Policies & Procedures

Policy for Review of Centers and Institutes - 5F6

This document is built upon Southern Illinois University System University Guidelines, Section 2.4: Academic Affairs: Centers and Institutes and 23 Illinois Administrative Code 1050.

1. Definition
   
   Centers and institutes are formally organized units of instruction, research, and public service that meet an ongoing need of the university. IBHE Recognized Centers and Institutes are Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) recognized centers or institutes. These are units generally outside of a recognized academic program that advance the instruction, research, or public service missions of the university.
   
   Exempt from this policy are centers and institutes that solely support university constituencies and are regularly reviewed through other mechanisms.

   
   The term center(s) hereafter will be used to refer to IBHE recognized centers and institutes.

2. Organization
   

   
   Centers will have an external and/or internal advisory board based on identified stakeholders. These units will be led by a director and will report to a dean (or a delegated senior administrator) of the college, school, or unit in which the center resides or to a higher-level administrator (Executive Director, Associate Provost, Provost, Vice Chancellor) if the center involves collaboration across different colleges, schools, and/or units.

3. Responsibility and Oversight
   
   The Centers and Institutes Review Committee:
    
   1. makes recommendations to the Chancellor regarding the application to become, modification of, and termination of all centers.
      
      
   2. reviews the periodic evaluations of centers and makes recommendations to the center directors (see VIII)
      
      
   3. reviews requests for center modifications, suspension, and termination (see VI and VII).
4. Committee Membership
   
   Committee members include: the Associate Provost for Research (ex-officio) or designee as Committee Chair, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (ex-officio) or designee, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (ex-officio) or designee, University Budget Director (ex-officio), one faculty representative appointed by the Graduate Council, one director of a center, and one dean or higher level administrator who has supervision over a center. The Chancellor appoints the latter two members. Members who are not ex-officio will have staggered 3-year terms.
5. Approval
   

   
   Applications for new centers for instruction, research, or public service include the Request for New Administrative, Research, or Public Service Unit forms for the IBHE request and a minimum of two letters of support. One letter of support must be from the Vice Chancellor or Chief Academic Officer under whose functional area the center falls. The documents will be submitted to the Associate Provost for Research for discussion by the Centers and Institutes Review Committee. The Committee will make a written recommendation to the Chancellor. The Chancellor will have final approval at the University level to establish a center or institute.

   Any new unit of instruction, research or public service not included in a program of the institution must receive approval through the IBHE. Applications for new units of instruction follow the policies related to academic programs (1B).

6. Modification
   
   
   1. Request for reasonable and moderate extension (including name changes)
      
      A document will be submitted to the Associate Provost for Research describing the requested change(s) and justification. Anticipated budget effects and a description of how other units that may be affected by the change must also be included. A letter of collation must be submitted from any unit that may be affected by the change. The request will be reviewed by the Centers and Institutes Review Committee and a written recommendation will be made to the Chancellor. Reasonable and moderate extensions of centers will then be reported to the SIU System by the Office of the Provost.
      
      
   2. Suspension
      
      Centers may be suspended if University needs have changed, need for the center has changed, resources are no longer adequate to support the center, or performance of the center is not meeting performance targets. Recommendations for suspension of a center may be made by the Chancellor, Dean or higher-level administrator as supervisor of the center, head of the center, or the Centers and Institutes Review Committee. The center will have a defined period of time to provide a plan for reorganization to improve performance. Annual reports must be submitted during this time and a request for reinstatement must be submitted within 3 years. The Centers and Institutes Review Committee may stipulate a different time frame than 3 years for requests for reinstatement. Requests for suspension of a center must be submitted to the Centers and Institutes Review Committee and a written recommendation will be made to the Chancellor.
7. Termination
   
   Recommendations for termination of a center may be made by the Chancellor, Dean or higher-level administrator as supervisor of the center, head of the center, or the Centers and Institutes Review Committee. Rationale for center termination, plans for handling current commitments, potential effects of program termination on other programs, arrangements to be made for affected faculty, staff, students, equipment and physical facilities, and a proposed termination date must be submitted in writing to the Centers and Institutes Review Committee. The Committee will make a written recommendation to the Chancellor.
   
   
8. Evaluation and Review
   

   
   Centers and institutes must complete the SIU Centers and Institutes Annual Reporting form at the conclusion of the fiscal year. The report will be completed by the Center Director and reviewed by the Director’s Supervisor, Centers and Institutes Review Committee, and the Chancellor before being submitted to the SIU President’s Office for inclusion in the BOT Centers and Institute Report.
   
   Centers in good standing will be reviewed on an eight-year cycle. The center will create and submit a self-study for the eight-year review. An individualized committee of a minimum of three evaluators will review the center and will present their report to the Centers and Institutes Review Committee. The review committee is individualized based upon the center mission. The Centers and Institutes Review Committee will make a recommendation that the program is in good standing, flagged for review, or under temporary suspension.
   
   If the center is in good standing, an interim report on progress toward meeting recommendations must be submitted along with the annual report 4 years following the review. If the center is flagged for review, a full review will be conducted again within 4 years.

Approved by Chancellor effective 3/15/24
This policy was issued on March 20, 2024, replacing the June 23, 2022 version. 
Document Reference: 5F6
Origin: GR 15/16-15; GR 17/18-08; GR 21/22-01; GR 23/24-06