50.010 Establishing Centers

Executive Guideline No. 10, 11-26-75; Amended 12-4-80; Amended 12-11-87; Revised 5-16-90.

1. Scope of Policy -- It is intended that the policy for "Centers," as defined in this document shall apply as well to similar activities which may utilize other titles such as Unit, Institute, Consortium, Program, Organization, or other alternatives to the word "Center".
2. Statement of Policy -- It is required that each Center within the University be approved by the campus Chancellor. The Chancellor shall forward a list of approved centers to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who shall maintain an inventory of centers.
   
   1. Each such approved Center shall be reviewed every five years as a part of the ongoing review of academic units.
   2. The review of Centers every five years will address specifically the question of whether the Center should be continued or discontinued and a formal report of the review and the decision to continue or discontinue each center shall be forwarded to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who shall transmit it to the General Officers.
3. Definitions
   
   1. Center Defined -- A Center is a formally organized unit within the University addressed primarily, but not exclusively, to the conduct of multidisciplinary research, teaching, extension, or service. It shall have the following features:
      
      1. A separately identifiable budget.
      2. Professional staff representing more than one academic department or discipline. Such staff shall hold full-time or fractional appointments to the Center, which may provide a portion or all of their salaries.
      3. An appointed Director, who has a defined task as administrative head of the Center. This definition of a Center does not preclude interdepartmental cooperation of a less formal nature.
   2. Formally Organized Unit -- A formally organized unit is one which has been established in accordance with the procedures described in Section 50.010 D of this Policy.
   3. Multidisciplinary Activities -- Multidisciplinary activities are those directed toward a specified common goal, normally utilizing professional staff from more than one academic discipline.
   4. Separately Identifiable Budget -- A separately identifiable budget is a budget with at least one fund code number assigned exclusively to it and, under normal circumstances, including some S&W funds. The administration of the budget is one of the responsibilities of the Director.
   5. Director -- The Director has a role much like that of a department chairperson including:
      
      1. Planning, reviewing, and coordinating the projects within the Center.
      2. Administering the budget.
      3. Recommending all appointments of Center personnel.
      4. Performing normal administrative duties necessary to the effective operation of the Center.
4. Guidelines for the Establishment of a Center
   
   1. A formal proposal to establish a Center shall address the following topics:
      
      1. The need for such a Center.
      2. The manner in which a Center would respond to the need described.
      3. The objectives of the Center; its value to the University community; and its anticipated role in satisfying the teaching, research, extension, or service objectives of the University.
      4. The identification of the academic departments to be initially involved.
      5. The identification of all personnel to be initially involved; a projection over a five-year period of additional personnel requirements; and a brief description of the appropriate qualifications for each additional position.
      6. An estimated budget for the first year of operation, with projections to cover each of the additional years in the first five-year period.
      7. A description of available space and equipment, or a description of space and equipment to be requested.
   2. Such a proposal shall be submitted through the academic department chairperson and, where appropriate, to the appropriate academic dean for review and approval. It shall then be processed through appropriate campus procedures and sent to the Chancellor for review and approval.
   3. In the event the proposed Center involves the participation of more than one campus, the procedures described above shall be followed on each campus involved. The proposal shall include the recommendations of the respective Chancellors and be forwarded to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who shall review it and forward it with a recommendation, including geographic location and administrative responsibility, to the General Officers.
   4. If a Center is proposed by System Administration, the Vice President for Academic Affairs shall forward the proposal with a recommendation to the General Officers.
5. Centers shall be reviewed in accord with the general policy on Review of Existing Academic Units (revised May 16, 1990).