Academic Affairs
Academic Affairs is a focal point for the academic activity of the Office of the Provost: conceptualizing and then implementing academic initiatives to enhance the academic quality of the State University. The office is served by four constituent groups:
Academic Programs and Planning
Academic and Campus Affairs
Opportunity Programs
Institutional Research
Frequently Requested Links:
Academic Programs and Planning
Academic Programs and Planning maintains responsibility for the review of academic programs for all disciplines and award levels across all State University campuses (including community and statutory colleges) on behalf of the Board of Trustees. Once approved by the Provost, programmatic requests are forwarded to the State Education Department for registration and/or action by the State Board of Regents. The program proposal process is aligned closely with Mission Review and other University initiatives; reviewers ensure that campus planning is consistent with its Memorandum of Understanding, and with Universitywide policies such as those relating to assessment, teacher education and transfer.
Academic Programs and Planning alsooversees the University’s annual enrollment planning process via the intra-System Administration Enrollment Planning Group (EPG). For the University’s State-operated campuses, the EPG recommends Statefunded enrollment levels at each campus consistent with applicable fiscal, demographic and academic quality factors. With respect to community colleges, whose funding is formula-driven, the EPG reviews campus enrollment plans to ensure that they are internally coherent and demographically realistic. The review of community college enrollment plans permits a realistic aggregate projection of community college enrollment, necessary for the University’s annual community college funding request.
Campus resources regarding program planning
Academic and Campus Affairs is responsible for communication between System Administration and campuses, as well as among campuses themselves. The unit includes liaisons to each campus sector—responsible for gaining a deep appreciation of campus culture, needs, goals and plans—that often take a leadership role in University-wide academic initiatives from mission review and teacher education to general education and assessment.
Academic and Campus Affairs also includes liaisons with responsibility for cross-cutting university-wide programs or initiatives such as: international education policy issues, and the University’s diverse faculty recognition, awards and development programs.
The Opportunity Programs group administers a range of access programs, including the highly effective Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), currently operating on 45 State University campuses. A State-funded program explicitly established in education law, EOP combines access, academic support and supplemental financial assistance to help capable students attend and succeed in college, despite limited financial resources and deficits in prior preparation.
Complementing the Educational Opportunity Program are two tuition waiver programs, the Graduate Opportunity Program (GOP), and the Economically Disadvantaged First Professional Study Program (EDPS), providing support for disadvantaged students pursuing graduate and first professional degrees. Consistent with its traditional focus on access and success, the office has recently begun to give greater attention to closing the educational success gap among SUNY’s diverse student cohorts.
Opportunity Programs also coordinates the University’s role as sector partner to GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) projects throughout the State. GEAR UP is a national initiative designed to help atrisk students—beginning in the eighth grade—prepare for college.
Institutional Research has broad responsibility for data collection and dissemination; maintaining three of the University’s major information systems: the Student Data File, the Automated Degree File, and the Course and Section Analysis File, and in collecting additional campus information on everything from continuing education and faculty, to libraries and alumni.
Institutional Research administers one of the largest survey programs in higher education; SUNY’s Student Opinion Survey is given to 75,000 undergraduate students every three years. The information collected by Institutional Research is used to support System planning and processes, including enrollment planning, Mission Review, budget allocation, teacher education, SUNY’s Master Plan, and campus assessment. Coordinating withcampuses, the office fulfills the mandatory reporting requirements of the National Center for Education Statistics and the State Department of Education. Institutional Research responds to hundreds of ad hoc requests concerning SUNY from national associations, accrediting agencies, other colleges and universities, the media and the general public.
The office also performs special analytical studies at the request of the Chancellor, the Provost and other System offices concerning new academic planning and policy initiatives, and in assessing outcomes of ongoing initiatives.