graduate assistants and management of budget for the assistants
  23. Preparation of policies and procedures manuals
  24. Development of assessment plans, collection of data, and preparation of reports
  25. Participation in relevant certification/accreditation activities
  26. Implementation of special programs, i.e., student conferences, etc.
  27. Other related duties
  28. Undergraduate Program Director
  29. Receives applications for graduation from College Advisor and approves them.
  30. Development of assessment plan, collection of data, and preparation of report
  31. Recruitment of students: Advisement Fairs, Change of Major, Orientation, etc.
  32. Implementation of special programs, i.e., career days, graduate school preparation workshops, etc.
  33. Coordinates development of new courses
  34. Leads relevant accreditation activities, e.g., SACS
  35. Implements majors meetings and other activities for undergraduates
  36. Keeps undergraduates informed about opportunities for research, internships, scholarships, upcoming activities, policy changes, etc.
  37. Other related duties
  1. College Level Student Advisors: This responsibility would be reassigned to employees who have this as their primary role rather than faculty members.
  2. Each College/School should have one student advisor for every 200-250 students.
  3. Advisors should be Masters level employees with degrees in the field that they provide advisement or in related fields, e.g., psychology, social work, history, etc., and/or potentially graduate student assistants.
  4. Advisors should be attached to the Departments for which they provide advisement.
  5. Advisors would be responsible for meeting with students and assisting them with the development of their schedules; monitoring student progress and facilitating handling academic issues that arise.
  1. Faculty Members. Faculty should be assigned to one of four categories:
  2. Teaching only with four courses/semester;
  3. Research primarily with 1-2 courses/semester;
  4. Teaching & Research with 2-3 courses/semester;
  5. Program Director + Teaching or Research at .50 FTE each.

Faculty selecting the research option must have an active research program consisting of at least two of the following:

  • grant acquisition and administration;
  • supervision of theses or student research;
  • regular presentations at professional conferences, meetings, etc.; or
  • submission of articles for publication, book chapters, authoring/editing books.