SECTION B. ORGANIZATION OF THE UNIVERSITY
B.1 The Governing Board: The Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System
B.2 Internal Structure of the University
B.1 The Governing Board: The Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System (last revised June 22, 2006)
As the governing body of the University, the Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System (hereafter referred to as the Board) addresses questions of broad institutional policy. The Board is responsible for the selection of the President and, in conjunction with the advice and recommendation of the President, approves the appointment and salaries of the Provost, the vice presidents, and, if requested by the Board, other academic faculty members and/or administrative professionals who report directly to the President ("senior administrators"). The Board approves the institutional budget and exercises broad policy control. All University owned lands are under Board control. With academic faculty members' advice, the Board approves the curriculum and confers appropriate degrees or testimonials.
B.1.1 Membership and Term of Office (last revised May 2, 2007)
Membership and term of office for the Board is prescribed in Section 23-30-101 of the Colorado Revised Statutes which are quoted in part as:
“It shall consist of a total of thirteen members. Four of the offices shall be advisory, without the right to vote. One shall be filled by an elected officer of the student body who is a full-time junior or senior student at Colorado state university, one by an elected officer of the faculty council of Colorado state university having the rank of associate professor or higher, one by an elected officer of the student body who is a full-time junior or senior student at the Colorado state university - Pueblo, and one by an elected officer of the faculty council of the Colorado state university - Pueblo having the rank of associate professor or higher. The four advisory members shall be elected by their respective governing bodies from their membership. The terms of these advisory offices shall be for one academic year. Commencing with appointments made in 1974 and subsequent years, the remaining nine members, at least one of whom shall be a graduate of the Colorado state university system and at least two of whom shall have some connection with agriculture, shall be appointed by the governor, with the consent of the senate, for basic terms of four years, although interim appointments may be made for lesser periods so that at least two of the nine terms will expire in each calendar year. . . . . Members appointed on or after January 1, 2007 shall serve terms of up to four years, expiring on December 31 of the third calendar year following the calendar year in which the member is appointed. For terms ending on or after December 31, 2006, the governor shall appoint a succeeding member on or before March 1 immediately following the expiration of the term. No person, elected under this section, shall serve on the board for more than two terms, regardless of the length of the terms: except that a member of the board, whether elected or appointed, shall continue to serve until a successor is elected or appointed and confirmed by the senate. Of the nine members appointed by the governor, no more than five members shall be from the same political party.”
B.1.2 Vacancies and Compensation(last revised June 17, 2003)
Both the filling of vacancies in the Board membership and the provision for service by members without compensation are covered in Section 23-30-103 of the Colorado Revised Statutes of 2002. This section provides:
"Any vacancy in the office of any member of said Board appointed by the governor caused by death, resignation, or removal from the state may be filled by a majority of the voting members. Any vacancy in the elected office on the Board shall be filled by reelection for the unexpired term. The members of the Board shall receive no compensation for their services but may be allowed actual traveling expenses upon presenting an itemized bill for the same."
B.1.3 Meetings of the Board(last revised June 17, 2003)
B.1.3.1 Scheduling of Board Meetings (last revised June 17, 2003)
Section 23-30-104 of the Colorado Revised Statutes of 2002 contains the following provisions:
"The Board shall meet at the Colorado State University twice annually and may meet at other times and places at the call of the President who has the power in case of emergency to call special meetings of the Board. Upon the written request of any three members of the Board, it is the duty of the President of the Board to call a special meeting thereof at such time and place as shall be designated in the written request therefore. A quorum of the Board shall be a majority of voting members of the Board."
B.1.3.2 Requirements of the Colorado Sunshine Act of 1972 (last revised June 17, 2003)
The "Open Meetings Law" (24-6-401, et seq., of the Colorado Revised Statutes of 2002) requires that all meetings of two (2) or more Board members at which any public business is discussed, or at which any formal action may be taken, be open to the public, except as otherwise provided. Any such meeting shall be held only after full and timely notice to the public. The Secretary of the Board maintains a list of persons who request notification of meetings and provides reasonable advance notification to such persons of public meetings. The minutes of the Board shall be promptly recorded and open to public inspection.
B.1.4 Powers Delegated to the President by the Board (last revised June 22, 2006)
The President is the University's chief executive officer and is responsible for ensuring that rules and regulations of the Board, the faculty members, and the Manual are implemented. Certain personnel powers have been delegated by the Board to the President. These powers include the following:
a. The power to hire, renew, decline to renew, or terminate faculty members and administrative professional employees of the University other than the Provost, the vice presidents, and, if requested by the Board, senior administrators (as defined in Section B.1).
b. The power to make performance-based adjustments to compensation and salary and to approve supplemental salary.
c. The power to grant or deny applications for tenure and/or promotion.
d. The power to approve applications and agreements for transitional retirement.
With Board approval, the President may further delegate some of these personnel powers to other officers of the University. The President has delegated most personnel decisions (but not termination of employment) to the Provost and vice presidents for the administrative units under their authority.
The Board may, from time to time, elect to exercise any authority it has delegated to the President (and which may have been further delegated to the Provost and the vice presidents). All personnel power delegated to the President, and all personnel power further delegated to the Provost and the vice presidents, must be exercised in compliance with applicable procedural provisions of this Manual.
B.2 Internal Structure of the University
Colorado State University is organized into four major administrative areas which reflect its status as a land-grant institution. Both domestic and overseas work assignments are done through these administrative units.
a. Resident Instruction provides for the basic academic program, including Continuing Education.
b. The Experiment Station is devoted to research in biological, physical, and social sciences. Off-campus research centers are maintained in centers distributed throughout the State.
c. The Extension Service employs an off-campus statewide system to transfer knowledge from the University to the people and encourage its use in the solution of practical, individual, or group problems. Federal, state, and county governments cooperate to support this function.
d. The Colorado State Forest Service devotes its efforts to fire protection, insect and disease control, forest management, and tree distribution. Headquarters are on the campus and district foresters are located in key locations in the State.
B.2.2 Colorado State University Research Foundation
The Colorado State University Research Foundation (CSURF) is incorporated separately. The CSURF performs certain functions in regard to research activities of the University.
B.2.3 Collegiate Structure and the Graduate School
The University offers academic instruction through eight (8) colleges and the Graduate School. The Colleges are Agricultural Sciences; Applied Human Sciences; Business; Engineering; Liberal Arts; Natural Resources; Natural Sciences; and Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
Organizational lines of authority and responsibility pass from individual faculty members through the department head to the dean of the college involved.1 The dean has the responsibility for coordinating the activities of the college with the Provost and the VPR, who in turn are responsible to the President and the Board.
B.2.4 Council of Deans (last revised June 15, 2005)
The Council of Deans serves as a deliberative body to provide guidance and advice to the Provost. The Provost shall serve as the Chair. If the Provost is unavailable for a meeting, he or she shall designate one (1) of the vice provosts to Chair that meeting. The other regular members of the Council of Deans shall be the deans of the eight (8) colleges, the Dean of the Libraries, and the Chair of Faculty Council. The ex officio members of the Council of Deans shall be the vice provosts, the vice presidents, and the Chair of the Faculty Council Committee on Strategic and Financial Planning.
B.2.4.1 Council of Associate/Assistant Deans (last revised June 15, 2005)
The Council of Associate/Assistant Deans (hereinafter referred to at "CAAD") provides advice to the Council of Deans on undergraduate academic issues and other matters as requested by the Council of Deans. The CAAD serves as a link among University offices supporting the undergraduate experience and as a deliberative body for policies instituted by other entities (e.g., Faculty Council, the Colorado General Assembly, and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education). The Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs shall serve as the Chair of the CAAD, and the other regular members shall be one (1) associate/assistant dean, as appointed by the dean, from each of the eight (8) colleges and the Libraries, and the Vice Chair of Faculty Council. Substitutes for these members are allowed. The ex officio members of the CAAD shall be the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and the directors/coordinators of the following offices/programs (or their designees): Admissions, the Center for Advising and Student Achievement (CASA), Continuing Education, Enrollment Services, the Honors Program, Instructional Services, International Programs, and Summer Session.
B.2.5 University Centers, Institutes, and Other Special Units (last revised June 22, 2004)
Centers, Institutes, and Other Special Units (hereinafter referred to as "CIOSUs") exist to promote teaching or research, provide academic support services, or perform service or outreach functions consistent with the mission of the University. The enhancement of undergraduate and graduate education is an important function of CIOSUs. However, CIOSUs normally do not offer courses for credit, do not admit students, and do not have faculty positions that exist outside regular academic departments.
The CIOSUs are units which extend beyond a single academic department. These units may be labeled "Center," "Institute," "Office," "Facility," "Program," or "Laboratory," but other labels may also be used as appropriate. A unit which is completely contained within a single academic department does not need to apply for CIOSU status as long as it indicates its departmental affiliation whenever its title is used.
The CIOSUs normally do not offer courses for credit. Exceptions are CIOSUs that administer or coordinate University Interdisciplinary Studies Programs (hereinafter referred to as "ISPs") that have been submitted and approved through regular curricular channels as prescribed in the Curriculum Handbook. The CIOSUs that administer such ISPs may offer courses for credit that are cross-listed with regular academic departments or colleges. These courses must be approved through the regular curricular channels of the departments, colleges and university.
The CIOSUs that administer or coordinate ISPs may offer courses for credit that are not cross-listed with regular academic departments only if such courses are interdisciplinary courses that are appropriate to the relevant ISP, but cannot be identified with a unique regular academic department. Interdisciplinary courses appropriate to an ISP that cannot be identified with a unique regular academic department, but can be identified with a unique college, must be submitted and approved through that college's regular curricular channels. Interdisciplinary courses appropriate to an ISP that cannot be identified with a unique college shall be forwarded directly to the Office of the Provost for approval. In all of the above cases, courses must be submitted to and approved by the University Curriculum Committee.
B.2.5.3 Procedures for Approval of CIOSUs
Procedures for approval are intended to facilitate the establishment of appropriate CIOSUs and to avoid the creation of programs that unnecessarily duplicate existing programs. Faculty members shall submit a proposal for the establishment of a CIOSU to their department head(s) and dean(s) for initial review and signature. The proposal shall then be forwarded to the Office of Faculty Council, which shall forward the proposal to the appropriate standing committee(s). These committee(s) shall recommend action to the VPR and transmit a report of these recommendations to Faculty Council. After consultation with the Provost, the VPR shall decide which of the two (2) of them shall serve as the Responsible Administrator for the CIOSU. For a CIOSU whose primary mission is research, the Responsible Administrator shall be the VPR. For a CIOSU who primary mission is teaching, service or outreach, the Responsible Administrator shall be the Provost. The Faculty Council Executive Committee shall be the designated standing committee during the summer.
In order to facilitate the funding of pending proposals, initial approval for a CIOSU may be obtained by submitting the proposal described in Section B.2.5.5 directly to the VPR. The proposal for the establishment of the CIOSU must be submitted simultaneously to the Office of Faculty Council.
If the CIOSU proposal requests University resources (see Section J.2) other than faculty time, funding from external agencies, or cost recovery activities, it also must be reviewed by the Committee on Strategic and Financial Planning and submitted to Faculty Council for action. Formal approval shall rest with the Responsible Administrator.
Administrative oversight of CIOSU rests with the appropriate department head, dean, Provost, or vice president (hereinafter referred to as the "Overseeing Administrator"). Final authority for a CIOSU rests with the Responsible Administrator.
B.2.5.5 Guidelines for Preparing Proposals for CIOSU Establishment (last revised May 2, 2007)
Faculty members interested in creating a CIOSU should prepare a proposal that addresses the following items:
a. The name of the CIOSU and the name(s) of its Administrative Director(s);
b. The mission of the proposed CIOSU and how this mission relates to the mission and strategic goals of Colorado State University;
c. A statement of the goals and objectives of the proposed CIOSU;
d. Evidence that the proposed CIOSU does not duplicate or compete with existing CIOSUs or academic programs and, if applicable, how it will be coordinated with other CIOSUs with complementary functions;
e. A description of the organizational and administrative structure and responsibilities, the faculty members involved, how the CIOSU will be internally governed, and the identification of the Overseeing Administrator; and
f. A list of funding sources and amounts, space, personnel, and equipment required to initiate and sustain the CIOSU for a period of at least five (5) years.
Each CIOSU must be administered by a person whose responsibilities include assuring that the CIOSU conducts its operations consistent with its mission and goals and in accordance with University policies and applicable laws, and that all required reports are submitted. The method for the selection of the Administrative Director of the CIOSU shall be stated in the program proposal. Appointment of the Administrative Director shall be made by the President or by the Responsible Administrator if the President has so delegated the authority. This position is "at will," and can be terminated by the President at any time. This appointment shall consider recommendations by the faculty members in the CIOSU, the Overseeing Administrator, and the Responsible Administrator.
B.2.5.6 Procedures for Periodic Evaluation of CIOSUs
a. Biennial Reports
The Administrative Director of each CIOSU shall submit a brief biennial report of its activities and accomplishments to the Overseeing Administrator and the Responsible Administrator. Copies of all biennial reports shall be deposited in the Office of the VPR, who shall be responsible for maintaining an updated list of all CIOSUs.
These reports shall include each of the following:
1. A list of current CIOSU faculty members and other personnel;
2. A brief description of the activities, services, or research performed, as related to the function/mission of the CIOSU in the past twenty-four (24) months;3. A budget summary for the previous twenty-four (24) months;
4. A brief list of accomplishments and contributions, such as grants and contracts, refereed and non-refereed publications, and effects on teaching and outreach in the past twenty-four (24) months;
5. Plans for the next twenty-four (24) months.
b. After receiving the report, the Overseeing Administrator shall recommend one (1) of three (3) possible courses of action to the Committee on University Programs:
1. Continue the CIOSU with a recommendation either to reappoint the Administrative Director or to appoint a new Administrative Director, and with suggested changes (if any) in the mission, goals, objectives, and/or organization of the CIOSU.
2. Consolidate with existing CIOSUs with similar missions and goals. This recommendation shall require submission and approval of a new proposal for the consolidated unit.
3. Terminate the CIOSU. If there is loss of funding or key faculty members, or the CIOSU is otherwise deemed to be no longer appropriate, the recommendation may be made to eliminate the CIOSU.
c. The Committee on University Programs shall report its recommendation to Faculty Council. After action by Faculty Council, the final recommendation for action shall be reported to the Responsible Administrator, who shall then decide what action to take.
B.2.5.7 Scheduling Periodic Evaluations
The Responsible Administrator for each CIOSU shall schedule the biennial reports of the CIOSU.
B.2.5.8 Non-Profit Corporations
The formation of Special Units as separate non-profit corporations is a complex process with many additional procedures and regulations, and requires approval by the Board. If faculty members wish to create a CIOSU as a non-profit corporation, they must work closely with the Responsible Administrator and the Office of the General Counsel to ensure that all requirements are met. Approval of the formation of a CIOSU does not imply the approval of the formation of a non-profit corporation.
1Throughout the Manual the term department head is used and is meant to include department chairs and/or heads of both academic and administrative departments and the directors of schools.