II. ACADEMIC ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION

Andrews University consists of seven constituent schools (the School of Architecture, Art and Design; the College of Arts and Sciences; the School of Business Administration; the School of Distance Education; the School of Education; the School of Health Professions; and the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary). They are hereinafter referred to as the schools of the university. Post-baccalaureate degrees in the schools (except the ministerial professional training degrees such as the master of arts in pastoral ministry, master of arts in youth ministry, master of divinity, and doctor of ministry), are supervised by the governing body known as the School of Graduate Studies and Research.

For all academic affairs of the university, the chief administrative officer is the provost. The deans, as head administrative officers of their respective schools are spokespersons and chief executive officers for their schools and report directly to the provost, who in turn, works directly under the president of the university (see Figures 1:1 and 1:2). The duties and responsibilities of the provost and the deans are treated in more detail in Section 1 of the Andrews University Working Policy.

This chapter deals primarily with the roles that department chairs, faculty, and faculty committees play in setting academic policy and carrying out academic functions.

Academic policy is voted by the appropriate school faculty or the General Faculty, after study and recommendation by appropriate committees or councils. The application of policy to specific cases is the function of the appropriate administrator. When an administrator finds that a policy is so inadequately formulated that he/she cannot apply it, he/she shall recommend to the appropriate committees and councils that the policy be reformulated.

Policies which are university-wide or involve more than one school, as determined by the president on the advice of the provost, are voted by the General Faculty. A new policy may be created by a majority vote of the general faculty, but a change in a major policy from what presently exists as determined by the chair requires a two-thirds vote of the faculty present at a duly called meeting.

Policy making usually begins with a faculty committee, which studies a proposal and drafts a statement for discussion by the appropriate faculty. New academic policies may also be recommended by the president, the provost, or by a dean. Individual faculty members may make recommendations to a faculty committee, to the president, to a vice president, or to a dean but not directly to a faculty session by way of a substantive motion or amendment which makes a substantive change to policy, except by permission of the chair.

The Undergraduate and Graduate Councils of the university lay down minimum academic policy standards which apply university-wide such as requirements for admission and graduation, program review and development, curriculum requirements, policies on grading, honors, class attendance, student loads, etc. (see also policy #2:250).The development of policy dealing with the work of faculty is the responsibility of the Faculty Policy Development Committee.

Faculty membership is held within a department and school by appointment of the Board of Trustees (see policy # 2:121, #2:124). Faculty appointments to a school or joint appointments in one or more other schools may be made (see policy #2:124:1,3). Full voting rights accompany an appointment to a school. The faculty of a school is chaired by the dean of the school. The president, the provost, and the dean of the school of graduate studies and research, are eligible to sit with all school faculty with full voting rights (see also policy #1:428).

Each faculty member shall normally hold primary membership in one school and in one department. The faculty member is responsible to the dean of the school and to the decisions of the department and school in which primary membership is held. For service performed in another school or in another department, the teacher is also responsible to the dean of the other school and to the decisions of that department and school.

When another school desires the services of a faculty member, the dean shall file a request with the provost who shall obtain the approval of the dean of the school as well as of the department chair in which the faculty member holds primary membership.

Members of the Graduate Faculty are annually appointed by the president upon the recommendation of the provost from faculty members at the university who are qualified, experienced, and productive scholars. The selection criteria and appointment procedures for graduate faculty are described in Appendix 1-G.

Graduate faculty members are categorized into groups according to their research experience and ability. Graduate faculty responsibilities include advising, teaching, guiding research as productive scholars, and serving on or directing students’ thesis and dissertation committees.

The responsibility of directing doctoral dissertations and chairing doctoral committees is limited to members of the Graduate Faculty who have been recommended by the Peer Review Committee of the Graduate Council to the dean of the School of graduate studies and research (see below) for their distinguished teaching experience and scholarly maturity. Criteria are found in the Graduate Handbook. This designation is reviewed and renewed on a periodic basis.

The School of Graduate Studies and Research is comprised of the members of the Graduate Faculty. The school’s major functions are to promote research, and to coordinate and to establish the minimum standards of graduate programs at Andrews University, (except the ministerial professional training degrees).

The chief spokesperson and executive officer for the graduate faculty is the dean of the school of graduate studies and research. He/she chairs the Graduate Council, which acts on behalf of the total graduate faculty membership.

The Graduate Council membership is determined by criteria in Appendix 1-G.

The professional faculty is a body of selected graduate and undergraduate faculty charged with the delegated final authority in matters touching the operations of the Andrews University professional degree programs. (See Appendix 1-J and policy #1:620:1).

Officers and members of the professional faculty are annually identified and appointed by the president of Andrews University in consultation with the dean(s). The dean(s) shall be designated as chairs (co-chairs). The membership of the body shall be published in the bulletins of the university and shall include all the professional faculty of each professional program operating within the professional degree council system plus no more than an equal number of participating non-professional faculty selected from the participating departments. At present the social work, physical therapy, dietetics and medical laboratory science programs at Andrews University participate in the professional degree council system.

Meetings are called only when referrals are received from the respective graduate or undergraduate faculty. The meetings shall be chaired by the dean of the school involved.

Ex-officio membership (membership by office held) with voting rights for all faculty sessions, councils, committees, and subcommittees is held by the president, provost, and the dean of the School of graduate studies and research (for graduate programs under his/her jurisdiction) Each academic school dean, associate and assistant dean are ex-officio members of each departmental session, each council, committee, and sub-committee within their school. (See also policy #1:428)

The agenda for faculty meetings in a school is developed by the dean in consultation with department chairs and faculty. School faculty meetings are usually scheduled monthly during each term of the regular school year and during the summer as necessary.

School committees responsible for developing and approving academic policies, courses and curricula changes act on behalf of the faculty of that school. The minutes of such committees are communicated to the faculty of the school within ten (10) days of the committee’s work. Aspects of such minutes may be placed on the agenda of the school’s faculty meeting for wider discussion by the dean of the school or by the request of faculty members.

Minutes of all school faculty meetings are circulated to all regular members. Copies of minutes are filed in the office of the dean, the registrar and the provost.

All General Faculty meetings are scheduled by the provost. Meetings are usually called monthly within a term and in the summer as necessary. The agenda is circulated to all regular members of the General Faculty one week before the faculty meeting.

For the rules that govern the conduct of all meetings and the determination of a quorum see policy #1:752:2.

Organizing or dissolving of an instructional department is voted by the Board of Trustees on the advice of the president after recommendation from the provost and the relevant dean. If a department shall serve more than one school, the recommendation of the deans of the schools involved are required.

Before the provost and the dean(s) decide to make a recommendation to organize a new department or to disband or reorganize an existing department, the faculty of the school(s) affected, and in the case of an existing department, the department faculty also shall be consulted as well as the Undergraduate and Graduate Councils.

The decision to organize or dissolve a department shall be done in harmony with the mission and priority of the university and school within the budget parameters available to the department. Faculty budgets may consist of regular budget positions (chairs), named chairs and endowed chairs (see policy #2:237).

Departments deemed essential to the mission of the university and the church, but for which qualified Seventh-day Adventist teachers are not available, may be designated as exceptional case departments. For such designations and the concomitant authority to hire non-Adventist faculty the department must (1) justify itself as being important to the mission of the university and the church; (2) demonstrate the lack of qualified Seventh-day Adventist teachers for the program; and (3) provide evidence that such hiring of non-Seventh-day Adventists would not compromise the mission of the university. The Board of Trustees may then grant such a designation, which would be subject to review at regular intervals.

An exceptional case department (or division) must operate in harmony with these requirements:

1. The chair of the department (or director) is a Seventh-day Adventist.
2. At least half of the full-time faculty in the department are Seventh-day Adventists.

Faculty search committees, seeking to fill vacant faculty positions, are chaired by a Seventh-day Adventist; and more than half of the members are Seventh-day Adventist. Such search committees shall extensively seek, and demonstrate how they have sought, qualified Adventist candidates before considering candidates who are not Seventh-day Adventist. The advice of the dean of the school should be sought.

The department must follow a plan to enlarge the proportion of qualified Adventist personnel by providing advanced training to appropriate candidates as funds are allocated.

Before hiring a non-Adventist faculty member, full disclosure will be made to him/her regarding the limited nature of the employment appointment and the Church’s practice of hiring its own members.

The beliefs and practices of the Seventh-day Adventist Church are intentionally and fully explained to non-Adventist faculty upon their hiring to facilitate their contribution to the campus mission. The guidance of the Office of Human Resources and the vice president of academic administration shall be sought.

During the sponsorship of a Seventh-day Adventist for advanced study, a non-Adventist faculty member who is committed to Christian values and principles, and who is sympathetic to the religious concepts, philosophy, teachings, and culture of Seventh-day Adventism (see policy #2:101:1); may be employed on an annual appointment basis, provided there is full disclosure of the intent to hire a qualified Adventist upon completion of the sponsored studies.

The annual department report includes information on the plan to enlarge the proportion of Adventist teachers in that department.