32 ORGANIZING ACADEMIC COLLEGES: A GUIDE FOR DEANS Academic Organization The five functional deans are: • Senior Associate Dean of Faculty • Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs • Associate Dean for International Affairs • Associate Dean for Advising (with direct supervision of academic advisors) • Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies The department chairs report to the dean, although they are free to consult the appropriate associate dean on specific issues. A Council of Chairs meets every two weeks and is structured to be interactive. It serves as the dean’s primary sounding board (outside of the senior leadership) for policy issues and the future direction of the College. The dean also uses an Executive Committee, comprised of six elected tenured faculty members, as a sounding board for topical issues. The Executive Committee meets once a month throughout the academic year and often in conjunc- tion with the Council of Chairs. We also have two advisory boards: a National Strategy Board and a Development Council. Administrative Support In addition to the service offices listed under Academic Support, other offices within the College are: 1. Space and Facilitates (headed by a director) 2. Finance and Administration (headed by a director) 3. Human Resources (headed by a director) 4. Creative and Technical Services—The HIVE (headed by co-directors) 5. Development (headed by a senior director) 6. Project Management (headed by a director) 7. Enrollment Management and Decision Support (recently promoted to assistant dean) 8. Staff Support (headed by a director) These offices report to the chief of staff, who works closely with the dean in a team approach. Strengths and Challenges of This Model The size and scope of our operation requires clear organization. Centralizing support functions provides chairs with scaffolding on issues such as HR requirements, FERPA, faculty IT needs, marketing their programs, treasury, audit and purchasing require- ments, university regulations and responsibilities, among many other bureaucratic requirements and processes.