Roles and Responsibilities

Curriculum Responsibilities at Each Role

Faculty Initiator

  • Knows the discipline/program
  • Keeps current in field
  • Conducts research for the proposed changes
  • Articulates rationale for curriculum decisions
  • Works with others to document and submit proposals
  • Seeks review and feedback on proposed changes

Program / Subject Area Faculty

  • Content experts
  • Current in their profession
  • Know competition
  • Assess learning outcomes for compliance, validity and alignment with program’s mission and objectives
  • Works to meet accreditation needs
  • Advises, informs and/or approves changes

Faculty Advisory Committee / Department Curriculum Committee

  • Assess and evaluates curriculum impact on area’s sustainability, students, faculty and other resources
  • Advisor to the chair/director
  • Develops and maintains current instructional programs and course syllabi
  • Approves internal modifications and solicit input from other departments where program changes and offerings may have an impact
  • Approves all workshop and special topics courses each time a title changes
  • Approves course content when offered off campus or online in accord with existing policies and procedures
  • Establishes and utilizes procedures for reviewing and evaluating existing and new courses, programs and policies
  • Maintains strong departmental academic, instructional and grading standards
  • Select library and other materials related to its curriculum and establish internal procedures for effective and appropriate use of instructional media and other learning activities

School Director / Department Chair

  • Fosters the development of undergraduate and graduate programs within university guidelines
  • Encourages appropriate curriculum modifications, changes and innovations in programs
  • Approves resource allocations
  • Seeks opportunities to leverage existing/emerging resources
  • Ensures course offerings required for degree completion are offered frequently and at varied days and times to meet the needs of students

College Curriculum Committee

  • Reviews curricular proposals from schools/departments within college
  • Initiates course, program requirement and policy proposals
  • Made aware of special topics and other academic changes
  • Examines curriculum impact and duplication within and outside college
  • Ensure appropriate consultation of impact
  • Seeks curriculum changes that may be complementary and/or basis for collaboration
  • Source of information to units about curricular-related changes and requirements
  • Garner support when inactivation is identified Looks for letters of support
  • Reviews resources (e.g., staffing, facilities, library)
  • Review program outcomes for alignment with college mission
  • Informed on off-site and online offerings, articulation agreements and other collaborations and partnerships outside the college

College Dean / Campus Dean

  • Reviews impact on finances, faculty, facilities, equipment, support staff
  • Seeks opportunities to leverage existing/emerging resources
  • Participates in accreditation reviews and decisions
  • Assesses sustainability, demand, need, placement
  • Examines curriculum impact and duplication in and outside college/campus
  • Ensures curricular initiatives align with the college/campus strategic goals and priorities

Institutional Academic Advisory Committees

This following list is not exhaustive.

Undergraduate Policies Council and Graduate Policies Council

  • Reviews, initiates and recommends academic policies to promote student success

Graduate Dean’s Advisory Committee (GDAC)

  • Reviews and advises on graduate academic and operational issues
  • Initiates and recommends changes to the graduate studies dean

Undergraduate Deans Committee (UDC)

  • Reviews and advises on undergraduate academic and operational issues
  • Initiates and recommends changes to the EPC

Graduate Dean's Advisory Council (GDAC)

  • Reviews and advises on graduate academic and operational issues
  • Initiates and recommends changes to the Graduate Dean and the EPC

University Requirements Curriculum Committee (URCC)

  • Oversees university-wide undergraduate curricular requirements (Kent Core, diversity, writing intensive, experiential learning, new-student orientation)
  • Reviews and approves courses and policies for conformity to these requirements
  • Periodic reviews and recommends changes in these requirements
  • Directs assessment and evaluation of student success within these requirements

Graduate College Dean

  • Reviews programs proposals to ensure university and Ohio Department of Higher Education compliance and approval
  • Communicates to other departments
  • Notify state when program inactivated or changed delivery mode
  • Facilitate program review process
  • Oversees advisory committee to review graduate curriculum and policies
  • Implements admission process
  • Decides exceptions to admission criteria

Curriculum Services

  • Provides holistic view of university curriculum
  • Assists and guides faculty and units in proposing change
  • Maintains curriculum process, procedures and management system
  • Serves the provost in reviewing and granting preliminary approval of all change (program, policy, course, structure)
  • Implements approved changes (catalog, course inventory, program inventory)
  • Communicates major changes to advisors and other student services (e.g., registrar, admissions, bursar, GPA degree audit, student financial aid)
  • Maintains curriculum archive
  • Responds to questions about changes/curriculum process
  • Secretary and coordinator for the EPC
  • Reports curriculum to state, federal and other agencies
  • Ensures curriculum integrity and alignment with university, state, accreditor and federal policy and procedures
  • Ensures curriculum functionality (Banner, GPS degree audit, prerequisites)
  • Knowledgeable about university academic programs and policies
  • Liaison with Ohio Department of Higher Education for undergraduate curriculum
  • Ensure consistency of process
  • Source of information and archives about university curriculum

Provost

  • Involved in the strategic goals of the university
  • Sets the university agenda for academic programming and determines priorities
  • Reviews significant academic changes with initiators/deans prior to approval
  • Approves all items that will go before the Board of Trustees for approval
  • Signs articulation agreements and new program proposals
  • Introduces and champions academic items to Board of Trustees
  • Approves EPC agenda before publication
  • Mediates/facilitates differences and determines course of action

Educational Policies Council (EPC)

  • Emphasizes long-range academic planning, both conceptually and structurally, that reflect the mission and goals of the university
  • Approves overall curricular planning and policy guidelines for the university
  • Arbitrates interdepartmental and intercollegiate curricular disputes or misunderstandings
  • Monitors changes generated by a specific academic unit as they affect other areas
  • At its discretion, reviews all curricular changes and proposals originating with academic units to assure effective adherence to university-wide policies
  • Acts on matters referred to the council
  • Approves new or revised academic programs, policies, operational procedures and regulations and academic structures

Faculty Senate

  • Ensures curriculum integrity and quality, alignment with university mission and commitment to resources
  • Examines curriculum impact, demand and duplication of resources across university
  • Delegates curriculum initiatives to subcommittees
  • Oversees academic standards and educational policies and academic programs
  • Consulted with respect to proposed changes in the administrative organization of the university directly and primarily related to academic divisions

President

  • Kept apprised by new curriculum by the provost
  • Determines university resource allocations and priorities
  • Defines mission and goals of the university jointly with the Board of Trustees
  • Champions the university’s strategic plan

Board of Trustees

  • Defines mission and goals of the university jointly with the president
  • Approves new and significant revisions to degree programs before they go to Ohio Department of Higher Education
  • Approves academic structure changes
  • Approves university-wide academic policies
  • Reviews curriculum viability and student need and success
  • Reviews and discusses information items presented by the provost

Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE)

  • Approves new degree programs and significant revisions (e.g., name change, inactivation) to degree programs
  • Approves alternative offerings of degree programs (e.g., online, off-site, accelerated)
  • Assigns subsidy level to courses
  • Sets curriculum guidelines for public intuitions
  • Initiates transfer pathways between public institutions

Higher Learning Commission (HLC)

  • Approves new degree programs
  • Approves new contractual or consortium agreement to offer a program
  • Approves new certificate programs that comprise courses (50%+) developed specifically for the certificate
  • Approves new locations outside HLC region for program offerings
  • Notified of new locations within HLC region for program offerings
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