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S06-7

At its meeting of May 8, 2006, the Academic Senate passed the following Policy Recommendation presented by Senator Parsons for the Organization and Government Committee.

POLICY RESOLUTION

MERGING, DIVIDING, TRANSFERRING, ELIMINATING ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS

Whereas        there are at present no university policies prescribing procedures to                            be followed in merging, dividing, transferring or eliminating                                                             academic departments, and

Whereas        the principles to be applied in this area are uncertain and should be                             clarified, and

Whereas        appropriate procedures based on such principles should be                                                     established, now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED as follows:

            1. When a proposal is made by a department, college dean or the Provost (or other university authority) to divide or eliminate an academic department, to merge it with another department or to transfer it to another college, the basic principle established by this policy is that there should be meaningful consultation with all academic departments affected before any such proposal is approved or implemented. Any associated termination of degree programs shall comply with UP 99-4.

            2. Implementation of this principle requires that all affected departments be informed of the proposed change and allowed a reasonable time to consider the proposal and express its opinion by vote in a department meeting. The vote of the regular (tenured and tenure-track) faculty and the vote of the temporary faculty shall be tallied and reported separately, and the vote of the temporary faculty shall be advisory only.

            3. In addition to consultation with the affected department or departments, such a proposal also requires consultation with the dean of any college affected and the Provost.

            4. If any department or authority from which or whom an expression of opinion or approval is required does not respond or act within 20 faculty duty days from the submission to it or her/him, it or she/he shall be deemed to have expressed opposition to it or disapproved it.

            5. If any department required to express an opinion or authority required to act on the proposal has (or is deemed to have) expressed opposition to it or disapproved it, and the conflict is not promptly resolved by negotiation, any such department or authority may request a hearing before the Organization and Government Committee of the Academic Senate. At the hearing, all such departments and authorities may be heard, as well as all faculty of affected departments. After the hearing, the Organization and Government Committee shall make a written report to the Provost recommending approval (with or without modification) or disapproval. If the Provost has already acted on the proposal, the report shall be made to the President. The Provost (or President) shall then make a final decision based on the best interests of the University.

Approved:                  3/20/06

Vote:                           6:0:0

Present:                      Gleixner: Hebert, Hilliard, Hooper, Parsons, Selter                                                                                        

Not-present:              Easter, Larsen, Kellum

Financial Impact:       Unknown       

ACTION BY UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT:  Approved by President Don Kassing on

                                                                                    May 15, 2006