University Governance and Organizational Structure

A. The Board of Regents

The Georgia Constitution grants to the Board of Regents the exclusive right to govern, control, and manage the University System of Georgia, an educational system comprised of over 30 institutions of higher learning, a marine research institute, and a central University System Office. The Board exercises and fulfills its constitutional obligations, in part, by promulgating rules and policies for the policies for the governance of the University System and its constituent units. The governor appoints members to the Board, who each serve seven years. Currently, the Board of Regents is composed of 18 members, five of whom are appointed from the state-at-large, and one from each of the 13 congressional districts. The Board elects a chancellor who serves as its chief executive officer and the chief administrative officer of the University System.

B. The Administration

Through the bylaws and by decision of the Board of Regents, much of the operation of the university has been delegated to the president, and through the president to others, including the provost and executive vice president and the faculty. The president is appointed by the BOR, acting on the recommendations of a search committee that, by custom, includes representatives of the faculty, staff, students, and the university’s Board of Trustees. The provost and executive vice president, all vice presidents, chief of staff, general council, and the athletic director report directly to the president. All college deans and associate provosts for academic affairs report to the provost and executive vice president to include: College of Arts, College of Education and Health Professions, College of Letters and Sciences, Turner College of Business, Simon Schwob Memorial Library, Graduate School and Research, and Honors College. The department chairs report to the deans of their academic schools. Faculty members normally discuss their appointments, duties, and performance with their department chair.

C. USGFC Representative

Faculty Senate elects one representative to serve on the USGFC for a 3-year term. During the fourth year the representative attends the USGFC meetings in an ex-officio role to help support the newly elected USGFC representative. The voting representative reports to the Faculty Senate regarding the USGFC meetings that occur in the fall and spring terms.

In addition, one alternate representative is elected to serve in the event the USGFC representative cannot attend.

Below are the eligibility criteria for the USGFC Representative:

• Tenured, full-time faculty member.
• Previous/current experience as a Faculty Senator.
• Must not be in an administrative role where combined teaching and research duties have been reduced >50% to serve in an administrative role and/or serving as president, vice president, provost, assistant/associate provost, or chair/director of a department/school.
• Not serving in an administrative role (i.e., dean, assistant/associate dean, chair/director of a department/school).

*Elected USGFC representatives relinquish their position upon accepting an administrative role (see examples above). The Faculty Senate may then elect a new USGFC representative or move the alternate representative into the role and elect a new alternate representative.

D. The Foundations

The Foundations comprise five cooperative entities: CSU Foundation, CSU Foundation Properties, Inc., CSU Alumni Association, Inc., the Athletic Fund, Inc., and the CSU Research and Service Foundation, Inc. Although legally separate and managed by their own boards, these organizations operate exclusively to provide the university with supplemental resources and support. The Foundations are governed by the CSU Foundation Board of Trustees.

• CSU Foundation serves as the primary link between the university and the community it serves. This entity provides a vehicle for securing funds for scholarships, special needs and enrichment programs and has authority to solicit and accept contributions on behalf of the university from individuals, businesses and other organizations.
• CSU Foundation Properties is a not-for-profit organization incorporated for the exclusive purpose of holding title to property and collecting the income there from for the benefit of CSU. Foundation Properties, Inc. also acts as a third party for the purpose of acquiring and/or building student residences that are leased to CSU.
• CSU Alumni Association serves to support, foster and promote the aims and objectives of Columbus State University and to establish mutually beneficial relationships between the University and its alumni. Our goal is to keep alumni connected, informed and involved with Columbus State University.
• The Athletic Fund, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization created for the purpose of promoting
  the educational and athletic programs of the university. This purpose is met by providing
  assistance and funds for encouraging participation by selected students in intercollegiate
  games and contests.
• CSU Research and Service Foundation (CSURSF) is the entity formed for the purpose of evaluating, administering, owning and licensing IP created by CSU faculty, staff and/or students. CSURSF is a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to support CSU.

E. Staff Council

In its representation of all staff employees, the Columbus State University Staff Council functions to promote better understanding, increased cooperation, and open communication among all constituent groups on our campus. Further the council acts as a liaison between the CSU Staff (Staff handbook can be found in MyCSU under Human Resources) and the president of the university in all relevant matters, promotes an atmosphere of cooperation within the university community, and provides a forum for discussion of matters affecting the staff of CSU.

F. The Faculty

Faculty members enjoy a great measure of professional autonomy. Collectively, they have a primary role in deciding who will teach, what will be taught, and what students will be expected to learn; and they play an important role in institutional governance. Individually, they have considerable freedom in pursuing their scholarly and educational work. Faculty members also have a number of rights and privileges, including the right to academic freedom and the privilege of tenure for those who have earned it. But faculty autonomy, rights, and privileges are combined with professional responsibilities; and this combination of rights and responsibilities shapes to an important degree the roles of faculty members.

Columbus State University makes decisions concerning the appointments and promotions of faculty members, the assignment of teaching and other academic duties, the support and sponsorship of scholarly research, and the granting or withholding of benefits and the imposition of burdens without regard to political, social, or other views not directly related to academic responsibilities.

The Columbus State University faculty has delegated its legislative and regulative functions to the Faculty Senate and its committees. Although the faculty has empowered the Faculty Senate to act on its behalf, it meets at least twice a year (once in each the fall and spring semesters) and can conduct business at those meetings if it so chooses. Any changes to the bylaws of the university require the approval of the faculty.  

G. Faculty Senate

The Columbus State University Faculty Senate serves as a representative voice for CSU faculty in the operations of the university. The Faculty Senate provides a forum for the discussion of issues of interest to the faculty. The Faculty Senate also serves as a conduit for communications between the faculty and the administrative officers of the university and assures the forceful and articulate representation of faculty interests in accordance with recognized principles of university governance including transparency, cooperation, and collegiality.

H. University Councils

1. Academic Council
   
   The Academic Council is comprised of the deans of the four colleges (College of the Arts, College of Letters and Sciences, College of Education and Health Professions, Turner College of Business and Computer Science), the libraries and the Honors College, the associate provosts, the Chair of Chairs Assembly, the Executive Officer of the Faculty Senate, the Chief Information Officer and the Provost. The Council meets monthly to discuss issues that impact the academic enterprise of the university.

2. Graduate Council

   The Graduate Council is a representative body assembled to assist the Graduate School Director in administrating the School. The Council promotes academic excellence in graduate education by supporting communication between existing graduate programs, fostering creation of new graduate offerings, and upholding high standards of performance by graduate faculty and graduate students.

3. Chairs Assembly

   The Chairs Assembly comprises the department chairs of all academic units at CSU. The Assembly convenes regularly to consider issues of mutual concern, including faculty, curriculum, personnel, budget, salaries, course scheduling and staffing, faculty development and funding, BOR policies, and other issues impacting the responsibilities and duties of department chairs.

I. Standing Committees

A number of standing committees serve to administer and oversee the ongoing operations of the university. Committee makeup varies, but faculty members predominate in the vast majority of them. Three groups of committees obtain at CSU: (l) Elected Committees (2) Senate Committees and (3) Institutional Committees. Elected Committees are standing committees that oversee university-wide issues of major import: curriculum, academic standards, and comprehensive program review. Senate Committees address those concerns which more directly relate to faculty activities and supplementing instruction. Institutional Committees address those concerns more pertinent to the efficient and appropriate operation of the university.

Other committees may be established by approval of the provost, and other administrative officers of the university may appoint committees as needed to seek advice or assistance on policy or procedural matters. In such cases, the faculty or its representative—i.e., the Faculty Senate—holds the right and the responsibility to select the bulk of the faculty representatives to serve on the committees.

The Faculty Senate recommends that the membership of faculty committees be elected either by the faculty or representatives of the faculty (i.e., the Faculty Senate) and supports the following guidelines for committee assignments:

To allow time for course preparation and to begin the research process, new faculty should normally be excluded from committee assignments during their first year of service.

Faculty should serve on no more than three Senate and/or Institutional committees depending on the balance of other service commitments.

To the extent possible, committees should reflect the ethnic, racial, and gender balance of the university.

Faculty or staff members should be appointed chair only after consultation. All committee size recommendations should be considered approximate.

J. Centers, Institutes, and Auxiliary Programs

Columbus State University operates a multitude of curricular, extracurricular, continuing education, and community-based programs that fall under the auspices of various administrative offices and academic departments. For the full list of these programs and the organizational flowchart, see below.

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Standing Committees

Elected Committees

Curriculum Committees

Curriculum committees at the college and university levels address all matters dealing with major and minor requirements, new courses, new degree and certificate programs, the core curriculum, and program development. Departments may also form curriculum committees charged with submitting recommendations to their respective college committees. All proposals for new degree programs must be consistent with the Columbus State University mission and must follow the procedures described by the University System Office of Academic programs.

A. College Curriculum Committees

Each college’s curriculum committee holds primary responsibility for submitting recommendations to the dean with respect to actions on new courses in the discipline, major and minor program requirements, and new degree programs. The college curriculum committee forwards its recommendations on proposed revisions to the University Curriculum Committee.

Each college’s curriculum committee should be composed of the following:

1. at least one elected representative from each department, or from each major program without a departmental structure
2. two additional at-large members, one elected by the faculty, the other appointed by the dean. The dean conducts the election of the at-large member prior to the first meeting of the committee in the fall semester and following the election of the departmental representatives.
3. one or more student representatives if possible. The college committee determines the manner of appointing its student representatives.
4. a committee chair—either the dean or the dean’s designee. The chair is a non-voting member of the committee. The dean, in consultation with the college faculty, determines the terms of office of the college committee.

B. University Curriculum Committee

The University Curriculum Committee’s responsibilities are the following:

1. review and make recommendations to the provost on all requests to create new undergraduate and graduate courses, modify existing courses, delete courses, and reactivate courses
2. review and recommend policies governing general university requirements
3. review and make recommendations on all new undergraduate and graduate degree, certificate, and minor program proposals
4. notify the university’s SACS liaison if any curricular initiative requires a report to SACS because it constitutes what SACS considers a substantive change.

The University Curriculum Committee should be composed of the following:

1. the dean (or the dean’s designee ) of each college and of the library
2. an additional faculty representative of each college elected by the faculty of the college
3. one faculty member elected from Interdisciplinary Program Council

The process for making curricular change is the following:

1. Departments—or in some cases, members of upper administration—originate requests for revision, including new course proposals, online using the appropriate curriculum database after first determining if the request impacts other programs or courses and contacting the chair overseeing them.
2. College curriculum committees review department requests and forward their recommendations to the dean.
3. The dean, giving full consideration to department and college curriculum committee recommendations and to the possible resource requirements of curriculum modifications, approves or denies requests and sends approved requests to the University Curriculum Committee.
4. The University Curriculum Committee, giving full consideration to department and college curriculum committee recommendations advanced by the dean, sends its recommendations for approval to the provost. Proposals not recommended for approval by the UCC will not be routinely forwarded to the provost, but these cases may be appealed by the dean to the provost.
5. The provost, As the chief academic officer of the university, the provost will normally exercise the final decision on course proposals and most program change proposals. Program proposals that require additional resources, or notifications, or approvals to the USG, BOR, or SACSCOC will also require the president’s approval; these include substantive changes, as defined in the SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy, and new program proposals.

The UCC’s bylaws provide more detail on the curricular change process.

Academic Standards Committee

The University Academic Standards Committee considers and makes recommendations to the provost on student petitions for exceptions to general university requirements including the following:

• total hours required
• grade changes over one year old
• WF grades
• minimum grade point average
• residency requirement
• the legislative requirements
• the information literacy requirement
• awarding transfer credit for courses taken at non-regionally accredited institutions.

The following guidelines apply to the Academic Standards Committee’s operations:

1. Substitution of specific courses in Areas A through E and the wellness requirement require the recommendation of the department chair of the course for which substitution is requested and the approval of the dean of the college to which that department belongs.
2. Requests regarding Area B ITDS seminars should be submitted to the associate provost for undergraduate education.
3. Courses without an alphabetic prefix or subject content or other course substitutions should be referred to the chair of the Academic Standards Committee.
4. The committee also considers and makes recommendations on other matters pertaining to academic standards submitted through the chair by individual faculty members, department and/or college faculties, academic administrators, or others.

The Academic Standards Committee should be composed of the following:

1. an elected representative from each college
2. the dean of each college or the dean’s designee

Faculty members should be elected at the end of the spring semester and serve for a period of three years with the option of re-election. Since one of the purposes of the multiple-year terms is to promote continuity, if it becomes necessary to replace a faculty member, the newly elected faculty member should serve a term of three years unless such service would cause four faculty members to be elected within the same year, in which case the newly elected faculty member should serve two years.

At the last meeting of each spring term a faculty member should be elected by the committee to serve as chair for the forthcoming year, commencing with the summer term. The chair is a voting member of the Committee. Petitions are forwarded to the chair, who is responsible for forwarding petitions to the appropriate dean for preliminary consideration. The chair is also responsible for calling meetings and forwarding the recommendations of the committee to the provost.

The provost makes the final decision on petitions and forwards copies to the appropriate parties. The provost or the provost’s designee is responsible for maintaining a record of all petitions.

Senate Committees

Academic Advising Committee

The Academic Advising Committee is responsible for the following:

1. identifying issues and making recommendations regarding matters related to academic advising
2. supporting professional development activities related to academic advising.
3. reviewing the online academic advising handbook at least once a year and making recommendations for updates or changes as necessary

The Academic Advising Committee should be composed of the following:

1. six faculty members
2. the director of the Center for Academic Advising and the university registrar as ex officio members

Administrator Evaluations Committee

The Administrator Evaluations Committee reviews the current questions and scoring system, presents any changes to the Faculty Senate, and executes the evaluation process in the spring term.

The Administrator Evaluations Committee should be composed of the following:

1. three faculty members
2. one dean or department chair as an ex-officio member

Admissions Policy Committee

The Admissions Policy Committee reviews admissions policy and recommends changes.

The Admissions Policy Committee should be composed of the following:

1. seven faculty members (at least one from each college) serving two-year terms
2. two students
3. the director of Enrollment Services and the associate provost for enrollment management as ex officio members

Distance Learning Committee

The Distance Learning Committee is responsible for the following:

1. promoting the use of distance learning technologies
2. addressing issues and concerns related to distance learning
3. participating in decision-making and planning pertaining to distance learning

The Distance Learning Committee should be composed of the following:

• Minimum of two representatives from each academic college and a library
• representative who currently teach or have previously taught online
• The Associate Provost for Graduate Education and Distance Learning, Executive
• Director of UITS, Director of Center of Online Learning, Director of Faculty Center, and Director of Quality Enhancement Plan as ex officio members

Diversity Programs & Services Advisory Committee

The Diversity Programs and Services Advisory Committee is responsible for the following:

1. serving in an advisory role for programs for minority students, especially African-American students under the auspices of the Minority Advising Program (MAP), which was established by the Board of Regents in 1983 to enhance the academic welfare of African-American students in the University System of Georgia
2. analyzing the effectiveness of all programs with respect to the retention rate for minority students
3. addressing diversity issues on campus through faculty/student workshops and forums and through program development

The Diversity Programs and Services Advisory Committee should be composed of the following:

1. ten faculty members including at least two from each college and one from the library
2. two students
3. the assistant dean of students and the CSU MAP coordinator as ex officio members

Faculty Development Committee

Faculty Development Committee assists faculty in becoming more effective teachers and scholars.

The Committee's specific responsibilities include the following:

1. reviewing proposals submitted by faculty members seeking development monies from the university and making recommendations to the provost
2. reviewing applications for sabbatical time submitted by faculty members and making recommendation to the provost.

Faculty Development Committee should be composed of the following:

1. two faculty members from each college and one from the library serving two-year terms
2. a library representative to serve a two-year term
3. one alternate from each college
4. the designee from the Provost’s office, the director of Sponsored Programs and the director of the Faculty Center as non-voting, ex officio members

Faculty Handbook Advisory Committee

The Faculty Handbook Advisory Committee is responsible for the following:

1. reviewing proposals and requests for amendments to the Faculty Handbook and making recommendations to the Faculty Governance Committee
2. conducting annual reviews of the Faculty Handbook and initiating necessary amendments

The Faculty Handbook Advisory Committee should conduct its business during the course of an annual cycle: a fall deadline for proposals and requests, an early spring deadline for recommendations, a late spring deadline for execution of amendments.

The Faculty Handbook Advisory Committee should be composed of the following:

1. two faculty representatives from each academic college
2. a library representative
3. the associate provost for academic affairs as an ex officio member

General Education Committee

The General Education Committee assists the Office of the Provost in developing standards for the core curriculum (Areas A-E) to meet the General Education Learning Outcomes listed in the University Catalog. The General Education Committee also assists the Provost’s Office in carrying out policies issued by the Board of Regents regarding the core curriculum.

The General Education Committee should be composed of the following:

1. twelve faculty with at least two members from each college and one from the library
2. a library representative
3. the director of institutional effectiveness, the director of the Testing Center, the associate provost for undergraduate education, and the SACS liaison as ex officio members

Honors Education Committee

The Honors Education Committee oversees and supports the Honors Program and consists of the Scholarship and Programming Subcommittees. 

The  subcommittees and their roles are as follows:

 1. The task of the Scholarship Subcommittee shall be to select the recipients of full tuition scholarships provided by the Columbus State University Foundation. Scholarships are awarded to graduating high school seniors based on the following criteria:

• Institutional grade point average (minimum of 3.5)
• SAT scores (minimum combined score on math and critical reading of 1,200)
• Extracurricular activities
• Community involvement

The Scholarship Subcommittee also selects the recipients of undergraduate scholarships awarded to active honors program students who have completed 45 credit hours, nine of which are in the honors program, for tuition and academic pursuits during their junior and senior year. Scholarship may be up to $1250 per semester, renewable for four semesters.

2. The task of the Programming Subcommittee shall be to make recommendations on the policies and procedures governing the Honors Program.

All subcommittee recommendations shall proceed to the full-committee. Attendance shall constitute a quorum.

The Honors Education Committee should be composed of the following:

1. ten faculty including two from each college, one from the library, and one at-large, each serving a four-year term
2. a committee chair and a vice chair elected by the committee from the members listed above (the chair may serve up to a two-year term; the vice chair assumes the role of chair)
3. the director of the Honors Program, the assistant director of the Honors Program, two honors students, the vice president for university advancement, a representative from Undergraduate Recruitment, a representative from Financial Aid, a representative from Honors Alumnus, and a representative from Tower Society as ex officio members

Information Technology Utilization Committee

The Information Technology Utilization Committee is an advisory committee representative of the larger university community. The purpose of the committee is to guide UITS in the strategic priorities of IT projects on campus, provide feedback on ways to improve IT services and adoption of IT on campus as well as to promote IT services to the campus constituents for the greater success of all university users.
The Information Technology Utilization Committee should be composed minimally of the following:

1.  six faculty members, including one from each college and one from the library
2. six staff members, including one from each college and one from the library
3. two students
4. Chief Information Officer, UITS, and Executive Director of Operations & Infrastructure, UITS, as ex-officio members

International Education Committee

The International Education Committee is responsible for the following:

1. considering all matters related to international education, including study abroad programs, student and faculty exchanges, international curriculum and program development, faculty development opportunities and event planning
2. providing members for and receiving reports from the International Scholarship Committee, which allocates student scholarships for study abroad
3. providing members for and receiving reports from the Latin American Studies Committee, which supervises the Latin American Studies Program including the Latin American minor and annual Amos Eminent Scholar

The International Education and Exchange Committee should be composed of the following:

1. three faculty members from each college and one from the library
2. one student
3. the vice president for university advancement, the vice president for student affairs and enrollment management, the director of the Center for International Education, the director of academic information, the international student admissions officer, the international student and scholar coordinator, and the Mildred Miller Fort Foundation trustee as ex officio members

Library Committee

The Library Committee is responsible for the following:

1. serving as a liaison between the library and the faculty.
2. serving as an advisory panel to the library
3. providing a formal mechanism for faculty and students to have input concerning library policies and procedures

The Library Committee should be composed of the following:

1. ten faculty members including at least two from each college and one from the library
2. two students
3. the dean of libraries as an ex officio member

National Scholarship Committee

The National Scholarship Committee is responsible for:

1. Publicizing all national scholarship, fellowships and academic awards competitions to the eligible students.
2. Administering internal competitions to identify student candidates for at-large national competitions.
3. Mentoring students as they prepare applications for national recognition.

The Committee should be comprised of the following:

1. Seven faculty members, at least one from each college, with staggering four year terms.
2. A representative from the Honors College, Registrar's Office, Career Center as ex officio members.

Readmission Appeals Committee

1. considering appeals for readmission from students who have been excluded
2. makes recommendations to the director of admissions.

The Readmission Appeals Committee should be composed of the following:

1. nine faculty members serving three-year terms
2. the University Registrar as ex officio member

Retention, Progression, and Graduation Committee

The Retention, Progression, and Graduation Committee is responsible for the following:

1. serving as a liaison between the Center for Academic Advising and all departments of the university in order to maintain a consistent student retention effort
2. monitoring the effectiveness of the institution’s student retention efforts

The Retention, Progression, and Graduation Committee should be composed of the following:

1. seven faculty members including at least one from each college and one from the library
2. the dean of Enrollment Services
3. the director of the Center for Academic Advising
4. the coordinator of the Turner College of Business and Computer Science Advising Center
5. the coordinator of the College of Education and Health Professions Advising Center
6. one counselor from the Counseling Center
7. the director of institutional effectiveness
8. two students

Student Course Evaluation Committee

The Student Course Evaluation Committee is responsible for the following:

1. maintaining and updating the evaluation instrument(s) used to administer student evaluation of courses
2. evaluating and modifying the process for the student evaluation of courses 

The Student Course Evaluation Committee should be composed of the following:

1. ten faculty members including at least one from each college
2. a library representative
3. the provost

Student Research and Creative Endeavors Committee

The Student Research and Creative Endeavors Committee is responsible for the following:

1. recommending Student Research and Creative Endeavors (SRACE) grant awards
2. serving in an advisory role in the effort to increase and enhance student opportunities to engage in research and creative activities

The Student Research and Creative Endeavors Committee should be composed of the following:

1. at least ten faculty members including at least two from each college and at least one from the library
2. two students
3. the associate provost and the director of the Faculty Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning as ex officio members

Sustainability Committee

The Sustainability Committee is responsible for the following:

1. serving in an advisory role in the effort to reduce the institution's ecological footprint through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions campus-wide
2. enhancing the institution’s efforts at environmental stewardship
3. promoting the concepts of sustainability and environmental ethics in the curriculum

The Sustainability Committee should be composed of ten members of the faculty and staff including at least one faculty member from each college.

The Teaching and Learning Enhancement Committee

The Teaching and Learning Enhancement Committee is responsible for the following:

1. advising on matters specifically related to university-level faculty development in teaching, including strategic planning for the Faculty Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, long-range institutional teaching and learning programs (including faculty-related QEP programming), teaching awards and recognition, teaching evaluation processes and materials development, new faculty teaching orientation, internal teaching and learning fellowship and grant opportunities, and event planning
2. providing members for teaching awards selection committees and receiving reports from fellowship and grant winners

The Teaching and Learning Enhancement Committee should be composed of the following:

1. three faculty members from COLS
2. two faculty members each from COA, COEHP, and DATCOB
3. one faculty member from Library
4. one student
5. as ex officio members, the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, the Associate Provost for Graduate Education and Distance Learning, the director of the Faculty Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, the director of the Center of Online Learning, the director of the Center for International Education

Women's Advisory Committee

The Women’s Advisory Committee is responsible for the following:

1. identifying the needs of women at Columbus State University through interaction and communication with individuals, groups, administrators, and other college committees
2. formulating short- and long-term objectives concerning the needs of women at CSU
3. serving as a resource and support group in cases of complaint involving women's issues
4. encouraging enforcement of existing policies affecting the salaries and wages, employment, and general welfare of women on campus
5. establishing task forces to develop programs and activities promoting women and women's issues on campus
6. maintaining good working relationships with other women's organizations in the community and promoting proactive, collaborative endeavors
7. submitting to the president, Faculty Senate, and affirmative action officer an annual report that reviews the status of women on campus and makes recommendations for improvement—a report that would also be made available to all department heads
8. sponsoring an annual report directed to all women and interested others on campus to inform them of the status of women at CSU

The Women’s Advisory Committee should be composed of the following:

1. fifteen members of the faculty and staff including at least two from each college
2. one undergraduate student and one graduate student
3. the director of Human Resources and the provost as ex officio members

Institutional Committees

Activities Committee

The Activities Committee appropriates the student activities budget and oversees the disbursement of these funds.

The Activities Committee should be composed of the following:

1. one faculty member from each college
2. four students
3. the vice president of student affairs as ex officio member and chair
4. the assistant dean of students and the director of campus recreation as ex officio members

Animal Care and Use Committee

The Animal Care and Use Committee, in compliance with the Animal Welfare Act (PL 89-545, et al.) and its amendments, insures that researchers do not violate Federal guidelines for animal care and use by reviewing research protocols for studies with animals and inspecting animal holding facilities.

The Animal Care and Use Committee should be composed of the following:

1. six faculty members serving three-year terms, including at least one from each college and one from a science discipline who will act as chair
2. one student
3. one veterinarian and one additional member from the local community
4. the dean of the College of Letters and Sciences and the director of Plant Operations as ex officio members

Athletics Committee

The Athletics Committee appropriates the student athletic budget and oversees the distribution of its funds.

The Athletics Committee should be composed of the following:

1. five faculty members including at least one from each college
2. five students
3. the faculty NCAA representative, the athletics director, and the vice president for university advancement

Auxiliary Enterprises Committee

The Auxiliary Enterprise Committee advises groups and individuals on campus involved in activities not directly related to the institution’s education and research missions.

The Auxiliary Enterprise Committee should be composed of the following:

1. two faculty members from each college and one from the library
2. three students
3. the director of enterprise development, the vice president for business and finance, the director of residence life, and the director of sponsored programs as ex officio members

Budget Advisory Committee

The Budget Advisory Committee provides insight into the funding process at Columbus State University, including Board of Regents funding formulas, to groups and individuals on campus engaged in preparing and submitting the university budget and/or in allocating funds.

The Budget Advisory Committee should be composed of the following:

1. thirteen members of the faculty and staff including at least two from each college and one from the library
2. the provost, the vice president for business and finance, the vice president for student affairs, the assistant vice president for business and finance, and the associate provost as ex officio members

Dean's Council

The Dean's Council comprises the deans of the four colleges (College of the Arts, College of Letters and Sciences, College of Education and Health Professions, Turner College of Business and Computer Science) plus the dean of libraries and the provost. The Council meets weekly to discuss academic issues. Its role is to foster communication and cooperation among the deans and their respective colleges and among the deans and upper administration, to serve as a venue for the deans to discuss college-level administrative issues, and to serve as an advisory body on issues related to the university as a whole.

Developments and Improvements Committee

The Developments and Improvements Committee is responsible for the following:


1. to analyze and make recommendations for improvement of the campus plan of streets, grounds, lighting, buildings and activity (Concerns include parking, signage, traffic flow, beautification, function, future growth, space redesign, and allocation.)
2. to help identify and assist in prioritizing improvements to the campus through its reports to the vice president for business and finance

The Developments and Improvements Committee should be composed of the following:


1. eight faculty members including at least one from each college and one from the library
2. three students
3. the vice president for student affairs, the director of plant operations, the dean of enrollment services, the director of academic information, the executive director of UITS, and the coordinator of instructional technology as ex officio members

Facilities and Safety Committee

The Facilities and Safety Committee is responsible for the following:

1. to advise on building safety and physically challenged student and faculty issues including access, facilities, and transportation
2. to advise on building maintenance, including upkeep and minor improvements related to teaching, office, and general university facilities, through its reports to the vice president for business and finance

The Facilities and Safety Committee should be composed of the following:


1. twelve faculty including at least two from each college and one from the library
2. two students
3. the chief of university police, the assistant dean of students, the director of the student health center, the director of academic information, the coordinator of center for accommodation and access services, a plant operations representative as ex officio members

Graduation and Special Events Committee

The Graduation and Special Events Committee is responsible for the following:

1. advising the president and provost on the physical arrangements, ceremonial aspects, seating, music, commencement speakers, program, and all other matters relating to graduation
2. coordinating the planning of commencement ceremonies with the Office of the Registrar and the Office of Academic Affairs
3. assisting the commencement marshal in carrying out his/her duties
4. advising the president and provost on the planning and execution of "special events," which arise very rarely and include such occasions as anniversaries, memorials, and installation of a president

The Graduation and Special Events Committee should be composed of the following:

1. nine members of the faculty and staff including at least one from each college and one from the library
2. the faculty marshal
3. two students
4. the registrar, the assistant registrar, a representative from Plant Operations, the director of public relations, a University Police officer, the manager of the Columbus State University Bookstore, a representative from the Schwob School of Music, the executive director of alumni relations, the Lumpkin Center facilities coordinator, and a representative from Student Affairs as ex officio members

Honorary Degree Committee

The Honorary Degree Committee reviews candidates for honorary degrees to insure, before submission of their nomination to the Board of Regents, that the award complies with BOR Policy 3.8.4.

The Honorary Degree Committee should be composed of the following:

1. one faculty member from each college and one from the library
2. a representative from the Office of Academic Affairs

Institutional ReviewBoard

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) serves as the screening, reviewing and, recommending body for all research proposals and projects that involve human subjects

The Institutional Review Board should be composed of ten faculty members including at least one from each college.

Intellectual Property Policy Committee

The Intellectual Property Policy Committee is responsible for the following:

1. advising the president on policy matters relating to intellectual property (IP)
2. implementing the university’s stated IP policies
3. recommending IP policy revisions and amendments as it deems necessary
4. arbitrating disputes over IP
5. approving deviations from the stated IP policy
6. reviewing IP referred to the committee through the disclosure process

The intellectual Property Policy Committee should be composed of the following:

1. six faculty members including at least one from each college and one from the library
2. three staff with at least one each from the offices of the provost and the vice president for business and finance
3. up to one student

Publications Committee

The Publications Committee is responsible for the following:

1. serving in a coordinating, policy-making, advisory capacity to all student publications (It is not the purpose of the Publications Committee to censor.)
2. maintaining the integrity and quality of existing student publications by:
1. establishing policy guidelines and making necessary changes when appropriate (All policies, guidelines and changes will be reported to the president and appropriate groups.)
2. serving in a judgment capacity if it becomes necessary to arbitrate questions of libel, failure of staff members to fulfill obligations and policies outlined below, or other such difficulties that might arise
3. reviewing and recommending operating budgets and amendments to the Activities Committee, vice president for student affairs, and president

The Publications Committee should be composed of the following:


1. eight faculty members including at least one from each college and one from the library

2. two students
3. the director of public relations, the vice president for student affairs, an enrollment services associate, and the vice president for academic affairs as ex officio members

Scholastic Honors Committee

The Scholastic Honors Committee is responsible for the following:

1. planning and conducting the annual Honors Convocation
2. coordinating the selection of recipients and/or nominees for awards presented at the Honors Convocation
3. recommending policies and procedures to improve the recognition of academic achievement and services at the university
4. carrying out other tasks related to scholastic honors as assigned by the provost

The Scholastic Honors Committee should be composed of the following:

1. two faculty members from each college
2. two students
3. the provost’s secretary as an ex officio member

Student Technology Fee Committee

The Student Technology Fee Committee is responsible for oversight of the student technology fee following these basic principles:

1. student technology fees should be used to support and supplement normal levels of technology spending
2. student technology fees should focus on technology related to either academic outcomes or instructional objectives. Distinctions should be drawn between expenditures for administrative applications or scientific and laboratory equipment, and instructional technology. Technology fee revenues should be used for the primary benefit of students.
3. new construction and major renovations will include technology, infrastructure, and telecommunications costs as part of the total construction project budget.

The Student Tech Fee committee should be comprised of:

1. five faculty members representing five colleges
2. Student Government Association (SGA) president and five students
3. the vice president of information technology, chair of TSYS School of Computer Science, and the executive director of UITS as ex officio members

Who’s Who Committee

The Who’s Who Committee recognizes juniors, seniors, and graduate students who exhibit scholarly ability, participation and leadership in academic and extracurricular activities, citizenship and service to CSU and/or to the community, and potential for future achievements.

The Who’s Who Committee should be composed of the following:

1. five faculty members including at least one from each college
2. the vice president for student affairs as an ex officio member

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Centers, Institutes, and Auxiliary Programs Organizational Flowchart

CENTERS AND SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Units Reporting to the Executive Assistant to the President

A.  Cunningham Center

The following sub-centers report to the executive director of the Cunningham Center:

• The Leadership Institute at Cunningham Center
• Cunningham Conference Center
• The Testing Center

B.  Continuing Education

The following sub-centers report to the executive director of Continuing Education:

• CSU Dance Conservatory
• English Language Institute
• Rankin Gardens & Atrium

Units Reporting to the Provost

• Honors Program
• Servant Leadership
• Department of Military Science

Units Reporting to the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education

• Academic Center for Excellence(ACE)
• Faculty Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning
• Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness (OIRE)
• Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Advisory Board

Units Reporting to the Associate Provost for Graduate Education, Distance Learning, and International Affairs

• Center for Global Engagement
• Center of Online Learning
• Graduate School

Units Reporting to the Dean of the College of Education and Health Professions  (COEHP) 

• The Center for Quality Teaching and Learning
• Partner School Network
• Columbus Regional Mathematics Collaborative
• Coca-Cola Space Science Center
• The Reading Instruction, Support, and Education Center (RISE)
• Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center

Units Reporting to the Dean of the College of Letters and Sciences (COLS)

• Math and Science Learning Center
• The Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians
• Georgia Law Enforcement Command College
• S.T.E.M. Initiative
• UTeach Columbus is a sub-center of the S.T.E.M. Initiative

Units Reporting to the Dean of the College of the Arts (COA)

• The Bo Bartlett Center
• Schwob School of Music Preparatory Division
• Theatre Education Outreach
• Nonprofit and Civic Engagement Center (NPaCE)

Units Reporting to the Dean of the Turner College of Business and Computer Science (COBCS)

• TSYS Center for Cybersecurity
• GEMS Institute
• The Butler Center for Business and Economic Research

Unit Reporting to the Vice President for Student Affairs

• Counseling Center
• University Police

Unit Reporting to the Senior Director of Student Involvement

• Center for Career Development
• Center for Accommodation and Access Services
• Student Life and Development
• Davidson Student Center
• Diversity Center

Unit Reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs

• Student Recreation Center

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UCC Bylaws

Adopted November 26, 2013

I

The Purpose of the University Curriculum Committee

The purpose of the UCC is to deliberate on all curricular proposals at CSU (excluding non-credit continuing education courses) and to recommend to the Provost only those that are academically sound and in compliance with USG and CSU policies.

The responsibilities of the University CurriculumCommittee are to:

• Review and make recommendations on all requests to create new courses, modify existing courses, deactivate courses, and reactivate courses;
• Review and recommend policies that govern general university requirements;
• Review and make recommendations on all new undergraduate and graduate degree, certificate, and minor program proposals; and
• Notify the CSU’s Provost Office SACS Liaison if any curricular initiative represents a substantive change of the type indicated by the chart on Reporting Timelines for Substantive Change (PDF)

II

The Composition of the UCC

The University Curriculum Committee is composed of two voting members from each College (the Dean or Dean’s Designee and one elected faculty member) plus the Dean of Libraries and one elected faculty member from the Interdisciplinary Program Council.

Note:  As of Sept 2013 this represents 10 voting members.

1. Dean of the College of the Arts
2. One faculty member elected from COA
3. Dean of the College of Education and Health Professions
4. One faculty member elected from COEHP
5. Dean of the College of Letters and Sciences
6. One faculty member elected from COLS
7. Dean of the Turner College
8. One faculty member elected from the Turner College
9. Dean of Libraries
10. One faculty member elected from Interdisciplinary Program Council

Deans serve ex officio. A dean may designate an Associate Dean with responsibility for curriculum or the College Curriculum Chair to attend meetings and vote. Faculty selection to the committee should be cognizant of the committee meeting dates and the requirement of a quorum of voting members.  A quorum is defined as a majority of voting members. As of Sept 2013, 6 voting members is a quorum.   A vote fails if there is a tie.

Staff members in key supporting roles normally attend UCC meetings and work with the UCC chair as needed. These may include the following:

• Registrar
• Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
• Associate Provost for Graduate Education
• Provost Office Staff
• UITS Staff

In addition, Colleges may request additional attendees when proposing new programs and courses.

Should a voting member of the committee resign or leave CSU, the Chair will request that the appropriate college provide an interim replacement.

*This person would also prepare the official memo to the VPAA and subsequently to the System Office.

III

The UCC Chair & Chair-Elect

The Chair must be a voting member of the UCC, and chairs serve two-year terms. It is preferable for a new chair to be designated two years in advance as Chair-Elect. The duties of new chairs start every other year on July 1.  Should the Chair resign or leave CSU, the Chair-Elect will assume the duties of the Chair.  Should the Chair-Elect become the Chair, resign or leave CSU, the UCC will elect a Chair-Elect for the remainder of the term.

At the January meeting, the UCC will elect a chair from among its voting members.  The chair shall serve for a two year term and will continue to be a voting member of the committee.  There will also be a chair-elect who serves for two years before becoming chair.  The election for chair-elect will be held at the September meeting.  (Note:  colleges need to understand that the chair-elect will serve a four year term on the UCC, two years as the chair-elect and then two years as chair).

The following are the chair’s key responsibilities:

1. Schedule meetings, post agendas, and preside at meetings
2. Make certain that proposals include proper documentation
3. Produce detailed meeting minutes
4. Ensure that the minutes—which are the de facto record of curriculum change for the university—are approved by UCC vote and posted on the UCC website
5. Report on items of interest from the BOR and USG office
6. Convey areas of curricular concern to the Provost
7. Maintain an awareness of USG and CSU policy related to curriculum

The following are the chair-elect’s key responsibilities:

1. Be a backup for the chair
2. Support coordination of minutes preparation
3. Support review of catalog revisions

IV

Calendar and Visitors

The UCC will hold at least five regular meetings each academic  year:

• September
• October
• November
• January
• April

Additional UCC meetings may be called at the discretion of the chair to consider urgent items. The chair may, when necessary, call for an email vote. The dates, times, and locations of meetings should be posted on the UCC website a year in advance.

All UCC meetings are open to visitors, and every effort should be made to maintain an accurate and accessible calendar of meetings.

Dates for curricular approvals to be effective:

There are three types of curricular proposals that, if approved, may become effective the term following the UCC Meeting:

1. New courses that do not involved program changes
2. Program elective changes that do not involved credit hour and/or program hour changes.
3. Removal of prerequisites

All other curricular proposals, if approved by all entities including institutional, BOR, and SACS, will become effective for the new catalog year.

Dates for section data entry and registration

The academic catalog will become effective the summer term of each year.

All proposals before the UCC will be considered as action items.

The following template should be used by deans as a cover memorandum for distribution of curricular proposals to UCC members (see format on P: drive):

Name of College

1. College wide proposals (Admissions standards, college-wide policies and procedures

Name of Department

1. Courses – Use ICS report form
1. New courses
2. Modified courses
3. Deactivated courses
4. Reactivated courses
2. New Programs
1. Preliminary program proposals/letter of intent – with or without courses attached
2. Curriculum for new programs that were previously approved
3. Program revisions

            Repeat for each department.  Please use page numbers, bottom center.

V

Content of Meetings

The main business of the meetings is described in this list:

• September – New courses for Spring semester; minor changes (system office mandates, etc.); subject code or other blanket changes; resolution of pre-requisite problems; urgent matters; corrections.
• October – Proposals from one of the following two groups
  • Letters and Sciences, the Library, and IPC -odd years
  • College of the Arts, College of Education and Health Professions, and Turner College- even years.
  • November – Proposals from one of the following two groups
    • Letters and Sciences, the Library, and IPC -even years
    • College of the Arts, College of Education and Health Professions, and Turner College- odd years.
    • January – Clean-up; program improvements that are less restrictive to students
    • April- Finalize  open items

Exceptions to these content guidelines may be made at the discretion of the UCC chair.

VI

Revisions to the Bylaws

Bylaw revisions may be required from time to time to reflect changes in policy or organization. Revisions to the Bylaws require a two-thirds vote of the voting members of the committee.

Procedural Guidelines Adopted by the UCC as of September 2013

I

Effective Dates of Approved Curriculum

In the normal cycle, curriculum proposals are considered in the fall and, assuming all necessary approvals, go into effect the following summer with the new catalog year.

To protect the coherence of the catalog year, proposals outside this cycle should include a strong justification for their timing, and only in the narrowest of circumstances should a proposal be approved that increases restrictions on students during the catalog year.

II

Action and Information Items

All proposals before the UCC are normally considered action items, except in extraordinary circumstances, such as prior UCC approval.

Course fee changes are not considered by the UCC.

III

Approval Path Leading to UCC Consideration

Normally, the UCC only considers proposals that have been approved by a department and college or by an appropriate academic unit on campus, such as the Library or IPC. New and substantive graduate program proposals (but not individual courses) should come to the UCC with a recommendation from the Graduate Council.

Existing courses that are converted to an online format do not need to be reconsidered by the UCC (Note:  The SACS liaison needs to be notified of any courses that become part of a consortium).

IV

Proposal Guidelines and Format

Proposals to the UCC must be presented by a voting member (or designee) who represents an academic unit on campus. Course proposals must be entered in ICS, and proposal documents posted in the appropriate p-drive folder. Distribution deadlines are listed on the UCC website. The presentation of proposals will follow a standard format, which the chair will make available to the committee. UCC members are encouraged to present logical connections in a single motion for approval.  Examples:

• All of one department’s items may be presented as a single motion
• Courses with a similar prerequisite change may be presented as a single motion. 

All UCC members maintain the right to open discussion on any item under consideration.

V

New Program Proposal Documentation

New program proposals should be presented in the appropriate forms and formats provided on the BOR website. All new programs should include an Annual Program Review and Improvement Report with the first three columns filled out and a curriculum map matching courses and program objectives. These forms are available in the UCC P-drive folder.  Additionally, proposals should include a statement of program impact as well as a financial/human resources impact statement.  Resource implications will be considered at the Dean/Provost level.  Any approval of a new program from the UCC does not include approval for additional financial or human resources. 

VI

New Course Documentation

To be considered by the UCC, all new, modified and reactivated course proposals must include a sample syllabus (attached in ICS) that includes the following information:

1. Course title
2. Course description
3. Measurable student outcomes
4. Course requirements
5. Sample textbook or course materials, as appropriate
6. Evaluation (how student coursework adds up to a final grade)

A curriculum map for substantive changes is required.  A current curriculum map for all other program changes should be maintained

VII

USG Board of Regents Schedule of Approvals/Notifications for items related to UCC