Center/institute 5-year review

The review of Centers and Institutes is governed by Board of Governors Statute 2.23.01. Type I university centers and institutes are reviewed by the Type I Center and Institute Advisory Committee (CIAC-I). At least one year prior to the time the charter would lapse if not renewed, each center shall be subjected to periodic review by a committee external to it. In appropriate cases, the review may be conducted by reviewers external to the university, although any recommendation made by external reviewers shall be subject to revision by the relevant CIAC-I.

The CIAC-I shall have 2N members, drawn primarily from the tenured or tenure-track faculty, with N members appointed by the Policy Committee of the Academic Senate and N members appointed by the Provost, each acting in consultation with the other. The chair of the committee shall be appointed from the membership by the Provost in consultation with the Policy Committee. An individual who is directly associated with a center under review or otherwise has a conflict of interest shall not be eligible to serve on the CIAC-I. The Provost or designee shall serve on the CIAC-I in an ex officio capacity. The Office of the Provost shall provide staff support for the CIAC-I.

As part of the periodic review process, a university center shall prepare a self study. That self study shall provide detailed information on the operations of the center since its last periodic review and shall offer a candid assessment of its accomplishments and deficiencies over that period in light of its mission and its strategic plan. The self study shall include a revised plan of action for improving the performance and cost effectiveness of the center over the next five years.

The self study prepared by a center seeking renewal of its charter shall include budgetary information in sufficient detail to allow the reviewing committee to determine whether the benefits produced by the center are commensurate with the costs, especially the costs to the University.

The CIAC-I that conducts the periodic review of a university center shall prepare a report that assesses the performance of the center and its director over the review period and recommends whether its charter should be renewed.

The review committee shall make a recommendation for renewal or revocation of the charter of the center under review. If the review committee concludes that a center is not performing well but might be encouraged to improve its performance, it may recommend that the charter of the center be renewed provisionally for some period, with full renewal conditioned on the center meeting certain specified performance goals.

On receipt of a report of the CIAC regarding the renewal of the charter of a university center, the Policy Committee of the Academic Senate, and the provost or vice president for research, as the case may be, shall review the report expeditiously and shall make their own recommendations to the president, with a copy of the recommendations going to the director of the center under review. The provost or vice president for research, as the case may be, shall act in consultation with the sponsoring deans. The president shall determine whether to submit the proposal for renewal of the center to the Board of Governors for its final action.

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