10.4 Academic governance

The institution (a) publishes and implements policies on the authority of faculty in academic and governance matters, (b) demonstrates that educational programs for which academic credit is awarded are approved consistent with institutional policy, and (c) places primary responsibility for the content, quality, and effectiveness of the curriculum with its faculty.

Judgment

x Compliance o Non-Compliance o Partial Compliance

Narrative

A. Role of faculty in academic governance

UL Lafayette publishes and implements policies on the authority of faculty in academic and governance matters, for all modes of program delivery. The University’s Organizational Chart and the Organization section of the Faculty Handbook together provide a framework for the governing structure of the University.

Faculty exercise authority in academic and governance matters principally through their respective departments, through the Faculty Senate, and through other University committees and task forces. Each form of faculty governance applies to face-to-face and distance courses and programs equally.

The faculty’s central role in governance, through participation in University decision-making processes and service on decision-making committees, is framed in the Faculty Handbook’s description of the Ideal Professor, Citizenship and Service section and in its Service on Committees section. Faculty governance is in part exercised through the chain of authority. Faculty initiatives, proposals, and decisions are channeled through a multi-level approval process to Directors of Schools, Department Heads, and Coordinators, who are responsible to the Deans of their respective colleges for the academic, personnel, financial, and material needs of their academic units. The Deans of the eight undergraduate colleges and other academic administrators are responsible to the Provost for the leadership and administration of academic programs within their areas. The University Council, chaired by the Provost, is composed of the President, Vice Presidents and others who represent areas of Vice-Presidential responsibility, and the Faculty Senate President. The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, as chief academic officer of the University, coordinates the work of the other University Vice Presidents, and acts as chief administrative officer in the absence of the University President. The President, as the chief executive officer of the institution, is responsible for the execution of the administrative and educational policies of the Louisiana Board of Regents (BOR) and the UL System Board of Supervisors (BOS).

Faculty Committees

Faculty members serve on standing University councils and committees whose respective charges, described in detail in Appendix B of the Faculty Handbook, delineate the responsibility and authority of each group. Appointments to these bodies are made each Spring after all faculty and staff have filled out a committee survey. Committee membership is determined by the Vice President or other governing body to whom the committee reports. The membership of most University committees, and all committees dealing with academic matters, is predominantly composed of faculty representatives (though several include staff and students), and membership is public. Several University committees—including Academic Affairs and Standards, Curriculum, Diversity Council, Faculty Benefits and Welfare, Faculty Grievance, Library, Parking and Planning, Strategic Program Review, and Student Evaluation of Instruction—report directly to the Faculty Senate. Each year the Faculty Senate Committee on Committees prepares a slate of two faculty nominees to fill vacancies on each committee, and after the approval by the Senate, the slate is forwarded to the Provost, who makes the final appointments. These committees report regularly to the Faculty Senate. Faculty members also serve on task forces convened for ad hoc purposes by appointment of the Provost. Here are some examples:

· International Initiatives Task Force Report

· Graduate Education Task Force

· Strategic Planning Steering Committee

Faculty Senate

Faculty also participate in governance through membership on the Faculty Senate. As stated in the Preamble of the Constitution of the Faculty Senate,

As the only authorized, representative body of the faculty under the administration of the University of Louisiana Lafayette, the Faculty Senate is constituted to promote and implement, consistent with the purposes of the University, maximum participation of the faculty in university governance. In this capacity, the Faculty Senate will assist the administration in such matters of particular faculty concern as academic standards, student affairs, faculty welfare, selection of university‐wide administrators, and membership of specified university committees. The Faculty Senate will advise the administration in the formulation and execution of policy with respect to the broadly defined goals, priorities, and financial needs of the University. The Faculty Senate will also communicate faculty interests to the public and public officials as deemed appropriate in furthering the purpose of the organization.

The faculty is the driving force behind academic policies, and the revision of policies is often debated in committees formed by the Faculty Senate, and occurs as a result of requests made by the Faculty Senate. This process is reflected in the Procedure for Making Changes to the Faculty Handbook (see Example 2 below). The significant role of the Faculty Senate is underscored by the Faculty Senate Executive Officer’s membership on the University Council, the University’s highest decision-making body.

Membership in the Faculty Senate is defined in the Faculty Senate Constitution, and includes broad representation from faculty, although faculty serving in an administrative capacity above the level of Department Chair or equivalent are not eligible for Senate membership:

· All faculty members with the rank of Professor shall be permanent members. They are polled prior to the first meeting of each academic year to determine if they wish to be active members (defined as one who states the intention to attend at least half of the regularly scheduled Senate meetings).

· Elective members of the Faculty Senate must be Associate Professors, Assistant Professors, Instructors, or Adjunct Faculty, of the general faculty not serving in an administrative capacity above the level of Department Chair or equivalent, and who have completed no less than one academic year of full-time employment at the University at the time of taking office.

· Associate Professors shall be elected in the proportion of one member per five Associate Professors or fraction thereof in each faculty unit of the University. Associate Professor Senate members shall be elected for three-year terms and shall take office at the first meeting following election.

· Assistant Professors and Instructors shall be elected in the proportion of one member per ten Assistant Professors and Instructors or fraction thereof in each faculty unit of the University. Such members shall be elected for two-year terms and shall take office at the first meeting following election.

· One Adjunct Faculty member shall be elected from each faculty unit of the University to serve a one-year term.

The Faculty Senate meets eight times during the academic year. All faculty members except those with full-time administrative appointments above the level of Department Head are invited to attend, but only Senate members may vote on issues. Before each meeting, the Faculty Senate sponsors an informal dialog or rap session between faculty and the President or Provost (or designee), during which University business is discussed.

In addition to the Faculty Senate’s own standing committees—Committee on Committees, Ways and Means, Academic Planning and Development, Governmental Concerns, and the UL System Faculty Advisory Council—ad hoc committees are appointed as needed by the Executive Officer of the Senate. Over the past 10 years, the Senate has formed ad hoc committees on the status of women, adjunct faculty, pay equity, and student evaluation of instruction. Agendas, committee reports, minutes, motions, and other items are found on the Senate’s website.

Faculty also participate in governance through appointment to the Graduate Faculty, which meets each semester and votes on matters affecting graduate education. Such appointment recognizes significant scholarly accomplishments and confers on a faculty member the “right to participate in the governance of graduate education at the departmental, college, and university levels.” The University’s Graduate Council, composed of representatives from each academic unit offering graduate programs, meets monthly to review curriculum and policy changes for publication in the Catalog and to hear student appeals.

Examples of Implementation of Faculty Authority in Academic and Governance matters:

1. In Spring 2015, the President appointed a steering committee chaired by two faculty members, and composed of faculty and staff members and a student, to write the Strategic Plan 2015-2020.

2. Faculty Affairs first proposed changes to the University’s tenure clock policies to avoid an unnecessary delay in the official granting of tenure, which were subsequently approved by the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Senate in turn proposed that UL Lafayette revise its policy for requested extensions of the tenure clock, which was subsequently adopted.

3. In Spring 2019, the President appointed a task force of faculty and staff to implement the Strategic Plan 2015-2020’s Governance Strategic Imperative I: Establish a shared governance model that facilitates trust, teamwork, and cross-functional collaboration, and aligns all stakeholders to the Vision and Mission.

B. Program Approval

At UL Lafayette educational programs for which academic credit is awarded are approved consistent with institutional policy. The University follows broad guidelines in governing the proposal and approval of new programs and online programs. The creation, design, and approval of a new academic program involves the faculty in the originating department; the administration at the department, college, and university levels; and the BOS and the BOR. The curriculum for a new degree program or an option within a degree program is designed and approved by the faculty with expertise in the degree area, who have full control over the degree requirements and major course content. Proposals to create the new degree program are authored by faculty and approved by the Head of the department and the Dean of the college in which the program will be housed. The Provost and University President must grant final approval to proceed with the application for approval by the BOS and the BOR.

· Academic Affairs Program Development Website

· New Program Development Policy

· Guidelines for New Program Proposals

· Online Program Proposal Guidelines

· New Program Development Process

The process of approval by the two Boards requires the creation of a Letter of Intent, which must address issues of program need, faculty, prospective students, financing, facilities, equipment, and library and other resources available to support the program.

The timeline of the creation of the MS in Informatics illustrates the program approval process:

· February 26, 2015—Letter of Intent to develop a new program, authored by faculty of the School of Computing and Informatics and the Dean of the College of Sciences, submitted to Office of Academic Affairs

· May 5, 2015—Review and approval by Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs – Academic Programs

· May 14, 2015—Submission of Letter of Intent to BOS

· June 25, 2015—Approval of Letter of Intent by BOS

· August 28, 2015—Receipt of BOR’s staff request for additional information

· October 6, 2015—Response to the BOR’s staff request for additional information, plus letters of support for program

· November 12, 2015—Submission of revised Letter of Intent and Budget Form to BOR

· December 10, 2015—Approval of Letter of Intent by BOR (BOR Minutes, BOR Agenda, UL System Board Action)

· May 9, 2016—Submission of Full Proposal to BOS

· May 11, 2016—Receipt of additional questions from BOS

· June 1, 2016—Submission of revised Full Proposal to BOS

· June 7, 2016—Initiation of external review process

· February 21, 2017—Receipt of external reviewer’s report

· March 30, 2017—Submission of revised Full Proposal to BOS (one new course on Cloud Computing and Big Data Applications was added at the suggestion of the external reviewer)

· April 20, 2017—Approval of Full Proposal by BOS

· May 22, 2017—Approval of Full Proposal by BOR

· November 8, 2017—Approval of MS in INFX course changes by the Graduate Council’s curriculum committee, for inclusion in the 2017-18 Catalog

· Spring 2018—Program implementation

· August 23, 2018—Submission of Progress Report on MS in Informatics Program (17 students enrolled)

C. Faculty Responsibility for Curriculum

UL Lafayette places primary responsibility for the content, quality, and effectiveness of the curriculum with its faculty. The faculty’s responsibility in matters of course content and curriculum is manifested in the University’s process for establishing new courses and programs, which typically begins in the departments, with faculty proposals and input. When changes in curriculum are motivated by outside professional or state governing board reviews, final responsibility for their development and implementation rests with the faculty.

Ongoing evaluation of the content, quality, and effectiveness of the curriculum is also the responsibility of the faculty. All academic programs are reviewed periodically at the departmental, college, university, and BOR levels to evaluate their quality and their effectiveness in supporting the University’s mission. Departmental faculties conduct the evaluation of courses and curricula differently, depending on the college and discipline. Faculty recommendations for changes in an existing undergraduate curriculum are routed through the Dean’s office, then to the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs –Academic Programs, who has been designated by the Provost to grant final institutional approval. The sample curriculum changes below illustrate this process:

· Biomedical Engineering Minor

· Industrial Technology BSI.T.

· Insurance and Risk Management BSBA

Changes in graduate curricula require the approval of the college Dean, the Dean of the Graduate School, and the Provost.

· Sample Catalog Change-Computer Science MS

· Sample Catalog Change: Psychology MS

All educational programs and courses at UL Lafayette are approved by the faculty through the curriculum committee structure at the department, college, and university levels and, ultimately, by the Provost. All course additions, deletions, and changes, as well as curriculum revisions require the approval of the departmental curriculum committees, Department Head, Dean, and Provost. New courses and course changes require the approval of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee or the Graduate Council’s Curriculum Committee, both having all faculty membership. To add, delete, or modify an undergraduate course, faculty members complete one of the course change request forms:

· Graduate Course Change Form

· Graduate Course Style Guidelines

· Graduate New Course Form

· Undergraduate Course Change Form

· Undergraduate Course Style Guidelines

· Undergraduate New Course Form

Following approval of an undergraduate course by the Department Head/Program Coordinator and the Dean, the proposal is submitted to the University Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, a faculty committee whose purpose is to encourage the orderly growth of the University’s course offerings and to recommend to the administration only those changes that the committee feels reflect the needs of the students. Following approval by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, the request is routed for approval to the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs — Academic Programs. The request is then processed by the Registrar’s Office and returned to the Office of Academic Programs, which ensures that the Catalog reflects the course addition, change, or deletion.

For graduate courses, a course change request goes from the college to the Graduate Curriculum Committee, which reviews all course additions, deletions, and changes for courses after approval by the department head and appropriate dean. The Graduate Curriculum Committee reviews all changes for courses carrying graduate‐level credit. The committee is appointed by the chair of the Graduate Council and includes full-time faculty who are members of the Graduate Faculty (but not necessarily members of the Graduate Council) from each academic college. Following approval by the committee, the requests are routed to the Graduate Council, the Graduate Dean, and the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs — Academic Programs. Internal processing through the Registrar’s Office and the Office of Academic Programs is the same as for undergraduate level courses.

Academic Freedom

The faculty’s role in determining course content and curriculum is underscored by the BOR Statement on Academic Freedom, Tenure and Responsibility, reprinted in the University’s Faculty Handbook:

Academic freedom is the right of members of the academic community freely to study, discuss, investigate, teach, conduct research, and publish as appropriate to their respective roles and responsibilities. Because the common good depends upon the free search for and exposition of truth and understanding, full freedom in research and publication is essential, as is the freedom to discuss scholarly subjects in the classroom… for academic freedom to endure, academic responsibility must be exercised. Faculties at each institution should clearly and explicitly establish minimum levels of expected professional performance and responsibility. A proper academic climate can be maintained only when members of the academic community meet their fundamental responsibilities.