University-wide Centers: Establishing, Operating and Evaluating

A University-wide Center is an entity authorized by the President and Senior Vice Presidents to support and advance research, education, or public engagement initiatives aligned with key University strategic priorities. University-wide Centers differ from intercollegiate and collegiate centers in two ways:

1. University-wide Center leadership receives assistance from the Senior Vice Presidents and President to secure budget, space allocation and support infrastructure.
2. University-wide Center authorization will be granted to relatively few entities in order to provide focus to the University's commitments.

Establishing a University-wide Center:

A University-wide Center may be initiated by the President and Senior Vice Presidents. The President and Senior Vice Presidents will work with deans and faculty to designate a center director and establish a governance structure. These centers do not need additional authorizations for designation as a University-wide Center.

At any time in an existing or proposed center's life cycle, center faculty or staff may also request that it receive consideration for University-wide Center designation. Centers seeking designation as University-wide must submit an application to the Assistant Vice Provost for Interdisciplinarity for administrative review by the Provost’s Interdisciplinary Team.

Applications for University-wide center designation must include:

• A profile of the center including focus, brief history, organizational structure and governance, participants, research productivity, and evidence of excellence.
• A strategic plan for the center.
• An explanation of the relationship between the center’s goals and the University’s strategic objectives.
• Rationale for designation as a University-wide center.
• Budget information including a concise budget history, a current budget, and budget projections.

Applications advanced for further consideration as a result of the administrative review process may be subject to external review by a team of distinguished scholars in the center’s primary areas of expertise. The team will review the supporting material and confer with center leadership and other relevant University officials. The review team will also consider:

• Degree of strategic importance to the University
• Extent and complexity of the effort including number entities involved
• Need for central resources
• Prospect for leveraging central resources to secure external funding

Findings from the review process will be forwarded to the Provost. Ultimate authority for conferring University-wide Center designation resides with the President and Senior Vice Presidents.

Operating a University-wide Center:

University-wide Centers report to a central academic official. Operating guidelines will be established upon authorization of a University-wide Center. The center director must follow these guidelines, facilitating continuous progress toward the academic objectives cited in its authorization request, demonstrating its ability to offer competitive or educational advantages, and documenting how it measurably contributes to the University's strategic goals. Center directors must submit annual reports to the Senior Vice President to whom they report, with a copy to the Provost and the Provost’s Interdisciplinary Team. They must also update information annually in the University's database of centers and institutes.

Evaluating a University-wide Center:

Authorization for University-wide Centers will be for a limited period of time, subject to renewal following formal review and assessment at intervals of no more than 5 years.

Formal Review and Assessment

Designated university-wide centers will be subject to periodic review to assess their quality, productivity, continuing alignment with the strategic priorities of the University, and opportunities for future growth and development. These reviews will be conducted at intervals of no more than five years or more frequently at the request of the central administrator to whom they report. Operating on behalf of the Provost’s Office and the Provost’s Interdisciplinary Team, The Graduate School will have responsibility for administering these periodic reviews of University-wide Centers and facilitating the review process. The Office of the Vice President for Research will participate in the review process regarding research-related investments and activities of the centers or institutes.

The review process will include the preparation of a self-study by the director of the university-wide center, according to guidelines that call for general and center-specific information. The draft self-study will be reviewed by the Graduate School’s Associate Dean in charge of center reviews and the Provost’s Interdisciplinary Team for comments and possible revisions. Upon completion of the self-study, a review team will be appointed that consists of distinguished external scholars in the center’s primary areas of expertise; internal members will added to the team as needed. The review team’s findings, accompanied by comments from the Provost’s Interdisciplinary Team, will be forwarded to the Provost for review and action. Actions may include renewal of the center’s university-wide designation, termination, or transition to departmental or collegiate center status.