• Centers and Institutes

Centers at CSUN

Organization and Administration of Centers

Policy Number AA 150-06, Effective Date 04/28/2000

Revised by Provost Council 5/14/02

Policy

Purpose and Functions of Centers

To facilitate the accomplishment of its regular instructional function, the basic administrative organization of the university consists of colleges, departments, and interdisciplinary academic programs. These arrangements are appropriate to the primary mission of the university. However, there are other appropriate research, creative, and service functions that may be handled better by alternative administrative structures, such as centers or institutes. If center activities result in proposals for new degree or credit-bearing courses, the normal process for course development, adoption, and approval should be followed as specified in University policy.

The university has established the following guidelines for the formation, operation, monitoring, review and dissolution of centers. The term "center" applies to any alternative administrative structure whether the unit is known as a "bureau," "institute," "research station," "field station," or any other preferred terminology. The "appropriate administrator," referred to in these guidelines, is the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean, or designee. \

Definition

Types of Centers

There are three types of centers:

University center. A university center is concerned with subject matter of sufficient breadth to involve disciplines from two or more colleges. Administration of a university center may be assigned to an individual college.
College center. A college center is concerned with subject matter confined primarily to disciplines organized within a single college.
Department center. A departmental center is concerned with subject matter confined primarily to a single discipline represented by an academic department. It is recommended that, in units where two or more centers are formed, consideration be given to establishment of a unit center in which each of the individual centers would operate as a sub-unit. Normally, these will be college centers.

Procedures

Procedures for Formation of Centers

A center is formed by the development of a charter by interested faculty and administrators and by the ultimate approval of that charter by designated University officers. A proposal to form a center should contain the following:

The proposed name of the center appropriate to and descriptive of its purpose
A comprehensive statement of the center's purpose, including its relationship to the mission of the University;
The proposed organizational structure of the center, including:

a) a director or head who will be responsible for the activities of the unit;

b) an appropriate advisory group, comprised mostly of faculty, which will advise the director;
a statement of how the director and advisory group will be selected;
a statement of the manner in which funds, which may accrue to the unit, will be accounted for and handled, and of the purposes for which any surplus will be expended;
a statement of the resources required for the center, including space, personnel, and funding and the proposed sources of those resources;
an outline of the report of the center's activities;
the period of operation; without renewal a center charter cannot extend beyond June 30 of the fifth year following the center's establishment.

Approval Process

Charter or recharter proposals will be submitted for review and approval using the following process:

The proposal will be reviewed and approved by the appropriate unit committee and the Dean.
The proposal will be reviewed and approved by the Provost's Council.
The proposal is then forwarded to the President, who has final authority of approval for all centers. As necessary, the President may consult with units prior to approval.

Annual Report

Annually by August 31st, the director shall issue a written progress report, including a financial statement of operations. In a university center, the report must be distributed to the advisory group, the appropriate department chairs, the administrator in direct line of authority above the director, the Provost's Council, and the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. In a college center, the report must be submitted to the advisory group, all department chairs in the college, the college dean, the Provost's Council, and the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. In a department center, the report must be submitted to an appropriate department committee, the college dean, the Provost's Council, and the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The Annual Report must include an executive summary of the center's programs and activities sufficient to make clear the nature of the various projects and activities. An appendix should include data on breadth and extent of involvement of faculty, administrators, and others (including students and off-campus personnel) in its operation.

An income statement and balance sheet for the year must also be included in each Annual Report. In addition to the income statement and balance sheet prepared for the prior academic year, the annual report must also include a detailed budget plan for the next academic year. Reviews of Annual Reports will involve comparison of reported activities and the stated goals of the center. Each reviewing authority must provide to the President a rationale for the approval or denial of the report. After the review, the reviewing authority will send written acknowledgment of receipt of the report and appropriate commentary to the director.

Resources of Centers

The University receives no special state funding for the operation of centers, which are adjuncts to the state--supported instructional program. Centers will be supported from extra-mural sources or through normal university budget processes. Reassigned time for center personnel may be used to the extent it is consistent with University and CSU policies, with the approval of the dean of the school in which such personnel have their academic appointments, and with further approval of the dean of the college of which the center is a part, or the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs in the case of a university center. All space allocations are subject to review by the appropriate administrative officer.

Dissolution of Centers

A center's charter must contain a termination date, which cannot extend beyond June 30 of the fifth year following its establishment or most recent renewal. In the absence of any action to renew the charter, it will expire on the termination date and its resources will revert to the next largest administrative unit (department for a departmental center, college for a college center, and the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs' office for a university center) for appropriate disposition.

Notwithstanding the specified termination date, a center may be dissolved at any time through the same process outlined above for approvals. In the event a center's operation should become inimical to the interests of the University, the President, after appropriate consultation, may terminate it at any time.

Renewal of Centers and Requests for Approval of Charter Modification

Centers whose charters have expired may not continue activities. Centers seeking recharter must:

Submit a proposal PRIOR to the charter termination date;
Provide updated information on each point listed in this document;
Include a justification for the proposed renewal and a new date of the termination if renewal is approved;
Circulate the recharter proposal for approval in the same manner as proposals for original charters, as described above.

Criteria for renewal include:

Evidence relating the extent to which the center fulfilled its original and subsequent objectives, and the extent to which operation of the center has conformed to these guidelines;
Information on the extent to which the center is not redundant or performing activities provided by other units within the University. Redundancy is a criterion for non-renewal of the center charter. At any time a charter modification is desired,
Approval must be obtained from all parties identified above.

Identification of Non-Profit Organizations

An annual review by the Office of the Vice President for Administration and Finance of all non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations, which purport any affiliation with California State University, Northridge will be completed by August 15 of each year. This review will be conducted by using the non-profit organization search features found at Guidstar.com or a similar service. Following this review the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will be notified of all non-profit organizations that reveal any affiliation with California State University, Northridge.

Organizations using the name or trademark of the university will be required to implement a Memorandum of Agreement with the university detailing specific activity and services, administration and financial resources. All affiliations with non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations will be dissolved if such organizations do not become a campus sanctioned entity under the provisions of the policy on the organization and administration of centers. Each Dean will be required to certify all nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations and any other enterprise or organizations that are affiliated with their college to the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Responsibilities

Responsibility for Handling Center Funds

All funds must be received and expended in a manner consistent with the center's charter and with the regulations of the department, college, and university. Funds received in support of all center activities must be deposited in appropriate university accounts. Outside bank accounts are not permitted under any circumstances. Center gift-related funds should be deposited in a Foundation account while grant-related and fee-for-service program funds should be deposited in a Corporation or State Trust account as appropriate. Implementation of these requirements is the responsibility of the appropriate university administrator. Operation and fiscal management of a Center is primarily the responsibility of the College Dean.

Center directors should provide financial information to the appropriate administrator (or unit financial manager) to allow for the timely preparation of management reports. Directors must authorize all center expenditures. Collection and expenditure of funds must be handled through the appropriate university accounting entity. Centers should provide sufficient resources to offset the costs incurred for center activities, including administrative and overhead costs, in accordance with campus cost recovery policies. Compensation of center directors and the assignment and compensation of faculty and staff supporting centers must be consistent with university policies and procedures.

Responsibility for Center Activities

The appropriate administrator will be responsible for reviewing and approving center activities to ensure that they:

contribute to fulfillment of the mission of the CSU and the campus;
are consistent with generally accepted tenets of scholarship (e.g. subject to peer review);
are in conformity with all applicable laws and regulations and with the campus risk management policy;
are consistent with the charter of the center;
do not compromise the autonomy of the University;
adhere to University policy governing research misconduct (See: Policy for Responding to Allegations of Scientific Misconduct.).

Center activities that necessitate the formation of an alliance or partnership with an external unit or agency must receive prior approval of the appropriate administrator before such activities are undertaken.

Authority and Responsibility of the Director

The director shall be responsible for:

oversight of center's activities to ensure achievement of agreed upon goals;
provide consultation with advisory group;
the operation and management of the center, the proper handling of funds, and the financial soundness of the center;
the review and approval of all expenditures;
the approval of all payments of salaries, wages, or consulting fees; directors cannot approve their salaries;
managing the budget;
insuring that the rates of pay for particular activities by faculty members do not exceed those allowed by University or Trustee regulations;
making temporary substitutions of personnel in programs and obtaining prior approval from the appropriate department chair;
managing all space, physical arrangements, production of brochures and materials, and other support of programs and scholarly projects.

Responsibility and Authority of the Advisory Group

The advisory group is expected to recommend general guidelines for all center programs and activities as specified in the original approval document for the center. The advisory group is expected to recommend to the director any activities that it determines will benefit the center, the university, or the community. In general, the advisory group will be a resource group to which the director can bring problems for discussion and recommendation. The advisory group is expected to conduct a pre- review of the center's programs and activities to determine whether or not they conform to the purposes stated in its charter and a post-evaluation.

Right to Audit

The Office of the Internal Auditor has a right to audit all centers.

Policy History

Approved by Deans' Council 9/30/80
Approved by President Cleary 10/13/80
Revised by Deans' Council 4/16/85
Approved by President Cleary 5/30/85
Revised by Deans' Council 1/28/86
Approved by President Cleary 2/6/86
Reviewed by Provost Council 12/1/98
Reviewed by Provost Council, Faculty Senate, President's Cabinet; approved by Provost Handler and President Kennedy 4/28/2000

Revised by Provost Council 5/14/02