II. Administrative Organization

A. Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees has 20 Members, two (2) members from each SC Congressional District and three (3) at-large members, all elected by the General Assembly; one (1) ex-officio member who shall be the Governor or the Governor’s designee; one (1) member appointed from the State at-large by the Governor; and one (1) member appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the College of Charleston Alumni Association, who shall be a South Carolina resident and hold any undergraduate or graduate degree from the College of Charleston. (Rev. Aug. 2018)

For additional information regarding the Board of Trustees, including terms of office, election of officers, meeting schedule and the powers and responsibilities of the Board of Trustees, please refer to the “By-Laws of the College of Charleston Board of Trustees” at policy.cofc.edu.

B. Description of the Administrative Organization of the College and Duties of its Officers

  1. The President, appointed by the Board of Trustees, is the chief administrative officer of the College and the University and exercises general supervision over all of its activities. The President may not be an officer of the Board of Trustees. The President shall appoint appropriate academic and administrative personnel, as prescribed by the Board of Trustees policies. All communications between the Board of Trustees and the College will be transmitted through the President. In the absence of the President, the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs assumes the authority and responsibility of the President.

  2. Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs (hereafter, “Provost”) represents the President in the President’s absence and is the chief academic officer with responsibility for the overall academic program. This individual is responsible for academic policies, standards and programs, graduate programs, faculty hiring, the tenure and promotion process, libraries, and the enrollment management areas.

  3. The President shall appoint those members of the administration required for the orderly management of the College, including but not limited to Executive Vice Presidents, Senior Vice Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Associate Vice Presidents.

C. The Deans of the Schools

The Academic Deans are the chief administrative officers of the College of Charleston’s eight academic schools and the libraries. The Academic Deans provide leadership in formulating educational policy, including curriculum development and delivery, and serve as their faculty members’ agents in the execution of such policy. Among other duties, the Academic Deans represent the school in relations with other schools of the College; ensure that faculty enjoy academic freedom and exercise academic responsibility; review departmental and program recommendations for faculty appointment, renewal, promotion, tenure, termination, and dismissal, and forward recommendations to the Provost; approve appointments to the school of prospective faculty; monitor Affirmative Action policy implementation in the departments and programs; review the annual evaluation of each faculty member of the school; periodically review and evaluate the performances of the Department Chairs and other academic administrators appointed in their units; allocate the budgets for instruction, supplies and equipment, etc., and monitor the expenditure of all school funds; hear faculty grievances that have been pursued beyond the departmental or program level and cooperate in formal grievance procedures; monitor faculty workloads and schedules; approve recommendations for sabbatical leaves and leaves of absence; establish ad hoc committees of the faculty; recommend appointments for Department Chairs and other academic administrators to the Provost in accordance with policies and procedures specified; develop fundraising programs and grant proposals for the schools; work with appropriate program directors and Department Chairs; plan and evaluate graduate programs; work with the Dean of the Graduate School to coordinate graduate admission policies; work with those other Deans appointed in the Academic Affairs Division, including the Deans of the Honors College and the Graduate School, as appropriate; and serve on various committees as set forth in College policy.

All Academic Deans and other Deans in the Academic Affairs Division are appointed by the Provost, with the approval of the President, and serve at the pleasure of the Provost. The performance in office of each Dean appointed in the Academic Affairs Division is reviewed periodically by the Provost with input from the faculty. Deans in the Academic Affairs Division hold faculty rank and engage in the teaching, research, and service functions of faculty. Some Deans may be assisted by Associate and/or Assistant Deans and/or Directors who are assigned responsibilities by their Deans and who report directly to them.

The Dean of Libraries and Special Collections is the chief administrative officer of the College of Charleston libraries, including the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture and any branch libraries. This individual is responsible for all activities of the libraries associated with the acquisition, access, and maintenance of information resources that support the teaching and research requirements of the College. The Dean of Libraries is an Academic Dean. The performance of the Dean of Libraries and Special Collections is reviewed periodically by the Provost. The Dean of the Libraries and Special Collections holds faculty rank and engages in professional development and service functions. (Rev. Aug. 2015, July 2016)

D. The Academic Department Chair

  1. Responsibilities of the Chair
    As the integral link between members of academic departments and the Deans of the schools, Chairs are responsible for the development and management of academic departments. Their primary responsibility is for the teaching, research and service of their faculties. Department Chairs provide leadership in the departments’ development of goals, annual objectives, and curricular and staffing plans. Department Chairs conduct the business of the departments in full consultation with their department members.

    A Department Chair’s specific functions include recommending faculty appointment, reappointment, tenure, promotion, termination and dismissal; annually evaluating each member of the department’s faculty and staff; conducting searches for new faculty that conform to Affirmative Action policies and procedures; allocating funds from instructional and other departmental budgets and developing and monitoring these budgets; conducting regular departmental meetings; supervising the department’s program of instruction, including scheduling, faculty workload and advising graduate students and majors; recommending applications for professional travel and sabbatical leave; providing support and orientation for new members of the departments; hearing informal faculty and student grievances; and carrying out other such duties as shall be assigned by the Dean or as set down in College policy and department by-laws.

    As faculty members, Department Chairs are expected to continue to teach, carry out research and related professional growth activities, and provide service to the College and the community. The extent of this effort shall be negotiated each year with the Dean as a part of the Chair’s annual evaluation.

  2. Selection and Evaluation of Department Chairs

    The Chairs are appointed by the Provost, with the approval of the President, and serve at the pleasure of the Provost. The Provost will receive recommendations for new appointments from departmental faculty and the Dean of the school to whom the Department Chair is accountable.

    If a Chair serves for five consecutive years, each departmental faculty member will be asked for a review of the chair’s performance and a recommendation concerning it. These will be forwarded along with the Dean’s recommendation to the Provost. When the office of Chair becomes open, the Dean, after consultation with department members, determines whether to seek a new Chair from within the department or to conduct a national search.

    The Deans of the schools evaluate Department Chairs at the close of each academic year. Each year the Dean shall provide all members of each department with the opportunity to assess in writing the Chair’s performance prior to the completion of the Chair’s annual evaluation. At any time during a Chair’s term of appointment, a majority of members of the department may submit a petition to the Dean requesting a performance review of the Chair.

E. Organization and Operation of the Faculty

  1. Organization
    The Faculty Senate is the primary legislative body of the College of Charleston faculty. Membership in the Faculty is defined in the By-Laws of the Faculty, Article I, Sections 1 and 2. The By-Laws of the Board of Trustees names the President as the chief executive officer of the College. The faculty elects the Speaker of the Faculty who serves as presiding officer at meetings of the faculty and of the Faculty Senate. The faculty elects a secretary annually.

  2. Schools
    The faculty of the College of Charleston is organized into eight academic schools and the library. The eight schools are: the School of the Arts, the School of Business, the School of Education, the School of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics, the School of Health Sciences, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs, and the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences. Other academic units also may be designated as schools and have Deans appointed to lead them, but tenure-eligible faculty shall only be appointed to the academic schools and the library. (Rev. July 2016)

  3. The Academic Departments
    An academic department or program is a group of instructional faculty whose post-baccalaureate degrees are in the same or closely related disciplines and who offer instruction in those disciplines and courses that comprise an integrated curriculum usually leading to one or more minors, concentrations, or majors in a Baccalaureate degree program and/or to a Master’s degree program.

  4. The Library
    The library is an administrative unit which renders academic support and services to faculty and students through the acquisition, processing, and assistance in using its collections.

  5. The Graduate Faculty
    • a. Graduate Faculty categories
      There are two categories of the Graduate Faculty of the University of Charleston, South Carolina (UCSC): Type I and Type II. Only members of the Graduate Faculty shall be assigned as instructors of record for graduate courses, or to direct graduate programs, serve on the Graduate Council, supervise the research of graduate students, and serve on master’s, doctoral, and intern/externship graduate project committees.4 All master’s and doctoral thesis committees and intern/externship graduate project committees must have a Type I Graduate Faculty as chair or co-chair, unless an exception to this requirement is permitted under the terms of approved, program-specific membership criteria. (Rev. July 2016)

      1. Type I
        Type I Graduate Faculty members are roster faculty colleagues at the College of Charleston who have been recommended by the relevant Academic Program Director(s) or Department Chair(s) for Type I membership and approved for such membership by the relevant school Dean(s), the Graduate Dean, and the Provost for a term of six years. The College’s institutional criteria require that Type I Graduate Faculty members have:

        • (i)An earned terminal degree in an appropriate discipline.

        • (ii) Demonstrated effectiveness in teaching.

        • (iii) A continuing record of scholarly achievement and professional activity, or a strong indication of growing involvement with scholarship for those holding the rank of Assistant Professor or its equivalent, consistent with the descriptions of scholarship provided elsewhere in the Faculty/Administration Manual (e.g., Art. VI.A).5

          Schools, departments, and academic programs may at their option propose additional criteria for Type I membership in the Graduate Faculty of the relevant academic unit. Such additional criteria require the written approval of the relevant school Dean(s), the Graduate Dean, and the Provost before taking effect. These additional criteria must be consistent with the Type I Graduate Faculty description and institutional criteria provided in the Faculty/Administration Manual. Additional criteria may further define the expectations for and responsibilities of Type I Graduate Faculty membership for faculty within the relevant academic unit.

          Following a review of the faculty colleague’s teaching, scholarly achievement and professional activity, a Type I appointment may be renewed for an additional six-year term. The form and nature of the six-year review will be determined by the relevant school Dean(s), following consultation with the Graduate Dean.

          A successful outcome to a tenure and/or promotion review for a tenure-track faculty colleague, or a successful application for a superior rating in a post-tenure review, shall result in the automatic renewal of the colleague’s previously approved Type I Graduate Faculty membership for a new six-year term, unless the approved additional criteria for the colleague’s academic unit explicitly preclude such automatic renewals. A one-year extension for Type I Graduate Faculty membership may be granted by the relevant school Deans(s), without the need for a renewal review, when the extension will allow a tenure-track faculty colleague to be considered for tenure, promotion, or a superior rating in a post-tenure review, unless the approved additional criteria for the colleague’s academic unit explicitly preclude automatic renewals.

          Any Dean with a tenured faculty appointment and who reports to the Provost, the Provost, and the President of the College shall be ex officio Type I members of the Graduate Faculty, even when not appointed to the faculty of a specific graduate program.

      2. Type II

        Type II Graduate Faculty members are roster, adjunct, or courtesy faculty members at the College of Charleston who may not hold a terminal degree or some traditional qualifying credentials but meet other appropriate criteria for graduate faculty appointment. Such appointments are granted on the recommendation of the relevant Academic Program Director(s) and/or Department Chair(s) and with the approval of the relevant school Dean(s), the Graduate Dean, and the Provost for a maximum term of three years.

        Following a review of the faculty colleague’s teaching, scholarly achievement and professional activity, Type II appointments may be renewed for additional terms of up to three years. The form and nature of the renewal review will be determined by the relevant school Dean(s), following consultation with the Graduate Dean.

        Qualification for Type II Graduate Faculty membership is determined based on program-specific criteria, including qualifications to instruct a graduate course, supervise graduate student research, act as lead advisor for academic internship or externship projects, and/or serve on thesis, doctoral, or intern/externship project committees.

        Schools, departments, and academic programs may at their option propose additional criteria for Type II membership in the Graduate Faculty of the relevant academic unit. Such additional criteria require the written approval of the relevant school Dean(s), the Graduate Dean, and the Provost before taking effect. These additional criteria must be consistent with the Type II Graduate Faculty description and institutional criteria provided in the Faculty/Administration Manual. Additional criteria may further define the expectations for and responsibilities of Type II Graduate Faculty membership for faculty within the relevant academic unit.

        Those graduate programs in which Type II appointments are made shall specify in writing the program criteria to be used in determining Type II Graduate Faculty eligibility in that program, consistent with the expectations described in the Faculty/Administration Manual and by the relevant accreditors. Program criteria require the written approval of the Provost before taking effect.

        A Type II Graduate Faculty member may serve as the co-chair of a master’s, doctoral, or intern/externship project committee when the other co-chair is a Type I Graduate Faculty member. If permitted by the approved program criteria, a Type II Graduate Faculty member may direct a graduate program or serve on Graduate Council with the permission of the relevant school Dean(s), the Graduate Dean, and the Provost.

    • b. Termination of Graduate Faculty

      Without regard to the conditions of Graduate Faculty membership in a particular academic program, and following appropriate consultations with the relevant school Dean(s) and the Graduate Dean, the Provost may remove a faculty colleague from the Graduate Faculty at any time for violations of the Code of Professional Conduct and/or the Statement of Professional Ethics. College of Charleston faculty have neither a right to nor an expectation of membership in the Graduate Faculty.

      Graduate Faculty membership is automatically terminated when the faculty colleague’s association with the College of Charleston is concluded. However, faculty emeriti may be approved for Type II Graduate Faculty membership with the permission of the relevant school Dean(s), the Graduate Dean, and the Provost, consistent with the applicable program criteria for the relevant graduate program. (Rev. Aug. 2015, July 2016)

F. Institutional Committees

The President and the Provost, acting separately or jointly, shall have the authority to establish, modify or dissolve standing or ad hoc institutional committees.

College business is often carried out by and through institutional committees, some of which are labeled “boards,” “commissions” or “councils” as a matter of institutional history or administrative preference (see n. 6 below). Some institutional committees are advisory in nature. Other institutional committees are delegated certain administrative responsibilities, as limited and specified by the relevant committee charge, with the decisions of these administrative committees subject to review and determination by the President (or the President’s designee).

Composition of committees is drawn from faculty, students, and administration and is dependent largely upon the nature and function of the committee’s responsibility.

Unless otherwise specified in the committee charge, the bylaws of the committee, or in the Faculty/Administration Manual, the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall serve as the parliamentary authority for an institutional committee. (Rev. Jan. 2013)

  1. Advisory Committees, Boards, and Councils for Academic Programs of the College
    Any academic or administrative department or school and/or individual at the College that wishes to have an advisory committee, board or council, some or all of whose members are non-College individuals, must abide by the following regulations.
    Every board, council, commission, and committee6 shall have a clearly written and specific statement of purpose, and a charge which should be proposed by the individual or group wishing to establish the committee, council or board. The purpose and charge must have written approval of the President. The purpose of every community committee, council or board must be compatible with the College’s mission.
    Every board or council must have by-laws approved by the President. Community committees do not require by-laws although they should have clearly stated operating information. By-laws and statements of operation should contain information about:
    • a. appointments or election of members;
    • b. officers, responsibilities, election and terms;
    • c. frequency of meetings;
    • d. arrangements for minutes;
    • e. ability to raise money, and so on.

    Members serving on community committees, councils or boards shall be appointed by a letter signed by the President (or the President’s designee), or members serving on certain community committees, councils or boards may have to be elected by the appropriate governing body or constituency such as the Alumni Association. The list of elected members will be given to the President who shall approve a list of appointments to each. (Rev. Jan. 2013, July 2016)

  2. The Graduate Council

    • a. Purpose and Responsibilities
      The Graduate Council is the body that recommends academic policies and procedures for graduate study at the College of Charleston.

      The Graduate Council shall advise the Dean of the Graduate School, the Associate Dean, and the Faculty Senate with regard to business of the Graduate School, including recommendation of new graduate degree proposals; supervision of approval of new graduate courses; participation in periodic evaluation of graduate programs; periodic review of academic and admissions policies and procedures; assistance in setting directions for research; and assistance in other matters as requested by the College.

    • b. Membership
      Membership in the Graduate Council shall consist of the Dean of the Graduate School (who acts as chairperson), the Associate Dean, the directors of all graduate programs, and one at-large graduate faculty representative from each of the schools in which the graduate programs reside.

      Ex-officio membership in the Graduate Council shall consist of the Provost or the Provost’s designee. A member of the faculty Committee on Graduate Education shall serve ex-officio as a liaison with the Faculty Senate. A member of the Graduate Student Association (GSA) shall serve as ex-officio member as a liaison with GSA. (Rev. Aug. 2018)

      At-large members serve a term of two years beginning July 1 and ending June 30. (Rev. July 2007, May 2009, Aug. 2017)

 

4 All provisions for Graduate Faculty membership in support of doctoral programs will be controlling only if approval is secured at some future time for doctoral programs to be offered through the Graduate School of the University of Charleston, South Carolina. (Ins. Aug. 2015)

5 A former academic administrator who has a tenured faculty appointment and has recently moved to roster faculty work may be appointed as a Type I Graduate Faculty member in a graduate program, with the appointment to be based on the totality of the former administrator’s educational, teaching and scholarly record prior to accepting an administrative appointment. Former academic administrators are expected to meet all relevant criteria when subsequently considered for Graduate Faculty membership renewal. (Ins. Aug. 2015; Rev. Aug. 2018)

6 A board or council is defined as a group that has a set of written and approved by-laws that govern its authority and procedures. A committee or commission may serve many different purposes (fund raising, advisory, etc.) and does not necessarily have formal by-laws. (Rev. July 2016)