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Standard 3:  Developing and Applying Resources and Organizational Structures to Ensure Sustainability

3.11:  The institution's faculty exercises effective academic leadership and acts consistently to ensure both academic quality and the appropriate maintenance of the institution's educational purposes and character.

UC Santa Cruz Summary of Evidence

The University of California and the Santa Cruz campus have a clear, explicit, and well documented organization structure. It is unremarkable, except for the very high level of commitment to the principle of shared governance, by which the faculty and administration have joint responsibility for the effective operation and overall excellence of the institution. The administrative leadership and organization is discussed in more detail in other Criteria and Standards. The faculty has primary responsibility for purely academic matters such as courses and curricula.

While academic departments and programs have considerable autonomy, the overall responsibility of the faculty for academic policy is evident in the extensive committee structure of the Senate. Every proposal for a new course or for a change in an existing course receives multiple levels of review. At the academic department and divisional levels, there are the departmental and divisional courses committees and the divisional executive committees. At the campus level, there are several committees that are very important in academic matters. For example, the Graduate Council oversees academic matters related to graduate education. Similarly, the Committee on Educational Policy has overall responsibility for Senate policy on undergraduate education.

The Committee on Planning and Budget is one formal mechanism by which Senate and administrative policy can be coordinated. There are numerous other established and ad hoc points of communication. Development of the recent ten-year plans exemplifies the extensive cooperation and consultation between faculty and administration on important complex issues with major implications for academics and resources.

Many Senate committees have undergraduate and graduate student members.

Links to Evidence and Related Documents

• UC Santa Cruz Academic Senate Standing and Special Committees (web site)
• 2002-03 Annual reports of the UC Santa Cruz Academic Senate Committees (web site):
  •  Committee on Academic Freedom (AS/SCP/1391)
  •  Committee on Academic Personnel (AS/SCP/1392)
  •  Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid (AS/SCP/1393)
  •  Committee on Affirmative Action and Diversity (AS/SCP/1395)
  •  Committee on Computing and Telecommunications (AS/SCP/1400)
  •  Committee on the Education Abroad Program (AS/SCP/1398)
  •  Committee on Educational Policy (AS/SCP/1399)
  •  Committee on Emeriti Relations (AS/SCP/1397)
  •  Committee on Faculty Welfare (AS/SCP/1394)
  •  Graduate Council (AS/SCP/1396)
  •  Committee on Library (AS/SCP/1389)
  •  Committee on Privilege and Tenure (AS/SCP/1403)
  •  Committee on Teaching (AS/SCP/1390)
• Examples of Academic Senate input to the campus’ ten-year planning process:
  •  Review of divisional plans (AS/SCP/1349)
  •  Review of graduate enrollment goals (AS/SCP/1348) and enrollment growth and infrastructure (AS/SCP/1373)
  •  Senate Committee on Planning and Budget review of other aspects of campus and principal officer plans

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