Chapter 1
Overiew and History

 

Units

Academic Affairs: The Academic Affairs division includes the Vice President, the Assistant Vice President, the Administrative Assistants, the five academic Deans, and the Directors of various academic programs. In the Academic Affairs division, policy is created through a system of committees; the rights, responsibilities and procedures for these committees are defined by the Faculty Contract:

These committees are constituted by elected faculty and administrative appointees named by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. However, by contract, any proposal for curriculum (e.g., College Success Program, General Education Program) can be initiated by individuals or ad hoc groups of faculty or faculty/staff.

All recommendations concerning curriculum are brought to the full faculty for ratification. Recommendations for tenure and promotion made by PPC are submitted to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who in turn takes recommendations to the President and the Board of Control. The course schedule is developed in the Office of Academic Affairs, in consultation with Enrollment Management. (Detailed information about Academic Affairs is included in Chapter 5, Academic Programs.)

Administration & Business Affairs: The growth in size and complexity of the university has led to significant reorganization of Administration & Business Affairs departments over the past two years. Human Relations was separated into two distinct functions, Staff Relations and Employment and Compensation Services, an approach more in line with a business sector model and better suited to the current size of the university. Staff Relations has responsibility for labor relations and performance management; Employment and Compensation Services, which now has been integrated into the Office of the Controller, has the traditional responsibilities of benefit administration and payroll. Purchasing also reports to the Office of the Controller, to better integrate purchasing with accounts payable.

Similarly, the University’s engineering services department and physical plant department (maintenance, grounds, custodial, skilled trades) have been combined into one distinct unit, Campus Facilities. This change allows for a more efficient use of limited resources and creates a management structure that can look at physical plant and university housing issues more strategically.

Public Affairs/Development & SVSU Foundation: This division, the public face of the university, includes University Communications, Alumni Relations, and Annual Giving & Development.

The Vice President/Executive Director is responsible for enhancing the University's image as a key cultural and intellectual resource in the community; raising private funds to support the strategic initiatives of the University; aligning internal and external communications and publications with institutional goals; and providing vision and leadership to administrators in University Communications, Alumni Relations, and Annual Giving to collaboratively accomplish strategic objectives, such as the following:

The work of this unit has been essential in generating funding, creating endowments, and distributing funds for programs not included in the general budget.

Student Services and Enrollment Management: The Division of Student Services & Enrollment Management is comprised of seventeen offices which provide programs and services to students: Academic Advisement Center, Athletics, Career Planning and Placement, Disability Services, Evening Services, Graduate Admissions, Health Services, Institutional Research, International Programs, Minority Student Services, Registrar, Residential Life, Scholarships and Financial Aid, Student Conduct, Student Counseling Center, Student Life Center, and Undergraduate Admissions.

There have been two reorganizations of the Division of Student Affairs since the last accreditation visit. The first reorganization occurred during the 1994-1995 academic year. In order to strengthen the capability of the university to increase its enrollment of new freshman and transfer students and to improve the retention of undergraduate students, a Division of Student Services & Enrollment Management was created.

The second reorganization occurred at the conclusion of the 2002-2003 academic year, when the offices of the Division of Student Affairs were merged with the Division of Student Services & Enrollment Management. The purpose of the merger, in view of the fiscal challenges to the University, was to place all student programs and services within one division, enhancing their coordination and providing those programs and services more effectively and efficiently to students. (The former Dean of Student Affairs now oversees the Student Association and student publications and has assumed the newly created position of University Ombudsman, assisting students to resolve issues that arise in their contact with various offices of the university.) The unit continues to enhance student services through the integration of technology; essential functions such as Admissions, Course Registration, and Financial Aid can now be conducted online.

Informational Technology Services: ITS is responsible for both Academic and Administrative computing, a role which has become increasingly critical in the transformational change of the university. ITS encompasses instructional technology, university financial systems, student records systems, student labs, the campus network, university micro computers and software, web/internet services, internet connectivity, distance education, technology training, and technology grant management. In support of the overall SVSU mission and goals, ITS provides access and training for computer, telecommunication, and network technologies to the SVSU community. Recently, ITS completely updated the SVSU website and instituted a content management system to enable individuals within each unit to keep their website up-to-date. As technology becomes ever more integrated into broad aspects of university life, the role of this unit will continue to be vital.

Other units: Many campus issues and changes transcend unit boundaries. These are frequently assigned to task forces and committees (e.g., Website Task Force, Diversity Committee) for review and recommendations; task forces are generally charged by the President and submit recommendations to him. (The functions of these groups will be further discussed in Chapter 3.)