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.
x Compliance o Non-Compliance o Partial Compliance
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 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.
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.
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)
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 Style Guidelines
·
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.
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.
Academic Affairs Division Courses
Academic Affairs Program development
website
BOR Letters of Intent Policy: Board of
Regents Academic Affairs Policy 2.04
Committee Membership Invitation
Committee Membership List 18-19
Curriculum Change Form - IT BSIT
Directors of Schools, Department Heads
and Coordinators
Faculty Affairs Proposed Changes to
Section V of Faculty Handbook
Faculty Handbook – BOR Academic Freedom
statement
Faculty Handbook – Graduate Faculty
Faculty Handbook – Tenure Extension
Faculty Handbook U and Senate
Committees: Appendix B
Faculty Handbook: Organization
Faculty Senate Constitution, Article 2:
Membership
Governance Committees and Councils
Guidelines for New Program Proposals
Ideal Professor, Citizenship and
Service
Insurance and Risk Management BSBA
International Initiatives Task Force
Report
New Program Development Policy
New Program Development Process
Online Program Proposal Guidelines
Preamble of the Constitution of the
Faculty Senate
Procedure for Making Changes to the
Faculty Handbook
Sample Catalog
Change : Computer Science MS
Sample Catalog Change :
Psychology MS
Sample Curriculum Committee Approved
Courses
Sample Filled Course Change Forms and
Committee Report
Senate Agenda 2-6-2019-Senate
Committees
Senate Minutes, December 2, 2015
Senate Proposal and approval of Tenure
Extension Policy
Senate SEI Committee Report 4-24-2019
Strategic Plan 2015-2020: Governance
SI 1
Strategic Planning Steering Committee
Charge
UL Lafayette Strategic Plan 2015-2020
Undergraduate
Curriculum Committee Reviewer Action Sheet