ÁùºÏ±¦µä

ÁùºÏ±¦µä is a public institution comprised of campuses throughout Alabama and worldwide. International in scope, ÁùºÏ±¦µä provides a variety of educational programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels for a diverse student body in traditional and nontraditional and emerging electronic formats. Academic programs are supported by a variety of student services, which promote the welfare of the individual student. ÁùºÏ±¦µä’s dedicated faculty and staff promote discovery and exploration of knowledge dedicated to life-long success through effective teaching, creative partnerships, scholarship and research. (Approved by the Board of Trustees in April 2004, the mission will be reviewed every five years, or as needed).

The Board of Trustees is the legal governing body of ÁùºÏ±¦µä. As such, it is the final institutional authority. Its powers are set forth in Title 16, Chapter 56, Sections 1 & 3 of the Code of Alabama (1975) as amended in act #97-586 of the Alabama State Legislature. The Board of Trustees shall consist of representation from seven geographic areas of the state as denoted. One board member shall be appointed from each of the areas except for area two where two members will be appointed. Additionally, two trustees at-large who may or may not be residents of the state shall be appointed. The Governor of Alabama serves as ex-officio President of the Board. The President of the Student Government Association serves as a non-voting member. Alabama law explicitly prohibits a University employee from serving as a member of the Board of Trustees. Board members are appointed by the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Alabama Senate. Each member is appointed for a term of twelve years, but appointments are staggered so that one-third of the members may be chosen quadrennially. Membership and terms of office are published annually in the University Bulletin. The primary responsibility of the Board of Trustees is the articulation of general educational policies and academic goals. In so doing, it is obligated to conserve the financial resources of the University and to relate them to the likely needs of the future. While maintaining a general overview, the Board of Trustees entrusts the conduct of administration to the Chancellor and through the Chancellor to other administrative officers of the University; and to the faculty, the Board of Trustees entrusts the conduct of teaching and research. When ignorance or ill will threatens the institution or any part of it (e.g., an attack on freedom), the Board of Trustees is available for the support of the Chancellor, the faculty, or the student body, thereby defending the vested interests of society in ÁùºÏ±¦µä..

The Board of Trustees who shall also establish the Chancellor’s salary, compensation and any other condition of employment, shall appoint the chancellor of the university.

It is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees to select the chief executive officer—the Chancellor—and to set forth those duties and responsibilities. As the chief executive officer of the institution, the Chancellor supervises and directs the affairs of the University. It is the duty of the Chancellor to assure that the standards and procedures in operational use within the institution conform to the policies established by the Board of Trustees and to the standards of sound academic practice. The Chancellor shares responsibility for the definition and attainment of goals and for operating the communications system that links the various components of the University: Board of Trustees; other officers of administration; faculty; staff; and students. The Chancellor is the chief spokesman and representative of the ÁùºÏ±¦µä and works for public support and understanding. The Chancellor is largely responsible for the maintenance of existing institutional resources and the creation of new resources. In all these areas, the responsibilities of the Chancellor are to plan, organize, direct, and represent. The Chancellor coordinates the administration of all institutional operations.

The University shall have a strategic planning process that maintains a current strategic plan in which institutional priorities are defined and through which the institution's mission is carried out in accordance with the strategic directions and guiding principles established by the Board. The faculty and staff shall be involved in developing the plan and shall be included in the structure by which the plan is implemented. In addition, there shall be a formal process by which systematic assessment of the progress and effectiveness of the plan is conducted. Assessment processes shall also assess general education, degree programs, academic and student support programs, administrative programs, research initiatives, and community service activities. The faculty and staff shall be involved in developing assessment processes and included in the structure by which those processes are implemented and used for improvement.

Approved: Chancellor's Cabinet, Nov 30,2011
OPR: IRPE
Review: Every Five Years

The institution shall conduct an academic program review every two years, consistent with efforts in institutional effectiveness and strategic planning. For each academic program, the institution shall develop program level objectives and student learning outcomes that address the quality, viability, and productivity of efforts in teaching, learning, and scholarship. Each program review will provide evidence of the establishment of student learning outcomes, information regarding how each outcome is assessed, evidence that data have been gathered for the purpose of assessment, evidence that the full-time faculty in the program have engaged in assessment of the program, and evidence of the development of plans for further improvement. The review of academic programs shall involve analysis of direct and indirect measures of student learning and will demonstrate that the University makes judgments about the future of academic programs within a culture of evidence.

Approved: Chancellor's Cabinet, Nov 30,2011
OPR: IRPE
Review: Every Five Years

The conferral of honorary doctoral degrees provides a special opportunity for ÁùºÏ±¦µä University to recognize persons of outstanding accomplishment. ÁùºÏ±¦µä, as a leading public university in the State of Alabama, recognizes a particular responsibility to acknowledge and honor persons of achievement who have significant ties to the state or the university. As an institution particularly responsible for advanced teaching and research in the various academic and professional fields, ÁùºÏ±¦µä has an equally important responsibility to identify and honor persons of national and international eminence who are the leaders of their fields of creative or professional endeavor. The ÁùºÏ±¦µä Board of Trustees is the only entity of the university that may award an honorary doctorate:

1. The Board of Trustees of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, upon the recommendation of the Chancellor and the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees, may authorize the presentation of the honorary doctorate.
2. The Chancellor of ÁùºÏ±¦µä will extend all invitations to the honorary degree candidates.
3. Honorary degrees offered by ÁùºÏ±¦µä include: Doctor of Laws (LL.D.); Doctor of Letters (Litt. D.); Doctor of Humane Letters (LH.D.); Doctor of Science (Sci.D.); and the Doctor of Fine Arts (D.F.A.).
4. Thus, candidates for the honorary degree must have demonstrated the highest levels of excellence as scholars, artists, professionals, or must have distinguished themselves in public service. Equally high expectation is placed on their personal integrity and concern for the public good.
5. In recognizing such persons, the university identifies women and men who can serve as role models for students, faculty, and alumni of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, indeed, for all persons of the state of Alabama.
6. The honorary doctorate is the highest academic recognition ÁùºÏ±¦µä can bestow. 

Approved: Board of Trustees, July 26, 2013 Meeting
OPR: EA
Review: Every Five Years