Policy: Departments and Department-like Academic Units Definition, Privileges, Responsibilities, and Process for Approvals*
Policy on Departments and Department-like Academic Units
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Context
Academic departments are defined in Chapter 5 of Faculty Policies and Procedures (FPP) https://secfac.wisc.edu/governance/faculty-legislation/fpp_ch_5/
FPP Chapter 5 sets out guidelines for formal departments, and “other groups as equivalent to departments”. FPP Ch 5 also specifies that departments and other groups equivalent to departments are governed in consultation with the University Academic Planning Council (UAPC), which is chaired by the provost (FPP Ch 6.52).
This policy fills a gap by specifying the criteria that the UAPC will use in considering department creation, restructuring or discontinuation, and also the creation, restructuring, or discontinuation of department-like units.
Definitions and Key Features of Departments and Department-like Academic Units
FPP Ch 5 defines the academic department and makes allowance for “other groups equivalent to departments”.
This policy names “other groups equivalent to departments” as “department-like academic units”.
This policy specifies that a unit that supports enrollment of students in for-credit courses or academic programs is required to be approved as a department or as an academic unit that meets standards for supporting students.
Definitions are as follows, and see Table 1:
Department (defined in FPP Ch 5.01.A). A group of faculty dealing with a common field of knowledge or closely related scholarly interests. Departments serve as tenure homes for faculty, exercise a broad range of functions and duties in relation to faculty academic life, and may also house academic programs and course Subject listings.
Department-like Academic Unit; Tenure Home (referenced in FPP Ch5.01.B, FPP Ch 5.40). A group of faculty who are not all in the same department but who share responsibilities for departmental functions. They exercise a broad range of functions and duties in relation to faculty academic life, and generally house at least one academic program (degree/major or certificate) or course Subject listing. Department-like academic units usually do not serve as tenure homes, but for cases when department-like academic units are approved to serve as tenure homes, each faculty member’s tenure home will be approved on a case-by-case basis by the University Committee.
Department-like Academic Unit; Not a Tenure Home (referenced in FPP Ch5.01.B, FPP Ch 5.40). A group of faculty who are not all in the same department but who share responsibilities for departmental functions. They exercise a broad range of functions and duties in relation to faculty academic life, and house at least one academic program (degree/major or certificate) or course Subject listing. These units do not serve as a tenure home for faculty.
Note that for administrative purposes, all schools/colleges deans offices also function as departments in terms of approving and administering academic programs and subjects. In addition, some division-level schools are structured as a single department with the dean serving in the chair role (in addition to their dean role), and thus have a functionally equivalent role to departments under these guidelines.
Table 1. Features of Departments and Department-like Academic Units
Feature | Department | Department-like academic unit; can be a faculty tenure home | Department-like academic unit; NOT a faculty tenure home |
Common Use | Department serves as a tenure home.
| An academic unit at a level equivalent to a department (not a subdepartment). May serve as a tenure home; assignment of faculty to the unit as a tenure home requires UC approval. Houses academic programs and subjects (courses) for enrolling students. | An academic unit at a level equivalent to a department (not a subdepartment). Does NOT serve as a tenure home. |
Faculty Tenure Home
| Yes | Yes. | No |
Approval Path | S/C -> UAPC-> (UC) -> Faculty Senate Faculty Senate is reading only | S/C -> UAPC -> (UC) -> Faculty Senate Faculty Senate is reading only | S/C -> UAPC Follows same path as academic program or subject |
Faculty Leadership; selected as per FPP Ch 5.30 | CHAIR (tenured faculty in the department; appointed as chair in HRS) or ACADEMIC PROGRAM DIRECTOR (holds tenure or joint exec appointment).
| Academic Program Director, at least 0%. Has tenure home in the academic unit or, in a department and holds joint executive appointment in the academic unit. | Academic Program Director, at least 0%. Holds joint executive appointment in the academic unit. |
Governance and Faculty Oversight | EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE - Tenured faculty (FPP 5.20.) and joint executive appointees (FPP 5.12.) | Faculty with Joint Executive appointments and Instructional Academic Staff (Cat B Instructional) as defined by the unit’s governance documents approved by UAPC and UC, and consistent with FPP Chapter 5, as applicable.
| Faculty with Joint Executive appointments and Instructional Academic Staff (Cat B Instructional) as defined by the unit’s governance documents approved by UAPC and UC, and consistent with FPP Chapter 5, as applicable. |
Tenured faculty may have joint executive app’ts (FPP 5.12.)
| Yes | Yes | Yes |
Faculty and academic staff may have joint dept app’ts (FPP 5.12.) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Faculty and academic staff may have affiliate app’ts (FPP 5.13.) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Research mission
| Expected | Expected | Depends on mission |
Outreach/ public service mission
| Expected | Expected | Depends on mission |
Teaching/ instructional mission | Expected | Expected | Expected |
Home for academic degree/major or certificate programs | Allowed | Allowed | Allowed |
Home for Subjects (courses) | Allowed | Allowed | Allowed |
Responsible to maintain necessary records required by the university in regard to teaching, research, and public service | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Follow any requirements set by school/college, university or external agencies with respect to teaching, research and public service. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Name Format | Department of --- School of --- (within a College)
| Center of/for --- --- Program (does not use word “Department”) | Center of/for --- --- Program (does not use word “Department”) |
Identified by Department ID – UDD
| Yes | Yes | Yes |
Note: The focus of FPP is primarily on faculty roles and responsibilities and the governance of academic units; UAPC practice and policy is more focused on academic programs and on structures and standards related to student success. FPP 5.40. (“Department-like Bodies”) is understood to apply to ALL academic units that are not departments, some of which may not be included above. The main example of units subject to FPP 5.40 but not listed here would be research centers; they are not included because they do not serve students through academic programs or subjects/courses. Governance approval is required for a department or other unit to serve the functions listed here.
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After UAPC approval and Faculty Senate consideration, the department or its parent school/college will be reminded to contact the Office of Human Resources and Business Services with information about the approved change as part of implementation.