Administrative Organizational Charts and Academic Development - Assignment Example

Module A. Compare and contrast administrative organizational charts for varying s, including private, religious, community, and Bible colleges. Institutions for higher education vary in the way they organize the hierarchy of administrative positions. However, they are also very similar to each other. Most universities and colleges, whether state-owned, private, religious or community, have a board of trustees who approves major policies and programs and who generally aims to maintain and improve the quality of education—keeping up with modern times, as well as ensuring that everything is in line with the mission of the school. The board is responsible for electing and appointing a president that they think is the person that is most qualified for the job. Although most state and private universities have provosts, the title has become modernized into the academic vice president. There are different vice presidents that handle various divisions; such as the VP of Continuing Education and the VP of Finance. The divisions vary depending on the institution. Under the VPs are the deans of various colleges; and under the deans are the department heads within the colleges. For many specialized colleges, however, the dean acts as the provost and under him/her are the department heads. This is the general hierarchy of universities and colleges. The differences lie depending on the nature of the institution. For instance, the boards of trustees of state universities are answerable to a coordination board appointed by the governor of the state. This board may either just present recommendations or have the legal authority to approve or disapprove projects and policies. On the other hand, privately owned universities and colleges only have the board of trustees as the highest rank as they act as owners of the university. For religious colleges and universities, the board is answerable to the respective religious institutions where they belong. For instance, a Catholic university run by Jesuits is accountable to the Order of Jesuits. (303 words) Module Two B. Discuss the role of governance and the difference between trustee responsibilities and the university administration. Governance in universities, whether they are for-profit, non-profit or state-run, is based on board format. This means that trustees are elected to oversee the entire institution, which includes the administrative duties of the President and his/her office. The board members vary in number depending on the bylaws and charters established throughout the history of the institution. These bylaws are rooted in tradition and have the goal of addressing the specific needs of the institution. For independent and nonprofit universities and colleges, the Board of Trustees is the primary governing body and also considered as the “owner,” while for public institutions, coordinating boards are established by the state. Coordinating boards are either advisory or regulatory in nature, which means that they exist either to advise and recommend on policies and education strategies or to exercise their legal power over the approval of the implementation of policies and programs. The Trustees are elected depending on the type of institution. For instance, in public universities, the governor has the capacity to choose the trustees that would sit in the board, while for independent and nonprofit institutions, the board members get to elect the trustees. In any case, the role of the board of trustees is superior (except for those under a regulatory coordinating board) as they have the authority to approve policies and programs that will fulfill the mission of the university. Furthermore, they are responsible for sustaining the financial stability of the institution; that is why trustees from various industry sectors are elected. They are also the ones who elect the President of the university. While the former is responsible for the overall well-being of the school, the latter is accountable for the day-to-day running of the university, as well as the management of curricula and employees—although in special cases, the board intervenes in the dismissal or retention of administrative and faculty members—the submission of policy proposals, and the enforcement of the mission. (317 words) Reference: Duesterhaus, A. P. (2009). College board of trustees and university - structure and composition, governance, authority, responsibilities, board Committees. State University. Retrieved November 23, 2009 from http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1793/Board-Trustees-College-University.html Module Three Analyze the role of provost, Academic VP, academic deans, and department heads. Although the titles may vary, in general, the provost is one of the top positions in an academic administration, second only to the president. The provost’s authority encompasses everything that has to do with academics: research, instruction, and the proper implementation of various academic programs like scholarship grants. Aside from this, the provost is also in charge of maintaining fiscal stability. Depending on the institution, the provost also has commanding power in enacting policies within the university or college. Department heads, college deans, and program leaders all report to the provost, with the provost reporting only to the President and the board of trustees. In this sense, the provost is responsible for overall academic and administrative leadership. There are times when the title of provost is called the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and these two titles are combined in one position. However, the role of the academic VP is much more focused as it is directly involved in student affairs, like disciplinary measures, effectiveness of instruction, dropout rates, etc. In cases of universities that are composed of different schools of colleges, these colleges are headed by deans. The role of academic deans is complex and intricate as they need to fit the role of someone who has the competencies to manage a specific field. For instance, the College of Medicine needs a dean who is an experienced and tenured doctor. In this way, he/she has the ability and the knowledge to decide what’s best for his/her college. The department heads, on the other hand, is under the dean of the college where he/she belongs to. They ensure that the faculty works hand in hand to maintain and improve the quality of education of a particular subject. The roles of the four administrative positions discussed here shows the hierarchy of university ranks, as well as the focus of their responsibilities and the breadth of their authority. (318 words) Module Four E. Discuss the role of accreditation in academic development and program improvement. In order to recognize the role of accreditation in academic development and program improvement, one must first understand its nature. The concept of accreditation relies on the voluntary participation of degree-granting institutions, the process of which relies on the type of institution asking for accreditation. It is a collaboration of the accredited members, peer-review and self-regulation being crucial factors in the revision and improvement of each institution’s and the Commission on Colleges’ process and regulations. The accreditation process involves an internal evaluation of the institution’s capabilities, an external review made by other institutions and a final decision made by the elected members of the accreditation board. It is a status, once acquired, that is needed to be renewed periodically, with peer-review and internal evaluation as important actions that aim to not only maintain accreditation, but more importantly, to ensure that the institution is not stagnating and progress is being made. It does not mean that because an institution has been accredited that they will forever have that accreditation. It is something that institutions need to work hard for. This ensures that institutions are alert when it comes to sustaining and improving the quality of education they provide. Institutions vying for accreditation, as well as those who have already gained accreditation, are required to fulfill their school missions through the presentation of specific educational goals that they want to achieve. What is important is that just the declaration of these goals is not enough; institutions need to prove that they have the ability to achieve these objectives and that, through the course of time, evidences should be gathered that shows that they are successful at achieving these goals. These goals must not only stand the test of time, but they must also keep up with the times. This means that institutions are pushed toward academic development and program improvement—that is if they want to gain or maintain their accredited status. (320 words) Reference: Commission on Colleges. (2008). The principles of accreditation: foundations for quality enhancement. Decatur, Georgia: Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. 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