AA 2021-08

1.0 Policy Purpose

1.1 That the process for creating new schools within the colleges, and for elevating programs to department status, be uniform and transparent.

2.0 Policy Statement

2.1 A uniform system of school creation and department elevation shall allow for fair and efficient mechanisms to be in place for interested parties to create schools and raise programs to department status.

3.0 Policy

3.1 Definitions and Operative Terms

3.1.1 Principal academic sub-units are colleges at California State University, Dominguez Hills, whose chief academic/administrative officers are deans. Departments, schools, and programs are standard terms for units within colleges. Centers and Institutes are defined and governed under Coded Memorandum AA-2014-18 of the California State University Chancellor, which replaced EO 751.

3.1.2 Colleges may be comprised of departments, programs, and schools;

3.1.3 Departments and schools are each part of a college, reporting to a college dean. Schools may, but need not necessarily, include more than one department, division, or program, as well as centers and institutes;

3.1.4 Academic departments serve as administrative units within the University’s respective Colleges and are organized around specific fields of academic inquiry and pedagogical outcomes;

3.1.5 Departments offer a major, minor, and/or credential, and may offer a certificate. Schools, and any subordinate departments located within the school, will offer majors, minors, and/or credentials, and may offer a certificate.

3.1.6 Both departments and schools have faculty with tenure rights. Departments normally have a minimum staffing of two (2.0), full-time equivalent faculty;

3.1.7 A department elects a peer review committee that recommends hiring faculty members and performs evaluation functions for re-appointment, retention, tenure, and promotion of faculty. A department located within a school would do likewise. A school made up of a single program would have these rights and responsibilities;

3.1.8 In order to fulfill its personnel functions, there must be enough faculty in the department, or within a school, and/or cognate disciplines to serve on the required committees;

3.1.9 Departments are led by Chairs, and Schools by Directors. In schools with multiple departments, department chairs will report to the school director. Both chairs and directors will be selected according to the University Policy Presidential Memoranda PM 2017-02 for Selection and Review of Chairperson/Coordinators and report to the dean of a college;

3.1.10 Considerations that will normally apply in designation of a unit as a school include professional accreditation, licensing, or certification requirements for graduates, size of the unit and common practice in higher education of administratively referring to the discipline as a school;

3.1.11 A program is a systematic, usually sequential, grouping of courses that forms a considerable part, or all, of the requirements for a degree in a major or professional field.

3.2 Creation of New Schools

3.2.1 Proposals to create schools may originate with interested groups of faculty, or with suitable academic/administrative officers such as college deans, the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA), or the President. Proposals shall first be approved by the appropriate college dean and the VPAA. Upon approval by the college dean, the campus will be notified via university- wide e-mail. Any school created prior to the implementation of this policy need not complete the below listed steps to continue maintaining their status as a school, and their status as a bona fide school at CSUDH shall not be challenged for their not having completed the below listed steps.

3.2.2 After such initial consultation and approval, a specific proposal (the Proposal) to create a school shall be forwarded to the Educational Policy Committee (EPC). The EPC shall host no less than one town hall/open meeting on the proposed creation of a new school. At the conclusion of its considerations, the EPC shall report its findings and recommendations to the Academic Senate Executive Committee.

The Academic Senate Executive Committee, shall, upon review and potential revision of the proposal, refer the document to the Academic Senate.

3.2.3 As part of its deliberative process, the Senate shall hold at least one open meeting where individuals may express their opinions about the Proposal. The Senate shall make a recommendation to the President regarding the Proposal.

3.2.4 As part of the Proposal and the recommendations of the EPC, the following elements should be addressed:

3.2.4.1 A substantial review and analysis of the use of the term “school” for this program / these programs elsewhere in American higher education; and

3.2.4.2 A clear statement of the internal structure and process that will be used for faculty recruitment, retention, promotion, and tenure decisions, to include specifying school-level, department-level or other location for where personnel standards will be developed and maintained, where personnel committees will be established, and who will act as unit chair for faculty personnel purposes;

3.2.4.3 A clear statement of how the proposal may advance the campus’ vision, mission and, goals; how will the proposed school enhance student learning, and in particular, what are the advantages to the students of pursuing the proposed curriculum within the framework of a school rather than within an existing department or program; in what ways will establishment of the proposed school provide added value or benefits to CSUDH; how will the proposed school enhance the relationships between the college where the school is housed, its faculty and students, and the larger professional community; in what ways will establishment of the school contribute to the recruitment and retention of a high quality and diverse faculty;

3.2.4.4 A clear statement of additional costs anticipated to be incurred by the establishment of the school.

3.3 Elevation of Programs to Departments

3.3.1 Should a program wish to be converted into a department, the program’s coordinator must submit a proposal of the details of the program having satisfied the following criteria:

3.3.1.1 A degree-granting program of study recognized and approved by California State University Office of the Chancellor.

3.3.1.2 A chair whose teaching and service is housed in the department.

3.3.1.3 RTP standards approved by CSUDH’s Faculty Affairs and Development.

3.3.1.4 An approved assessment plan and participation in learning assessment administered by CSUDH’s University Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Committee.

3.3.1.5 Proof of college-level support in the areas of staffing, space, equipment, and operating costs.

3.3.1.6 Adherence to any applicable professional accreditation standards.

3.3.2 Proposals elevate programs to departments may originate with interested groups of faculty, or with suitable academic/administrative officers such as college deans, the VPAA, the President. Proposals shall first be approved by the appropriate college dean and the VPAA. Upon approval by the college dean, the campus will be notified via university-wide e-mail.

3.3.3 After such initial consultation and approval, the proposal to elevate a program to department status shall be forwarded to the EPC. The EPC shall host no less than one town hall/open meeting on the proposed elevation. At the conclusion of its considerations, the EPC shall report its findings and recommendations to the Academic Senate Executive Committee. The Academic Senate Executive Committee, shall, upon review and potential revision of the proposal, refer the document to the Academic Senate.

3.3.4 As part of its deliberative process the Senate shall hold at least one open meeting where individuals may express their opinions about the Proposal. The Senate shall make a recommendation to the President regarding the Proposal.