II. Organization of the College and Faculty
Overview
Oakridge College is organized through a clear academic structure. The President and Vice President provide senior college leadership. Deans oversee Academic Schools. Department Chairs lead departments. Faculty carry out teaching, advising, student support, and department work.
The Details
The organization of Oakridge College is intended to keep academic work clear, fair, and functional. Each role has its own area of responsibility. Faculty should understand this structure so they know where authority rests, where questions should go, and how concerns should be handled.
Oakridge is a small college. Because of this, faculty may sometimes work closely with people outside their own department or School. Even so, the college hierarchy should still be respected.
The ordinary academic chain of responsibility is:
- President
- Vice President
- Deans
- Department Chairs
- Faculty
- Teaching Assistants
A concern should usually begin at the lowest appropriate level. It should move upward only when the issue cannot be resolved there, when it affects more than one department, or when safety, misconduct, or college-wide authority is involved.
College Leadership
President
The President is the highest academic and administrative officer of Oakridge College.
The President is responsible for the general direction of the college, senior administrative decisions, college-wide policy, and major academic or institutional matters. The President may review serious concerns, appoint or remove senior officers, approve major academic changes, and act when an issue affects the whole college.
The President is not usually the first point of contact for ordinary classroom or department matters. Those matters should normally begin with the faculty member, Department Chair, or Dean.
Vice President
The Vice President serves as the President’s primary deputy.
The Vice President may assist with college-wide decisions, support Deans, review serious concerns, and act on behalf of the President when needed. The Vice President may also help resolve matters that cross Academic Schools, involve senior leadership, or require college-level coordination.
Faculty should bring ordinary concerns to their Department Chair or Dean before bringing them to the Vice President, unless the matter is urgent or cannot be handled safely at a lower level.
Academic Schools
Oakridge College is divided into Academic Schools. Each Academic School is led by a Dean.
The Academic Schools are:
- Arts and Humanities
- Natural Sciences
- Professional Studies
- Social Sciences
Each Academic School contains departments with related academic fields. The School structure helps organize programs, faculty review, curriculum decisions, student support, and department activity.
Deans
A Dean is the senior academic officer responsible for one Academic School.
Deans oversee the departments within their School. They support Department Chairs, review major academic matters, help resolve department-level concerns, and represent the School to senior college leadership.
A Dean may be involved in:
- Curriculum review
- Department concerns
- Faculty promotion and review
- Faculty misconduct concerns
- Student concerns that affect the School
- Conflicts between departments
- Academic events and School-level projects
- Disciplinary matters involving faculty or students in the School
Academic Departments
Academic departments are the main working units of the college.
Departments organize courses, programs, faculty activity, student opportunities, department events, academic resources, and subject-specific standards. Most faculty work is carried out through a department.
Each department belongs to an Academic School and is led by a Department Chair.
Arts and Humanities
Arts and Humanities includes:
- Department of Fine Art
- Department of Literature
- Department of Performing Arts
Natural Sciences
Natural Sciences includes:
- Department of Earth and Ecological Sciences
- Department of Mathematics
- Department of Laboratory Sciences
Professional Studies
Professional Studies includes:
- Department of Education
- Department of Health Sciences
- Department of Legal Studies
- Department of Career Programs
Social Sciences
- Department of Psychology
- Department of Political Science
- Department of Sociology
Department Chairs
A Department Chair is the faculty leader responsible for the daily academic direction of a department.
The Department Chair is responsible for keeping the department active, organized, and aligned with college standards. The Chair serves as the main link between department faculty and the Dean.
A Department Chair may be involved in:
- Course planning
- Department meetings
- Faculty assignments
- Student academic concerns
- Teaching Assistant appointments
- Department events
- Faculty promotion preparation
- Department-level conflict
- Program development
- Department records and public pages
- Recommendations to the Dean
The Department Chair is not simply the most senior teacher in the department. The Chair is responsible for the health and function of the department itself.
Selection of Department Chairs
Department Chair is a leadership position, not a faculty rank.
A Chair may retain their normal faculty rank while serving as Chair. For example, a character may be both Professor of Performing Arts and Department Chair of Performing Arts.
Department Chairs are elected by eligible voting faculty within the department and confirmed by the Dean or appropriate college authority.
Eligible voting faculty are:
- Assistant Professor
- Associate Professor
- Professor
- Tenured Professor
Adjunct Faculty, Instructors, Teaching Assistants, students, visiting lecturers, and non-department staff do not vote in Department Chair elections. They may express support, raise concerns, or speak in favor of a candidate, but they do not cast formal votes.
A candidate for Department Chair should normally hold the rank of Associate Professor or higher. If the department does not have enough senior faculty, an Assistant Professor may stand for election with approval from the Dean.
Faculty
Faculty are responsible for the teaching and academic work of Oakridge College.
Faculty teach classes, support students, contribute to department activity, help maintain academic standards, and participate in the life of their department. Faculty authority depends on rank, appointment, assigned duties, and department approval.
Faculty ranks include:
- Tenured Professor
- Professor
- Associate Professor
- Assistant Professor
- Instructor
- Adjunct Faculty
Guest Lecturers may also be approved for specific classes, workshops, lectures, or events. A Guest Lecturer is not a permanent faculty rank unless separately appointed.
Faculty Responsibilities
Faculty are expected to:
- Teach or support approved academic activity
- Prepare for classes and department duties
- Treat students and colleagues with respect
- Maintain professional boundaries
- Follow department and college standards
- Support students within the limits of their role
- Report serious concerns to the proper authority
- Respect the academic hierarchy
- Contribute to department life when able
Faculty should not act outside the authority of their rank or appointment. When unsure, faculty should ask their Department Chair or Dean for guidance.
Teaching Assistants
Teaching Assistants are student academic support roles.
Teaching Assistants are not faculty members. They do not hold faculty rank and do not have independent academic authority. Their authority comes from the faculty member, Department Chair, or department activity they are assigned to support.
Teaching Assistants may help with:
- Class preparation
- Supervised classroom activities
- Student support during approved exercises
- Study groups or review sessions
- Department events
- Simple academic resources
- Peer support within limits
Teaching Assistants may not:
- Grade independently
- Discipline students
- Approve coursework
- Change curriculum
- Supervise faculty
- Represent the department without approval
- Act as a professor or instructor
A Teaching Assistant should be treated as a trusted student helper, not as a member of the faculty.
Faculty Meetings and Department Meetings
Oakridge may use faculty meetings, department meetings, or School meetings to discuss academic matters.
Meetings may be called by the President, Vice President, Dean, Department Chair, or another approved academic authority, depending on the topic.
Meetings may be used for:
- Course planning
- Department activity
- Faculty concerns
- Student support issues
- Curriculum discussion
- Promotion preparation
- Event planning
- Policy updates
- Academic disputes
- General college communication
Faculty are expected to attend meetings when their role requires it or when they have accepted a responsibility connected to the topic.
Voting and Faculty Voice
Not every faculty role carries the same voting authority.
Voting rights depend on the type of decision being made. Department Chair elections are limited to Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, Professors, and Tenured Professors within the department.
Other votes, if used, should follow the rules set by the college, School, department, or committee responsible for the matter.
Even when a faculty member does not have a formal vote, their opinion may still be heard. Adjunct Faculty, Instructors, Teaching Assistants, students, and staff may have useful information about department life. A good academic structure allows people to be heard while still keeping formal authority clear.
Escalation of Concerns
Faculty should bring concerns to the correct level of authority.
Classroom Concerns
Classroom concerns should usually be handled by the faculty member responsible for the class.
Examples include:
- Minor disruption
- Student questions
- Participation issues
- Confusion about assignments
- Ordinary disagreement
- Basic classroom expectations
Department Concerns
Department concerns should be brought to the Department Chair.
Examples include:
- Repeated student problems
- Course planning issues
- Teaching Assistant concerns
- Faculty reliability concerns
- Department events
- Department records or resources
- Minor faculty conflict within the department
School Concerns
School concerns should be brought to the Dean.
Examples include:
- Conflict between departments
- Serious faculty concerns
- Department Chair concerns
- Curriculum disputes
- Promotion or review concerns
- Serious student matters connected to the School
- Department inactivity or disorder
College Concerns
College-level concerns should be brought to the Vice President or President.
Examples include:
- Issues involving multiple Schools
- Major policy concerns
- Serious misconduct
- Leadership disputes
- College-wide events or ceremonies
- Matters affecting the reputation or operation of Oakridge College
Safety Concerns
Safety concerns should be brought to Campus Security or senior college authority when needed.
Examples include:
- Threats
- Physical aggression
- Refusal to leave after removal from class
- Weapons
- Harassment or intimidation
- A situation the faculty member cannot safely control
General Rule
Faculty should begin with the lowest appropriate level of authority and move upward only when needed.
A simple guide is:
- Faculty handle ordinary classroom matters.
- Department Chairs handle department matters.
- Deans handle School matters.
- The Vice President and President handle college-wide matters.
- Campus Security handles safety and enforcement matters.
Oakridge College works best when authority is clear, communication is direct, and faculty bring concerns to the right level before they become larger problems.