Definition of Terms

.212        A School is a major academic division of the University.  It is characterized by its own Faculty, presided over by a Dean, and by distinctive course offerings leading to degrees in one or more areas of specialization.  A School has its own budget, approved by the Provost.

.213        A Department is the basic instructional unit of the University within Schools that offer courses in a variety of disciplines.  It is characterized by its own Faculty, presided over by a Chair, and by distinctive course offerings leading to degrees in its area of specialization.  A Department has its own budget, approved by the Dean of the School within which it is located.

.214        A Program is any course of studies or sequence of courses in an identifiable area of concentration, usually leading to a degree or certificate in one of the schools of the University. Programs may be confined to one Department or School, or they may involve two or more Departments or Schools.  For purposes of this document, programs will be regarded as instructional units within the University differentiated from Departments or Schools in that they have more narrowly defined areas of study or concentration.  They differ also from institutes and centers of the University in that their courses carry credit and usually lead to degrees or certificates. They also differ from purely research programs that are not considered here.

.215        Faculty, as understood herein, refers to regular Faculty members as defined in A-1.004.

.216        Financial exigency, for purposes of this document, refers to a state of fiscal need within an instructional unit of the University wherein it can no longer operate within the portion of the total annual budget of the University allocated to it by the responsible authorities and when continued subsidy of the unit is seriously undermining the University’s overall academic mission in light of severe financial constraints on the institution.