Approval Authority: Senate
Academic Policy and Planning Committee
Under the terms of the York Act, the Board of Governors is responsible for the formal approval of academic units (specifically cited are “faculties, schools and institutes”). In an effort to provide assistance in the process leading to formal approval, APPC has undertaken to define certain key terms that refer to academic units within the University. The purpose of this document is not to require the re-naming of existing units. Rather, it is to provide guidance in the future to those who must decide upon terminology to distinguish new units, or units that are seeking to be restructured and renamed. The goal is to achieve, over time, greater clarity and coherence across the University in the ways that these key terms are used. The approach taken has been to identify those characteristics that distinguish units from one another.
Principal Characteristics of Major Units at York
Unit |
Characteristics |
Academic Leadership |
Faculty | A Faculty:
|
Normally headed by a Dean |
School | A School:
|
Normally headed by a Dean for Faculty and Faculty type schools, otherwise by a Director |
Department | A Department:
|
Normally headed by a Chair |
Division | A Division:
|
Normally headed by the President or a Vice-President |
Program | A Program:
|
Normally headed by a Director or Co-ordinator |
Research Centre | A Centre:
|
Normally headed by a Director |
Research Institute | An Institute:
|
Normally headed by a Director |