Roles and Responsibilities
Curriculum Responsibilities at Each Role
- Faculty Initiator
- Program / Subject Area Faculty
- Faculty Advisory Committee / Department Curriculum Committee
- School Director / Department Chair
- College Curriculum Committee
- College Dean / Campus Dean
- Institutional Academic Advisory Committees
- Graduate Studies Dean
- Curriculum Services
- Provost
- Educational Policies Council (EPC)
- Faculty Senate
- President
- Board of Trustees
- Ohio Department of Higher Education
- Higher Learning Commission
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