C. Academic Administration

The Dean of the Faculty and Provost is the chief academic officer of the college and has primary responsibility for faculty personnel, curriculum, and supervision of instructional budgets. The Dean of the Faculty chairs the Academic Affairs Board and, in the absence of the President, presides at Faculty meetings. 

The Associate Deans of the Faculty assist in all the general administrative areas coming under the Dean of the Faculty and act for the Dean in the Dean’s absence. The Associate Deans supervise the Registrar and serve as Secretary of the Committee on Faculty Affairs. The Associate Dean for International Initiatives supports scholarship, curricula, and programs that are global in scale.

The Vice Provost for Administration and Planning has responsibility for academic budgets, federal regulations, and other duties assigned by the Provost.

The Chief Information Officer is responsible for information technology services, including curricular and business computing, networking, user support, and desktop computing.

The Director of Corporate, Foundation, and Government Relations (also listed under the staff of the Vice President for Institutional Advancement) serves as liaison between the Office of the Dean of the Faculty/Provost and the Office of Institutional Advancement in matters concerning support for academic programs and research. This office assists faculty in preparing grant proposals and is responsible for the coordination of all proposals to foundations, corporations, and state and federal agencies.

The Associate Provost for Equity and Diversity assists the university in assuring the success of equal employment opportunity and affirmative action programs and objectives, oversees implementation of Colgate's Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity plan, and serves as compliance officer for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Title IX. The director is also responsible for providing prompt and equitable response to complaints of harassment and discrimination in accordance with institutional policies and procedures. The director provides EEO/AA and harassment prevention trainings for the campus community and partners with departments across the university on matters having to do with equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The Director of Off-Campus Study/International Programs has responsibility for administering Colgate Study Groups and Extended Study Programs, assisting Faculty Study Group and Extended Study Directors, and facilitating strategic development of Colgate’s study abroad and other off-campus study initiatives, including Approved Programs. The Director also counsels students interested in study abroad opportunities The Director is a member of and works closely with the Off-Campus Study Committee and reports to the Dean of the Faculty.

The Dean’s Advisory Council, which is composed of the five division directors and the Associate Deans of the Faculty, meets weekly during the academic year and advises the Dean of the Faculty on matters of academic administration such as academic programs and faculty staffing needs. Academic division directors assist department chairs in each of their divisions in assembling cases for pre-tenure review, tenure, and promotion, sit with the elected Promotion and Tenure Committee for cases in their division (See III.G.8.), and resolve procedural Issues that may arise in the preparation and review of the cases.

Divisions and Academic Departments The five divisions of the University include the Arts and Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Physical Education, Recreation and Athletics, Social Sciences, and University Studies. Each division director is responsible to the Dean of the Faculty and supervises the various academic departments and programs in the division as listed below:

DivisionAcademic Departments and Programs
Arts and HumanitiesArt, The Classics, East Asian Languages and Literatures, English and Creative Writing, German, Music, Philosophy, Religion, and Romance Languages and Literatures
Natural Sciences and MathematicsBiology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth and Environmental Geosciences, Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy, and Psychological and Brain Sciences
Social SciencesEconomics, Educational Studies, Geography, History, Political Science, and Sociology and Anthropology
University Studies

Department: Writing and Rhetoric; Programs: Liberal Arts Core Curriculum Program; Africana and Latin American Studies, Asian Studies, Environmental Studies, Film and Media Studies, Global Public and Environmental Health, Jewish Studies, LGBTQ Studies, Linguistics, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Middle Eastern Studies and Islamic Civilization, Museum Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Russian and Eurasian Studies, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and other interdisciplinary programs

Physical EducationDepartment of Physical Education, club sports, the intercollegiate athletics program, the recreation program, and management of the athletic facilities


The Registrar is responsible for keeping all student academic records, provides the official transcripts, and supervises the registration process. The Registrar reports to the Associate Dean of the Faculty. 

The University Librarian provides leadership and direction for the Case Library and Geyer Center for Information Technology and George R. Cooley Libraries on the Colgate University campus. The libraries support the university’s educational programs by providing information services that support the curriculum and faculty research, and by fostering the development of students who are independent, self-directed learners able to make informed use of library resources in their courses and in independent inquiry. The University Librarian reports to the Provost and Dean of the Faculty.

The Director of University Museums The Director maintains and develops the Colgate University collections for the use and enjoyment of students and the larger community. The collections provide visual and intellectual evidence of the world’s creative potential. The Director reports to the Provost and Dean of the Faculty.

Other Dean of Faculty and Dean of College Administrative Units of Interest to Faculty

The Office of Equity and Diversity guides hiring practices, Title IX cases, ADA concerns, affirmative action/equal opportunity, and the University’s nondiscrimination and anti-harassment processes. It strengthens campus diversity recruitment efforts, offers diversity education opportunities for the Colgate community, coordinates campus-wide efforts to promote a welcoming and inclusive climate, and assesses the progress of ongoing diversity efforts. It is headed by the Vice President for Equity and Inclusion.

Chapel House, with its serene chapel and collection of art, books, and music representative of Buddhist, Christian, Confucian, Hindu, Jewish, and Muslim religious traditions, was endowed by an anonymous donor who also endowed the Fund for the Study of the Great Religions of the World. The Director of Chapel House serves also as the Director of the Fund and reports to the Provost and Dean of the Faculty.

Counseling and Psychological Services The Director supervises a staff of psychologists, social workers, and a substance abuse counselor who provide clinical services, including individual and group psychotherapy for students as well as consultation regarding problems of personal and social adjustment. The service also provides 24-hour coverage for mental health emergencies. The Director reports to the Dean of the College.

The Office of Undergraduate Studies/Higher Education Opportunity Program provides students with services designed to promote academic success. These include academic and personal counseling, career mentoring programs, community-building activities, study skills workshops, as well as various forms of tutoring. OUS also runs the pre-first-year Summer Institute. The Academic Director of OUS reports to the Associate Dean of Faculty.

The Center for Learning, Teaching, and Research (CLTR) provides academic support for students, encourages new faculty to develop effective teaching strategies, is available to support experienced faculty in exploring new teaching methods, and promotes undergraduate research across the disciplines. The Director of CLTR reports to the Dean of Faculty.

Director of Academic Program Support and Disability Services provides assistance to students in need of academic support, including students with learning disabilities, and students in need of course-based tutoring.

University Chaplain Colgate employs three full-time chaplains: the Director of Jewish Life, who leads programming and services within the Jewish community; the Protestant Campus Minister, who leads services for University Church and coordinates Protestant life on campus; and the Catholic Campus Minister, who leads services and programming for the Catholic community on campus. One of the three chaplains serves as University Chaplain: in addition to ministering to a particular community of faith, the holder of this position is responsible for coordinating all aspects of religious life on campus, including services and programming for the diverse religious faiths and organizations represented within the campus community.  The University Chaplain reports to the Vice President and Dean of the College.

The Center for Outreach, Volunteerism, and Education (COVE) supports volunteer organizations, service learning classes, internship programs, residential life initiatives, and social change oriented career counseling.

The Upstate Institute has the mission of creating linkages between the university and the regional community in order to engage students, faculty, staff and residents in research and a reciprocal transfer of knowledge that will enhance the economic, social and cultural capacity of the area and sustain the environment.

The Picker Interdisciplinary Science Institute supports internal and external collaborations among faculty who bring expertise from different disciplines to bear on current and emerging scientific problems that remain intractable to the methods used within a single discipline. The institute also encourages interdisciplinary approaches to learning through innovative curricular and research opportunities for students that may arise from the pursuit of interdisciplinary research projects.

The Lampert Institute provides a forum for study and debate in the areas of civic affairs and public leadership, applying insights from the liberal arts to the important challenges facing human beings around the world.

A listing of Administrative Offices is found in Chapter XI, Organization of the University, in the Colgate University Catalogue.


 Handbook Table of Contents