DEPARTMENT CHAIRS, PROTOCOL FOR PERIODIC SELECTION

DEANS: PROTOCOL FOR THE SELECTION OF ACADEMIC DEAN

1. The Vice President for Academic Affairs, who serves as chair and shall conduct the member selection process described below.

2. Two department chairs (program directors in Nursing) from the college in which the vacancy will exist. They are to be elected as follows:

a) If the vacancy occurs in the position of the Dean of the Colleges of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Commerce & Finance, or Engineering, the two chairs are to be elected from and by the chairs of the concerned college.

b) If the vacancy occurs in the position of Dean of the College of Nursing, two program directors will be chosen from and by the three program directors.

3. Four tenured faculty members elected by and representing all the tenured and tenure-track faculty members of the concerned college, provided that no more than one such representative shall be from any one department of such college and provided that, in the College of Arts and Sciences, at least one faculty representative shall be elected from each of the Humanities, Social Science, and Natural Science areas of the College.

4. One academic dean, including the Dean of Graduate Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, chosen by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, provided that if the vacancy is in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the dean chosen not be the Graduate Dean of that College.

5. One alumnus or alumna of the college in which the vacancy exists, chosen by the VPAA.

6. Two students in good academic standing from the college in which the vacancy occurs. One student shall be the undergraduate student representative on the University Senate from the concerned college. If a given college has more than one undergraduate senator, and more than one of them seeks the position, the choice among them will be by random draw. The second student is to be a graduate student in good academic standing appointed by the College’s Dean or Director of Graduate Studies from among interested graduate students.

7. One additional member to be appointed by the VPAA.

The committee shall receive information and suggestions from, encourage deliberation among, and disseminate pertinent information to, the faculty, administrators, staff, and students of the relevant college. Unless an emergency prevents it, during the interview process the candidates will meet with the chairs, as many of the faculty as may be feasible, college administrators and staff, and student representatives.

The committee shall provide to the President sufficient materials and information as he may require, and shall recommend, unranked, no fewer than two, nor more than four, potential appointees. If the recommendations are unacceptable to the President, he shall return them to the committee with instructions to reconsider the list of applicants or to begin the search anew. In the latter case, the President may designate an interim dean until a new dean is appointed.

*A vacancy in the position of Dean of Graduate Studies in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences will be filled according to the search procedure established by the Dean of that College.

Approved by the President, January 23, 2001.

-- Main.nova - 14 Nov 2007