AA/PPS 01.02.01 - Academic Administrative Units

SCOPE

1. The Division of Academic Affairs at Texas State University is organized administratively into colleges, schools, departments, and programs. This policy and procedures statement (PPS) defines the scope of each academic administrative unit and provides guidance for the preparation of proposals for new units and for changing or deleting existing units.

   An administrative unit is defined as “a department, college, school, or other unit at a university or health-related institution, which has administrative authority over degree or certificate programs” (Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 2, Subchapter A, Rule 2.3).

2. When considering the addition, change, or deletion of an administrative unit, the college dean should first consult the provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs (EVPAA) and engage in an exploratory discussion and to ensure consideration of the proposed addition, change, or deletion in the appropriate strategic plans. Chairs, directors, and deans should also consult with faculty in the unit and in other related programs.

3. This PPS conforms to the rules, regulations, and policies of The Texas State University System (TSUS) Board of Regents and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB).

DEFINITION

1. Value-Neutral Instruction – refers to instructional practices that present course content in descriptive, evidence-based, and ideologically nonprescriptive ways, avoiding the use of the classroom for political or ideological advocacy and allowing students to evaluate competing perspectives and form their own reasoned judgments. Major principles include:

   1. presenting course material without using the classroom as a platform for political advocacy or imposing the instructor’s personal ideological views;

   2. using descriptive, discipline-appropriate, and ideologically neutral language in course descriptions, learning outcomes, and syllabi, avoiding politically loaded phrases or prescribed viewpoints; and

   3. encouraging intellectual pluralism by acknowledging multiple legitimate perspectives, emphasizing evidence and reasoning, and allowing students to reach their own conclusions without being graded on agreement with the instructor’s ideology.

EXPECTATIONS

1. As a principal unit of the university, each college, excluding The Graduate College and Honors College, is expected to develop a robust agenda for teaching, scholarship, and service that aligns with and supports the strategic priorities of the university and the division. The academic and administrative leader of the college is the dean. Each college comprises a range of schools, departments, and academic programs.

2. Each dean, as the chief academic officer of the college, is expected to perform several specific functions that include but are not limited to the following:

   1. advancing rigorous tenure and promotion standards within the college, including the design and implementation of a faculty evaluation process that documents teaching excellence, scholarly and creative activity, and professional service, and that applies evaluation results to foster faculty professional development;

   2. integrating advanced instructional technologies to enhance student learning outcomes;

   3. assessing ongoing activities and new initiatives to ensure continuous improvement within the college;

   4. aligning college efforts with the university’s strategic plan, providing significant leadership in the pursuit of institutional goals and initiatives;

   5. supporting degree and certificate completion and student retention efforts, ensuring college contributes meaningfully to the university’s commitment to student success;

   6. expanding grant and contract activities within the college, including the pursuit of goals established in collaboration with the Division of Research;

   7. participating actively in academic oversight, including monitoring degree and certificate programs and certifying degree candidates;

   8. advancing development and fundraising efforts, including cultivating external partnerships and securing resources that strengthen the college’s mission and priorities; and

   9. overseeing all college departments to ensure adherence to the principles of value-neutral instruction and verifying that all curricular components (including course titles, descriptions, learning outcomes, and syllabi) align with and accurately represent the approved course inventory and catalog.

3. The academic and administrative leader of a school holds the title of director. For designation as a school several of the characteristics listed below are normally present:

   1. The present and projected size of a school should be commensurate with the standards and expectations of the discipline.

   2. The scope and complexity of programs offered within a school, including the attainment of specialized accreditations where applicable.

   3. The external evidence should clearly establish that a school has a distinguished reputation for its quality.

   4. A school should demonstrate that the outcomes articulated in its strategic plan are clearly aligned with the broader goals of the university.

   5. A school should demonstrate that the outcomes identified in its strategic plan are directly connected to, or dependent upon, its designation as a school.

   6. A school should demonstrate that school-level designation is common among peer institutions or comparable units of similar size and scope within the discipline.

   7. A school should provide evidence of growth in grant and contract activities, including the active pursuit of goals for grants and contracts that are established in collaboration with the Division of Research.

   8. A school should demonstrate development and implementation of standards for tenure and promotion, including development and implementation of a faculty evaluation process that documents teaching excellence, scholarly and creative activity, and professional service within the school and that uses the results of these evaluations for the effective professional development of school faculty.

   9. The school director is responsible for ensuring that all academic program curricula follow principles of value-neutral instruction and for verifying that curricular components (course titles, course descriptions, learning outcomes, and syllabi) remain consistent with and accurately reflect the approved course inventory and catalog.

4. In most instances, designation as a school does not indicate progression toward becoming an independent college. In certain cases, however, such a designation may signal the beginning of a transition to college status. Any proposal to convert a department into a school must explicitly state whether the change is intended as part of a planned progression toward becoming a free-standing college or is not associated with such a transition.

5. The academic and administrative leader of a department holds the title of chair. Each department chair is responsible for many activities, including those in the areas listed below:

   1. recruiting and retaining distinguished faculty; upholding rigorous tenure and promotion standards; and developing and implementing faculty evaluation processes that document teaching excellence, scholarly and creative activity, and professional service, while using evaluation results to advance faculty professional development;

   2. advancing a strong program of scholarly research, including externally funded projects and initiatives that align with goals established in collaboration with the Division of Research;

   3. aligning college efforts with the university’s strategic plan, providing significant leadership in the pursuit of institutional goals and initiatives; and

   4. ensuring that all academic program curricula follow principles of value-neutral instruction and for verifying that curricular components (course titles, course descriptions, learning outcomes, and syllabi) remain consistent with and accurately reflect the approved course inventory and catalog.

6. In some cases, degree and certificate programs are determined to be units without departmental status, as defined by the THECB guidelines for critical mass of faculty and students. The leader of administrative programs holds the title of program chair. Administrative programs are responsible for the same activities as departments.

7. Under guidelines of the THECB, proposals to create a new unit or to modify an existing unit are categorized as “administrative changes.” Administrative change proposals are prepared in accordance with the THECB format. The form can be accessed on the Office of Curriculum and Academic Programs website.

PROCEDURES FOR PROPOSAL ROUTING

1. Administrative change proposals may be submitted for review and recommendation by any of the following: faculty, chair or director, dean, or other segments of the university. Generally, administrative change proposals are submitted for an effective date in the fall.

2. The approval process normally takes one year, including approximately six months for on-campus approvals and six months for off-campus approvals. Because administrative change proposals are typically effective in a fall semester, proper planning should include the necessary approval and implementation procedures, as indicated in Section 04.09.

3. After consultation with faculty, the program chair, department chair, or school director will submit administrative change proposals to their college dean for review by the college council.

4. The originating dean shall submit proposals to the associate vice provost for Curriculum and Academic Programs (AVPCAP). The AVPCAP will review each proposal for compliance with applicable policies and regulations before forwarding it to the vice provost for Academic Innovation and the provost and EVPAA for preliminary review. If the provost and EVPAA does not approve the proposal, the originating dean and the provost and EVPAA will confer to determine appropriate next steps.

5. With the provost and EVPAA’s approval, the AVPCAP will submit proposals for final review by the Academic Affairs Council (AAC). In cases where curriculum change proposals accompany the administrative change proposal, the AVPCAP will submit for final review by the university curriculum committee, the Faculty Senate, and the AAC.

6. Upon approval of the president, the AVPCAP will prepare an executive summary of the proposal for submission to the TSUS Board of Regents.

7. Upon approval from the TSUS Board of Regents, the AVPCAP will submit the proposal to the THECB via the online proposal system.

8. Throughout the process, the AVPCAP will work with appropriate college deans to verify the format and content of the proposal, along with any necessary changes.

9. After approval of the administrative change proposal, the AVPCAP will work with designated university staff to update database systems that will be associated with the request for an administrative change, such as to assign new administrative unit codes, changes of course prefixes, major, minor, certificate codes, and related matters.

10. If a proposal receives a negative vote or is denied at any level, the proposal will be returned to the faculty and program chair, department chair, or school director for review and possible revision.

REVIEWERS OF THIS PPS

1. Reviewers of this PPS include the following:

   Position	Date
   Associate Vice Provost for Curriculum and Academic Programs	March 1 E5Y
   Vice Provost for Academic Innovation	March 1 E5Y

CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

This PPS has been approved by the following individuals in their official capacities and represents Texas State Academic Affairs policy and procedure from the date of this document until superseded.

Vice Provost for Academic Innovation; senior reviewer of this PPS

Senior Vice Provost

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs