Reorganization of Academic Units

1. Definitions

1.1. An academic unit is an administrative body such as a department, school, or college responsible for an academic program and/or subprograms.

1.2. Reorganization of academic units are changes affecting how those units are administered. Reorganization may include but is not limited to merger, consolidation, separation, subsumption of a unit into another unit, or movement of a program into another academic unit.

1.3. Any academic unit affected by the integration of California State University, Maritime shall be excluded from the following policies and procedures until the integration process is concluded.

 

2. Summary of Process for Reorganization of Academic Units

1. Faculty or administrators considering reorganization prepare a draft report explaining the reorganization.

2. Faculty consider the draft report for reorganization and vote.

3. Faculty supporting the proposed reorganization submit a formal proposal to the Senate, indicating in the proposal the level of faculty and administrative support for the reorganization.

4. The Senate considers and approves the recommendation by vote or consent and sends the recommendation to the provost.

 

3. Initiation of Proposals for Academic Unit Reorganization

3.1. Reorganization of academic units may be recommended as a response to program or accreditation review, curricular considerations, resource or enrollment issues, changes in the demand for graduates, or for other reasons.

3.2. Unit reorganizations require discussion of a draft report including the following support for the recommended reorganization:

• Detailed account of the proposed administrative and curricular changes, including the effective date;

• Summary of the basis for the proposed changes;

• Summary of the mechanisms that will permit students enrolled in programs affected by the reorganization to complete their degrees.

3.3. The draft recommendation for unit reorganization may be initiated at any time by one or more of the following:

• Tenured and tenure-track faculty of the unit(s) subject to the reorganization;

• The dean(s) of the college(s) involved in the academic unit(s) in question;

• The provost.

3.4. Faculty (tenured, tenure-track, and lecturer) and staff from the academic units directly affected by a proposed reorganization shall meet within their units to discuss the draft report.

3.5. The tenured and tenure-track faculty of the affected department(s) shall vote within their units on the recommendation for reorganization in the draft report.

 

4. Proposal of Reorganization

4.1. Following consultation with faculty and staff in the affected academic units, faculty from the affected academic units proposing a unit reorganization shall submit a formal proposal and Academic Senate resolution in support of the reorganization to the Academic Senate Executive Committee. In addition to the material covered in the draft recommendation, the proposal shall include a summary of the consultative procedures followed in the consideration of the draft recommendation, and within-unit numerical results of the vote by the faculty on the draft recommendation. The proposal shall include memos from the administrators affected by the reorganization.

4.2. The case for reorganization should be mindful of the degree of support from faculty and administrators for the reorganization and scale the evidence and data accordingly. The proposer should consult with appropriate administrators for assistance in procuring relevant data. The following data may be useful to the case for reorganization:

• Relevant recent student enrollment and application patterns;

• Projected academic effects on students and faculty in the affected unit(s);

• Other projected effects of the proposed reorganization on students, faculty, and staff;

• Possible financial implications of the proposed reorganization; and

• Relevant information from recent program and/or accreditation reviews.

 

5. Review of Academic Unit Reorganization Proposals

5.1. The Academic Senate Executive Committee reviews academic unit reorganization proposals and votes to place the proposal on the Senate agenda, recommend revisions for further consideration, or reject the proposal.

5.2. The Academic Senate Executive Committee may place the resolution and its attached reorganization proposal on the Academic Senate business agenda, following standard procedures for Senate consideration of a resolution.

5.3. The Academic Senate Executive Committee may place a reorganization proposal on the Senate consent agenda, following existing rules and procedures governing consent agenda items. Reorganization proposals pulled from the consent agenda will be placed on a subsequent Academic Senate business agenda, following standard procedures for Senate consideration of a resolution.

5.4. The success of the unit reorganization proposal in the Academic Senate will serve as a positive recommendation on the proposal from the Senate to the President and Provost.

5.5. If a proposal for unit reorganization fails at any stage of the Senate process, the Academic Senate Chair shall send a memo to the President concerning the failure of the proposal. This memo shall be the opinion of the faculty on the failure of the proposal.

 

These policies and procedures shall not apply to any academic unit affected by the integration of California State University, Maritime until the integration process is finalized.

 

Source:

Academic Senate Resolution: AS 991-25 “Resolution on Academic Unit Reorganization” (PDF). Adopted 29 April 2025.

 

Updated 7/25/2025