Redbook Chapter Two

Organization and Operation of the University Administration

Article 2.1 The President of the University of Louisville

Sec. 2.1.1 Appointment of the President

The President of the University of Louisville reports to the Board of Trustees and serves at its pleasure.

In making the appointment of the President, the Board shall consult with a faculty committee to be composed of one representative elected for that specific purpose from each of the units listed in Section 3.1.1.

Sec. 2.1.2 Powers and Duties of the President

The President's functions are as follows:

  1. To be the chief administrative and educational officer of the University and to perform such other duties and have such other powers as may from time to time be prescribed by the Board of Trustees.
  2. To make overall policy for all aspects of the academic and other functions of the University, coordinating with whatever individuals, groups, or organizations may be required.
  3. To recommend major policies and other major actions to the Board of Trustees for its final action and to be the official medium of communication between the Board of Trustees and the various segments of the University and their official bodies.
  4. To make final decisions for which the office has received delegated responsibility over a wide range of activities from the Board of Trustees; such actions are ordinarily taken after consultation with various concerned individuals, groups, or organizations.
  5. To enforce the rules and regulations of the University.
  6. To establish and make changes in the administrative structure and table of organization of the University after consultation with individuals or groups when the matter relates to their sphere of responsibility.
  7. To recommend to the Board of Trustees all personnel actions, including tenure decisions, concerning faculty members and administrators and to make final decisions concerning all other personnel actions.
  8. To prepare annual budgets and recommend them to the Board of Trustees of the University after consultation with appropriate units of the University and their administrators; to recommend a biennial budget to the Council on Higher Education with the approval of the Board of Trustees; to recommend modification of the budgets as needed to the Board of Trustees of the University.
  9. To appoint University-wide committees.
  10. To manage the University through officials that report to the Office of the President.
  11. To provide leadership in the development of academic instructional, research, and service programs by making initiatives to the Faculty Senate and to the faculties of academic units and their planning committees concerning such programs, and any other possible changes in curriculum or academic policies which are the responsibility of the faculty.
  12. To serve ex officio as a member of all faculties and all faculty committees, to call and preside over the meetings of the University Congress and such advisory groups as the President chooses to appoint, and at his or her discretion to call meetings of the faculties of the colleges and schools of the University.
  13. To be responsible for all University functions relating to student affairs and the life of students at the University, as well as intramural and extramural or intercollegiate athletics.
  14. To arrange for the President's signature to appear on all diplomas issued by the University, either in the original or by facsimile.
  15. To be responsible for all aspects of the relations of the University to the community and for providing information about the activities of the University.
  16. To be responsible for public services of the University, including hospital and clinic affiliations.
  17. To maintain continuing relations with governmental agencies at city, county, state, and federal levels as required by the mission of the University.
  18. To be responsible for relations of the University with alumni.
  19. To be responsible for raising funds from the federal government, state and local public sources, corporations, private individuals, foundations, and other sources.
  20. To supervise programs for constant maintenance and improvement of their quality, for the effectiveness of their services to students, for the adequacy of research, and for their accountability to the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, to the students, and to grantors or donors.
  21. To be responsible for the University role in construction and renovation, in maintenance of buildings and grounds, in the acquisition of essential new facilities, equipment, and library materials, and in space allocation and utilization.
  22. To prepare and submit to the Board of Trustees an annual report upon the work and general status of the University.
  23. The President may delegate to the University Provost, the appropriate vice president or others the responsibility for carrying out any of the above functions.

 

Sec. 2.1.3 Review of Service

The performance of the President will be reviewed annually by the Board of Trustees.

Article 2.2 The Executive Vice President and University Provost and Vice Presidents

Sec. 2.2.1 The Executive Vice President and University Provost and Types and Functions of Vice Presidents

The Board of Trustees on the recommendation of the President shall approve the duties of the Executive Vice President and University Provost and number and functions of the vice presidents of the University. Their authority and responsibilities shall be clearly set forth in job descriptions in Addenda to The Redbook.

Sec. 2.2.2 Appointment of Executive Vice President and University Provost and Vice Presidents

The Executive Vice President and University Provost or any vice president to whom academic units report shall be authorized and the individual shall be appointed only after consultation with and recommendations from a committee designated by the Faculty Senate. Any vice president to whom the Human Resources Department reports shall be authorized and the individual shall be appointed only after consultation with and recommendations from a committee designated by the Staff Senate. Any vice president to whom the responsibility for the operation of student affairs is assigned shall be authorized and the individual shall be appointed only after consultation with and recommendations from a committee designated by the Student Senate.

Vice presidents not covered by the above classification in this section shall be appointed by the Board on the recommendation of the President after informal consultation with appropriate individuals and groups.

Sec. 2.2.3 Duties of Executive Vice President and University Provost and Vice Presidents

The Executive Vice President and University Provost and vice presidents shall serve at the pleasure of the Board and shall perform such duties as the President may from time to time direct which are compatible with the appropriate job description. A major change in a job description may be made by the Board on the recommendation of the President after consultation with any group entitled to consultation in the original authorization of those offices, but administrative changes which do not affect the essential functions of those offices may be made at any time by the President.

In the absence of the President and Executive Vice President and University Provost the Executive Vice President for Health Affairs shall serve as Acting President.

Sec. 2.2.4 Review of Service

At the end of each five years of service the performance of the Executive Vice President and University Provost and vice presidents to whom academic units report will be reviewed by the President and the Board of Trustees by procedures established in consultation with the Faculty, Student, and Staff Senates.

Article 2.3 Other Administrators

Sec. 2.3.1 Definition and Classification of Administrators

  1. Administrators
    The term administrator as used in this document shall refer to the Executive Vice President and University Provost, the Vice Presidents, the Deans, and those persons who are designated by the President as having unit- or university-wide administrative functions of substantial significance to the University. All such administrators shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees on the recommendation of the President and shall serve at the pleasure of the Board.
  2. Faculty with Administrative Functions
    Those persons with faculty rank, other than deans, who are responsible for the administration of academic units and subunits such as academic departments and divisions shall be classified in this document along with assistant and associate deans as faculty with administrative functions. They are appointed by the Board on the recommendation of the President and serve in their administrative roles at the pleasure of the Board.
  3. Staff Officers with Administrative Functions
    Those responsible for the administration of any University services who do not have faculty appointments and who do not report directly to the President or a vice president as described above shall be classified as staff officers with administrative functions. They shall be appointed by the President subject to the personnel policies set forth in the section on staff personnel.

 

Sec. 2.3.2 Grievances of Administrators

Administrators are not covered in their administrative roles by the grievance procedures for faculty or staff. If an administrator is aggrieved in his or her administrative role, such administrator is entitled to an informal hearing before his or her immediate superior, and if this is not satisfactory in resolving the grievance, to an informal hearing before the President or a designee. The decision of the President shall be final in all matters except the termination of service of such administrators, which is subject to ratification by the Board of Trustees.

Sec. 2.3.3 Termination of Service of Administrators

In termination of the administrative services of any individual serving at the pleasure of the Board, the following rules apply:

  1. Administrators with faculty rank and faculty with administrative functions retain their position in the faculty in whatever rank and tenure status they hold at the time of their termination as administrators.
  2. Administrators without faculty rank and with more than fifteen years of service to the University, if terminated in one position, may expect that every effort will be made by the University to provide for their continued service in another position which can make good use of their abilities and previous experience, though not necessarily at the same grade level as they have had in their immediate past position.
  3. Administrators without faculty rank and with less than fifteen years of service will normally be separated from the University, but a transfer to another function is possible if a suitable arrangement can be worked out.
  4. Nothing in the above provisions restrains the Board of Trustees from terminating the services of any administrator in any and all capacities in the University if such termination is for cause as defined in Section 4.5.3.A.

 

Sec. 2.3.4 Administrative Leave

It shall be the policy of the University to grant administrative leave to administrators who have served in that capacity for ten years or more. Such leave may be granted for a period of up to three months, no more frequently than every five years, by the President after consultation with the administrator's immediate superior.

Sec. 2.3.5 Retirement of Administrators

The Board of Trustees shall make available a retirement annuity plan for full-time administrators, after a stated minimum period of service in such capacity. Each retirement annuity contract shall be vested in the individual participant. Administrators will retire under the provisions and conditions set out in Addenda to The Redbook.

Article 2.4 The Administrative Bodies

Sec. 2.4.1 The Administrative Council

The Administrative Council shall be composed of the President, the Executive Vice President and University Provost, the vice presidents, the deans, and administrators as defined in 2.3.1.A. The function of the Council shall be to consult with the Office of the President on administrative matters and to receive communications concerning implementation of policies of the University. The Council shall meet on the call of the President or designee, who shall serve as its presiding officer.

Sec. 2.4.2 The University Congress

The University Congress shall be composed of all the members of the Administrative Council, the Faculty Senate, the Staff Senate, and the Student Senate. It shall meet on the call of the President either on the President's own initiative or upon petition from twenty members of each of at least two of the constituent bodies involved. The Congress shall not be a governing body, but it shall receive the President's Annual Report and it may advise the President informally on matters affecting all segments of the University. It shall not have elected officers or standing committees. The President or a designee shall preside and appoint ad hoc committees.

Article 2.5 University Policies and Procedures

Sec. 2.5.1 Academic Policy-Statement of Academic Freedom

Academic institutions in a democratic society exist for the pursuit of truth, the development and conservation of knowledge, the transmission of learning, and the enhancement of the general well-being of such society. Free inquiry and free expression are indispensable to the attainment of these goals. The University of Louisville is, therefore, committed to protecting the academic freedom of all members of the University community.

Freedom to learn and freedom to teach are inseparable facets of academic freedom. Students have a right to their own views on matters of opinion, rather than fact, and a right to express those views in appropriate ways without fear of arbitrary reaction or improper disclosure of such opinions outside the classroom.

Teachers are entitled to full freedom in research, publication, academic evaluation, and classroom expression. Academic freedom carries the corresponding responsibilities to be thoroughly prepared and well informed in their fields of knowledge and to be scrupulous in distinguishing between personal and professional judgments and between fact and opinion.

Membership in the academic community imposes on students, faculty, staff, administrators, and trustees of the University an obligation to adhere to standards of academic honesty, to respect the dignity of others, to acknowledge their right to express differing opinions, and to foster and defend intellectual honesty, freedom of inquiry and instruction, and free expression both on and off the campus.

Sec. 2.5.2 Administrative Procedure

  1. Officers and employees of the University shall send any official recommendations and communications to their administrative superiors, who shall transmit them to the next higher officers with such comments and recommendation as they wish to make thereon.
  2. Committees of any unit, division, institute, or department shall report to the official who appointed the committee. Where a committee is elected, the report shall be to the dean, director, or chair of the administrative entity and to the constituency in which the election was held, unless otherwise specified when the committee was established.
  3. All recommendations and communications forwarded under this section shall be considered as preliminary and advisory opinions and privileged communications. When final action has been taken on any matter, all information relevant to the decision shall become part of the appropriate record.

Sec. 2.5.3 Intellectual Property Policies

Intellectual property policies of the University shall be those adopted by action of the Board of Trustees. Each person affected by the University's intellectual property policies shall be provided with a copy of these policies at the time of employment or matriculation and shall be bound by them, as they may be subsequently amended, as conditions of employment or enrollment at the University.

Sec. 2.5.4 Equal Opportunity Policy

Commitment to Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action is the policy of the University of Louisville. To ensure that this policy is effective, personnel decisions must be reviewed by the Affirmative Action Office. All faculty, staff, and student body members who believe that their rights under this policy have been violated are entitled to bring the question of possible violation to the attention of the Affirmative Action Office for investigation and recommendation.

Sec. 2.5.5 Personnel Policies

All appointments to the University shall be made strictly on the basis of appropriate qualifications set forth in an approved job description. Personnel actions following the appropriate procedures set forth in this Redbook shall be final unless and until a procedural challenge has been upheld through the grievance process.

All appointments and personnel actions shall be made in accordance with federal, state, and local fair employment practice laws and in accordance with the University's affirmative action policy. The monitoring of affirmative action procedures pursuant to these policies shall be assigned to the Affirmative Action Office. The work performance of all supervisors will be evaluated on the basis of their equal opportunity efforts and results as well as other criteria. Its function shall be to assure full, good faith compliance with the University's obligations as a federal contractor which shall not discriminate on the basis of any factor forbidden by federal, state, or local fair employment practice laws. Informal overtures to the Affirmative Action Office or to grievance officers or the filing of a formal grievance shall not result in any form of harassment or retaliation.

Sec. 2.5.6 Archives and Records Policy

The University Archives and Records Center is the official repository for all University records and is responsible for the University's compliance with state and federal records laws, including those governing personal privacy; public access; micrographic, photographic, or electronic storage and reproduction; overall disposition; and destruction. The University Archivist shall serve as the official custodian of University records.

The University Archives and Records Center shall preserve proper and adequate documentation of University policies, decisions, procedures, functions, and essential transactions.

Sec. 2.5.7 Athletic Policies

Intercollegiate Athletics shall be under the purview of the Board of Trustees in conformity with the regulations of the athletic organizations with which the University is affiliated.

Sec. 2.5.8 Ethical Considerations

It is expected that every employee, in conducting the affairs of the University of Louisville, will comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws as well as the policies and procedures of the University of Louisville.

All employees of the University of Louisville who are members of occupations or professions having established standards of conduct shall, in addition to any obligations and responsibilities imposed by this document, be bound by the standards of conduct applicable to such occupations or professions.

Violations of the above may result in disciplinary action in accordance with the provisions of the Redbook.

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