Administrative Officers
The President of the College has executive responsibility for all College operations and for the implementation of the policies and mandates of the Board of Trustees, which is vested with ultimate authority and responsibility for the College.
In addition to the President, there are five administrative officers of the College. A brief description of their duties follows:
Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty: As chief academic officer, has responsibility and oversight for planning, coordinating, and evaluating the educational programs of the College. Provides comprehensive leadership for the academic division of the College, including all academic programs and the maintenance and review of the curriculum, the faculty, academic and student support programs and services, admissions, and financial aid. Has the responsibility for the quality of the College’s teaching faculty and is responsible for their recruitment, hiring, and professional development. In the absence of the President, the Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty serves as the senior administrative officer of the College.
Vice President for Operations and Sustainability: The Vice President for Operations and Sustainability is responsible for the planning, budgeting, and oversight for the College’s businesses, auxiliaries, and administrative functions and for developing and executing the College’s sustainability strategies and programs (not including academic programs).
Vice President for Finance: As chief financial officer, is responsible for maintaining all financial records of the College and has authority to establish the methods by which such records shall be kept. Is responsible for the current collection and disbursement of all monies and shall act as custodian for all funds, stocks, and securities, and all other evidences of intangible property of the College.
Vice President for Labor and Student Life: Has charge over the labor program and student affairs. Plans, implements, and reviews policies and procedures of the student labor program; administers the program of grants and loans for students with need; plans and administers the extracurricular programs and services; and plans for wholesome living conditions of students and programs for their emotional and social development.
Vice President for Alumni and College Relations: Has charge of securing adequate funds for the operation of the College, of disseminating information about the College; and of expanding the circle of friends who are concerned with the welfare and development of the College.
The Administrative Organization chart follows. (See Appendix D for a diagram illustrating Berea College’s institutional decision-making structure, which combines the administrative decision-making structure with that of the shared campus governance structure.)
Divisional Organization and Faculty Leadership
Academic divisions exist as communities of faculty committed to cultures of collegiality, consultation, and collaboration that put student learning at the center and foster innovation and flexibility in programs, pedagogy, curricula, and other structures supportive of student learning and faculty scholarship. Faculty leadership in academic divisions seeks to support healthy, responsible faculty cultures through sound practices, such as delegation and distribution of responsibilities, reliance on teams and teamwork, consultation and consensus in making decisions, leadership development and mentoring of colleagues. Cultivating and sustaining such a culture for faculty work and student learning is the responsibility of all, not only of Division Chairs.
The faculty is organized into six academic divisions. The divisions are organized to enhance opportunities for collaboration in curricular, co-curricular, and assessment areas. Each academic division houses multiple academic programs and is primarily concerned with the education of students.
The professional library staff constitute a College department, and its functions, responsibilities, and leadership arrangements differ from the academic programs and divisions. The Library staff is headed by the Director of Library Services.
Division Chair
Each of the six divisions is headed by a Division Chair, who is broadly responsible for the effective functioning of the academic division. As circumstances dictate, he or she may function as organizer, initiator, catalyst, facilitator, friendly critic, consensus-builder, and interpreter. Division Chairs are appointed for a specified term, which is five years except in unusual circumstances, and will have a reduced teaching load. Such work counts as service to the College.
Division Chairs are designated through a process reflecting principles of shared governance at the College. Each five years, the division uses the opportunity of the selection of a new Division Chair for planning for the division. In the fourth year of a current Division Chair’s term, the Chair solicits from all members of the division written statements addressing 1) strategic opportunities within and beyond the division, and 2) written nominations for the position of Division Chair addressing both leadership strengths as well as weaknesses of the nominee. Guided by the written nominations received from the division, the Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty consults with every member of the division in order to devise a list of two to four candidates. The division then conducts an election to identify which of the candidates will be appointed to serve as Division Chair for the next term. The current Chair and Chair-designee then work together during the year of overlap in order to effect a smooth transition to new leadership of the division. In order to promote faculty leadership within each division, Division Chairs should ordinarily not immediately succeed themselves.
The Division Chair is specifically responsible for:
- Maintenance of high academic standards within the division, including assuring regular assessment in all academic programs within the division. This includes the coordination of self-studies.
- Regular evaluation of all faculty in the division, conducted in collaboration with appropriate Program Chairs.
- Orientation and guidance of new faculty, including the creation of a mentoring team for each new faculty member in the division and encouragement for professional growth of all members of the division.
- Serving as a liaison between the academic programs and other areas of the institution.
- Initiation of recommendations for continuation, promotion, and tenure. Policies governing reviews of full and part-time faculty are found in the section titled Personnel Policies for Faculty.
- Maintaining an equitable distribution of total workload for faculty within the division.
- Coordination, review, and submission of teaching schedules provided by Program Chairs; working collaboratively with Program Chairs for courses in major and minor programs and with the Dean of Curriculum and Student Learning for general education course assignment, with consideration for equitable distribution of total workload within the division in accordance with College policies.
- Recruitment of faculty, in cooperation with the primary Program Chair, and the Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty (See Procedures for Recruiting Faculty).
- Coordination of advisee assignments in the division.
- Formulation of and review of annual budget requests and administration of funds allocated to programs and the division.
- Service to the institution and to the Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty as a member of the Division Council.
- Representation of the division in interactions with various administrative offices, as appropriate.
- Consultation with the Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty in the assignment of faculty offices.
- Designating labor and payroll coordinator(s) as appropriate within the division.
- Support of occasional grant proposals, in conjunction with the College Relations Office and with Partners for Education.
A Division Chair is encouraged to delegate some specific tasks to faculty within the division as appropriate, but he or she remains responsible for general oversight of all academic affairs within the division. In all these matters, the Division Chair works closely with the Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty, to whom he or she reports, as well as the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Program Chair
Each major and minor program of the College is under the oversight of a Program Chair, who reports to the appropriate Division Chair. The Program Chair is specifically responsible for assuring the effective functioning of one or more major and/or minor programs.
Program Chairs have expertise in the program area and are preferably tenured or in contracts with long-term continuing service to the College. Those teaching in a program will recommend a Program Chair according to the needs and requirements of a program, and the Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty will make the appointment. The term of office should, in general, be at least three years, with a six-year maximum. Rotation is highly desirable, but the appointment may be renewed, following a review of performance and programmatic needs. Course releases for administrative work in areas that have heavy administrative load will be determined by the Academic Vice President and Dean of the Faculty. In addition, titles for these positions may vary, as appropriate, to reflect special administrative work or other responsibilities.
Program Chairs are specifically responsible for:
- Oversight of the quality and coherence of the major and/or minor program or programs, including ongoing assessment, as well as programmatic curriculum development and review, in collaboration with other program faculty, divisional colleagues, and the Division Chair.
- Developing teaching schedules within the program, coordinating with other programs and the Division Chair, as appropriate.
- Regular review of IEQs and other evidence of quality teaching for those faculty contributing to the program, and service on search committees formed to hire instructors within the program.
- Administering program budget in consultation and collaboration with the Division Chair, as appropriate.
- Serving as the program expert with administrative offices on campus for programmatic functions, such as the annual review of the major and minor description in the Berea College Catalog, course substitutions, and transfer credit.
- Serving as a contact person for students for such tasks as transfer credit, course substitutions, and declarations of major and minor.
Divisional Organization
The academic programs are organized into six divisions. Listed below are the programs by division.
Division I
Biology
Chemistry
Mathematics
Nursing
Physics
Division II
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Computer Science
Economics and Business
Sustainability and Environmental Studies
Technology and Applied Design
Division III
Child and Family Studies
Health and Human Performance
Psychology
Sociology
Division IV
Communication
English
Foreign Languages
Music
Theatre
Division V
Art/Art History
Asian Studies
History
Philosophy
Political Science
Religion
Division VI
African and African American Studies
Appalachian Studies
Education Studies
Peace and Social Justice Studies
Women’s and Gender Studies