Senate Document Number   0898F

Date of Senate Approval    12/10/98

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Statement of Faculty Senate Action:

IDC 1: PROPOSAL TO CHANGE TITLES AND

DESCRIPTIONS OF TWO ACADEMIC AFFAIRS POSITIONS

This is a proposal to change the titles and position descriptions of two existing UNC Asheville administrative positions. The two existing positions, the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, are to be changed to Dean of Faculty and Dean of Curriculum.

The proposed title changes would not change reporting relationships within the Office of Academic Affairs nor change the number of positions in the office. Each Dean will continue to report to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and work extensively with faculty and academic departments and programs. This change will, however, enable the VCAA to delegate more effectively key responsibilities.

The reason for the title changes is to highlight that at UNCA these two administrative positions work university-wide with faculty in the allocation of academic program resources and the curriculum process. The term "Dean" is a title which has a traditional meaning in liberal arts colleges as well as in universities which recognize the curricular centrality of colleges of arts and sciences. The positions, Dean of Faculty and Dean of Curriculum, are defined not only by a reporting relationship to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs but also by a strong liberal arts tradition which gives centrality to the distinctive and wide-ranging role of faculty in educating undergraduate students.

The work of administrative coordination for academic affairs continues to increase in volume and complexity. Faculty Handbook descriptions of academic administration positions are not up to date. There is a need to clarify a division of labor within the Office of Academic Affairs and to delegate authority to two Offices of Academic Affairs staff whose positions mediate the authority of the Vice Chancellor vis a vis faculty, academic budgets, facilities, and the curriculum.

Proposed New Descriptions in UNC Asheville Faculty Handbook:

1.4.3.1 Dean of Faculty

The Dean of Faculty is a full-time position and has responsibility for budgeting in Academic Affairs, space allocations, laboratory and clerical support services in academic areas. The Dean of Faculty provides administrative support for academic program reviews and faculty hiring, development, and review.

1.4.3.2 Dean of Curriculum

The Dean of Curriculum is a part-time appointment selected from members of the full-time faculty. The term is normally a three-year term but a longer or shorter term may be negotiated with the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The Dean of Curriculum supervises academic credit-generating courses in extension, distance, and service learning. The Dean of Curriculum also has responsibility for working with the Academic Policy Committee on curricular issues and offers leadership to departments and programs about how to keep student learning, and assessment of that learning, at the center of UNC Asheville's academic life.