308.240 - Duties and Responsibilities of College Provosts

Colleges are administrative units that are organizationally analogous to academic departments. Accordingly, the position of college provost is analogous to that of a department chair and as such, the college provost serves as the academic chair or head of the college faculty. The college provost reports directly to the Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education (VPDUE).

Each college provost also works in partnership with at least one divisional dean. The nature of the partnership will be determined by discussions among the VPDUE, the divisional dean and the college provost.

The college provost serves on the Council of Provosts. The Council of Provosts will consider and make recommendations to the administration and to the Academic Senate on campus-wide issues of undergraduate education including, but not limited to, general education, advising, honors programs, undergraduate academic engagement, academic integrity and issues of student retention. The college provost will be assessed on their contribution to the Council of Provosts and on the campus-wide leadership issues of undergraduate education, as well as leadership and stewardship of the college.

As the academic chair or head of the college, the college provost will:

• Provide leadership in defining the vision and the mission of the college.
• Be responsible for developing and maintaining a collegial environment that is conducive to the scholarly interaction of students and college-affiliated faculty.
• Be responsible for ensuring equal employment opportunity and for leading the college's good faith efforts to meet established affirmative action goals for college academic and staff positions.
• With other faculty of the college, recruit new faculty members to participate in the college. Upon request, the college provost should provide assessment of a faculty member's contribution to the college for personnel actions.
• Convene the college Senate faculty in discussions of the academic function of the colleges including, but not limited to, discussions of the role of colleges in sponsoring courses, imposing graduation requirements and establishing curricula that is complementary to that of departmental and divisional curricula.
• Work effectively with the student affairs staff of the college, particularly the college administrative officer (CAO).
• Explore ways for divisions and colleges to work synergistically to provide complementary academic programs and processes that enhance undergraduate education (e.g., by developing interdisciplinary research and educational programs that might be appropriately associated with a college).
• College academic programs:
  With the college Senate faculty, determine how best to meet the educational needs of entering and continuing students. Determine how any course funds that are allocated to the college can be used most effectively. According to UCSC Senate Bylaws and Regulations, colleges may set graduation requirements for their students. College provosts should lead discussions with their college Senate faculty about what, if any, requirements might be appropriate for the students of their college. In concert with the campus writing program, determine what role the college should play in the objective of lower-division writing programs. Develop assessment programs that regularly evaluate all academic programs and curricula associated with a college and general education curricula of the division.
• Academic advising, academic standing review and academic integrity: With the college Senate faculty, ensure effective coordination of college academic advising with other components of the campus advising system. Determine what role the college Senate faculty should have as advisors/mentors. Manage effective academic standing review procedures as well as methods to deal with violations of academic integrity codes. Working with the campus advising coordinator, provide regular assessment of college advising programs and implement professional development programs for advising staff.
• Co-curricular learning:
  Develop co-curricular academic programs such as leadership programs, service learning/volunteerism/community service programs, cohort learning, skills courses, honors programs, etc.
• Graduation, orientation and admissions events:
  With the appropriate dean(s), college faculty and students, determine how best to have these events represent the programs of both the college and the academic division.

Other responsibilities of the college provost:

• Fundraising:
  The college provost will work with University Relations to support development activities for the colleges to provide funds to enhance undergraduate education and specific programs of the college.
• Governance:
  The college provost will lead the college Senate faculty in regularly reviewing and updating college bylaws and other governance documents and will work with the UCSC Academic Senate to ensure that the UCSC Bylaws and Regulations accurately reflect the responsibilities and activities of the colleges and their provosts.
• College House:
  Consistent with the provisions of CAPM 306.240, the college provost is expected to live in the college house (where relevant).