Collegiate and Intercollegiate Centers: Establishing, Operating and Evaluating

Intercollegiate Centers

An Intercollegiate Center is an entity established to support and advance research, education, or public engagement initiatives that includes members from different colleges. This type of center receives this designation for a limited period of time, e.g., 5-7 years, subject to renewal following formal review and assessment.

Establishing an Intercollegiate Center
Faculty establish an Intercollegiate Center according to the policies established by their colleges. If they seek outside support, they must share indirect cost revenue according to the procedure for Sharing Indirect Cost Recovery Among Collaborating Collegiate Units.

Centers are usually housed in one of the participating colleges. The Center Director works with a small group of up to four of the deans of the colleges most prominent in the Center to ensure Center viability. Designation as an Intercollegiate Center implies that the deans of the colleges of the participating faculty will work together to facilitate the financial support of the Center. The group of deans and the Center Director also determine how to provide periodic review and recommendation of continuance or closure. The group of deans and the Center Director work together to resolve inconsistencies in collegiate level policies that impact the Center operations.

Operating an Intercollegiate Center
It is recommended that deans follow the guidelines established for University-wide Centers, including annual reports and established reviews. Center directors must update information annually in the University's database of centers and institutes. Before an intercollegiate center is established, one of the collegiate deans or the proposed center’s director must inform the Director of Strategic Projects in the Provost’s Office of the proposed center’s name, to avoid name duplication.

Dispute Resolution
If disputes arise between or among the participating colleges which are not resolved to the satisfaction of the involved parties, the Provost provides mediation at the request of any of the participating deans or the Center Director. In complex situations, the Provost may appoint an ad hoc committee of neutral deans and faculty to consider the issues in depth.

Evaluating an Intercollegiate Center
The Center is responsible for demonstrating continuous progress toward the academic objectives cited in the formulation of the Center. The Center must also be able to continue to offer a competitive or educational advantage.

Collegiate Centers

A collegiate center is an entity established to support and advance research, education, or public engagement that includes mostly members from the same college, although the work may be of an interdisciplinary nature. This type of center is established, operated, and evaluated according to the policies within the college. It is recommended that deans follow the guidelines established for University-wide Centers, including annual reports and established reviews. Center directors must update information annually in the University's database of centers and institutes. Before a collegiate center is established, the collegiate dean or the proposed center’s director must inform the Director of Strategic Projects in the Provost’s Office of the proposed center’s name, to avoid name duplication.