EO 4   The Provost

1. The Provost serves as deputy to the President, has responsibility for the development and implementation of the University’s academic policies and programs, and provides advice and assistance in these matters to the President, the deans, and the faculty. The Provost provides leadership in educational and curriculum development, formulation and allocation of capital and operating budgets, management of academic and administrative personnel, allocation of space, and long-range University planning. In carrying out these responsibilities, the Provost chairs the University Budget Committee and the Facilities Resources Committee and receives advice from the Senate Committee on Planning and Budgeting. The Director of the University Libraries reports to the Provost in the formulation and implementation of library policy.
2. The Provost provides advice and assistance to the President in the presentation of academic and budget matters to the Board of Regents, the state legislature and the Higher Education Coordinating Board. The Provost represents the University on the Interinstitutional Committee of Academic Officers, a group that provides liaison and coordination of academic matters among the state’s public four-year institutions of higher education.
3. The major areas of responsibility of the Office of the Provost are as follows:
   1. Academic Personnel
      
      The Provost is responsible for the interpretation and implementation of University policies and procedures on appointment and retention of members of the faculty; provides leadership on academic matters through the Faculty Councils and the deans; reviews recommendations for faculty appointments, salary increases and adjustments, and the awarding of tenure and promotion. Through the Office of Academic Personnel, the Provost maintains records of personnel actions on all members of the University faculty. The Provost, through the Office of Equal Employment and Affirmative Action, is charged with overall responsibility for assuring compliance with the University’s Affirmative Action Program.
   2. Enrollment
      The Provost has primary responsibility for student enrollment policies and limitations at the University; for managing, with the assistance of the Office of Planning and Budgeting, the fiscal implications of enrollment decisions, and for initiating study and research in the areas of enrollment.
   3. Curricular Programs and Educational Development
      
      The Provost, working with the faculty, reviews and counsels with respect to the appropriateness and feasibility of curricular program revisions, discontinuance of programs, and course additions and revisions; conducts curricular research and study; stimulates discussion of new education issues and disseminates related information; considers and initiates programs in faculty development and educational improvement; and recommends appropriate action by the President. The Provost is assisted in these matters by the vice provosts and the several offices reporting to them, including the Office of Educational Assessment, International Programs and Exchanges, and the Center for Instructional Development and Research.
   4. Undergraduate Education
      
      The foundation of the University is its outstanding undergraduate programs. The Provost, assisted by the Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education, and the deans of the schools and colleges, is responsible for ensuring the quality of its undergraduate offerings and their coordination. Through the Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education, premajor students are provided orientation, advising, special freshman educational assistance programs, internship opportunities, public service opportunities and scholarship assistance. Interdisciplinary and general education programs, honors and college studies programs, and a growing number of specialized and innovative degree options are fostered and administered by the Office of Undergraduate Education. General campus undergraduate support services, including maintenance, repair, and renovation of general assignment classrooms and media support, are coordinated through this Office.
   5. Graduate Education
      
      The Office of the Provost has responsibility for ensuring the University offers the highest quality graduate education possible. The Provost is assisted by the Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School in overseeing these areas of responsibility. The Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School administers the Graduate School, coordinates and administers interdisciplinary graduate committees and certain interdisciplinary centers and institutes; and, with the assistance of the Graduate School Council, oversees the review and assessment of all graduate degree programs and makes recommendations on their approval, continuation, or discontinuation to the Provost. The Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School works closely with members of the University faculty who are involved with major institutional or interdisciplinary programs; provides administrative assistance in the development of proposals for support of such programs and administrative coordination after they are established. The Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School is responsible for all academic, policy, and administrative matters related to the admission, continuation, dismissal, or completion of graduate students. The Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School administers the policies relating to Graduate Student Service Appointments. The Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School administers the Graduate School Research fund.
   6. Research
      
      The Office of the Provost has overall responsibility for management of the research programs of the University. The Provost is assisted by the Vice Provost for Research in carrying out these duties. This responsibility includes the review, through the Office of Grant and Contracts, of all proposals to outside agencies for support of research, University-administered traineeships and fellowships, institutes and special teaching programs, and other University activities which are to be supported wholly or partially with non-University funds. The Vice Provost for Research has been designated as the person officially designated to approve, sign, and transmit such proposals on behalf of the University, subject to the referral of unusual or very large requests to the President for personal review and signature when required in particular instances by the granting agency. Other responsibilities of the Office of the Provost administered through the Vice Provost for Research include the following:
      1. The Vice Provost for Research, in consultation with deans, is responsible for the coordination of interdisciplinary and interinstitutional research facilities, centers, and institutes, including supervision of the Friday Harbor Laboratories, which offer instruction and research in marine sciences; and major institutional grants.
      2. The Vice Provost for Research, through the Human Subjects Office, is responsible for the protection of the rights, well-being, and personal privacy of human subjects used in research. This office maintains all of the University’s official records on investigations involving the use of human subjects and provides staff assistance for related institutional committees.
      3. The Vice Provost for Research, through the Office of Technology Transfer, is responsible for administering the University’s Patent and Invention Policy, including activities to assure early recognition of new technology and to facilitate transfer of results of faculty research to the private sector.
   7. Planning and Budgeting
      
      The Provost is responsible for coordinating the University budgeting process, for academic program and resource planning, and for space allocation. The Office of Planning and Budgeting, administered by the Vice Provost for Planning and Budgeting, assists the Provost in these functions and provides staff support to the University Budget Committee in the areas of resource planning and budgeting, both operations and capital. The Office of Planning and Budgeting has three divisions.
      1. The Office of Institutional Studies is responsible for providing information services in support of long- and short-range decision-making policy-formation and planning for the University. In addition, this office administers several University-wide systems for the analysis of academic and resource information, including faculty workload and institutional profiles systems. Major reports include peer institution comparisons, faculty salary and related studies, academic profiles, enrollment projections, etc. Reporting of data resource and activity levels to external agencies such as the Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Survey, NASULGC, and the AAU Data Exchange is coordinated through this office. General policy issues, coordination with other higher education institutions in the state, as well as nationally, and staff support for HECB projects are supported by the Institutional Studies Office.
      2. The Capital and Space Planning Office is responsible for coordinating academic facilities master plans, the capital budgeting process, developing the basis for the capital budget request, devising improvements to the capital planning system, and analyzing, submitting, and justifying the capital request. It develops space planning standards and unit space allocations, and plans and directs the space management and allocation system. It also conducts space utilization studies, manages the University’s classrooms, develops and implements methods of analysis and evaluation of physical facilities, and maintains building and room inventories of space. It provides ad hoc or advisory staff assistance to the University Budget Committee, the Capital and Facilities Resources Committees, and planning committees. This office provides information to the Office of Financial Management and legislative staff during their review of the capital request, and coordinates all matters of capital planning with the Office of Financial Management, the Higher Education Coordinating Board, and other state institutions.
      3. The Budget Office monitors and maintains the University’s operating budget and reports on the status of the budget to the administration. It analyzes units’ requests for revisions to their budgets and makes recommendations regarding approval. It assists in preparation of the University’s operating budget request, provides information and assistance to the Executive and Legislative branches during their review of the request, and participates in allocating the final legislative budget. The Budget Office also provides liaison with the Office of Financial Management and the HECB on budgeting matters.
   8. UW Continuum College
      
      The Office of the Provost has responsibility for continuing education programs and is assisted by the Vice Provost for UW Continuum College in providing access to the Seattle campus through Summer Quarter, Professional and Continuing Education (PCE), and UW Online. In addition, the Vice Provost coordinates the Summer Quarter, PCE, and UW Online activity for UW Bothell and UW Tacoma. The Vice Provost provides counsel for the Provost on policy, organizational, and procedural issues for institutional continuing education activities and convenes the Continuing Education Board of Deans and Directors to consider issues of mutual interest and to facilitate communication throughout the University. The Vice Provost also serves as an ex officio member of the Faculty Council on Continuing Education and works closely with faculty to address and promote their interests.
      1. The Vice Provost for UW Continuum College, in cooperation with colleges and schools, is responsible for the annual planning and administration of the University’s Summer Quarter which serves matriculated UW students, returning teachers, and nonmatriculated students from the region. The Summer Quarter Advisory Board, comprised of faculty, students, and staff, provides policy and procedural advice to the Vice Provost.
      2. The Vice Provost for UW Continuum College provides the leadership and management of UW Professional and Continuing Education (PCE), which provides access for nonmatriculated students seeking professional and personal development to UW credit and UW-approved noncredit courses, certificate programs, and workshops. All courses and instructors are approved by the appropriate UW academic colleges, schools, and departments. The Vice Provost is advised by faculty and community professionals through several committees and advisory boards in various fields of study.
      3. The Vice Provost for UW Continuum College, in cooperation with the schools and colleges, provides centralized coordination of the planning for the UW Online and credit and noncredit courses through a distance learning format. UW Online also provides the infrastructure for the instructional design and delivery of courses and faculty and student support.

June 1, 1972; February 21, 1978; November 29, 1978; October 1, 1982; June 8, 1990; September 24, 1996; RC, October 17, 2017.

For additional delegations of authority, see:

• Board of Regents Governance, Bylaws, Article V, “Officers of the University”
• Board of Regents Governance, Standing Orders, Chapter 1, “Delegation of Authority”
• Board of Regents Governance, Standing Orders, Chapter 6, “Authority for Washington Administrative Code Rule Making”
• Executive Order No. 1, “The Office of the President”
• Executive Order No. 6, “The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), UW Medicine and Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine, University of Washington”
• Executive Order No. 7, “The Vice President for Minority Affairs”
• Executive Order No. 11, “The Vice President for External Affairs”
• Executive Order No. 12, “The Deans”
• Executive Order No. 14, “Chancellor, UW Bothell and UW Tacoma”
• Executive Order No. 18, “The University Ombud”
• Executive Order No. 62, “The Vice President for University Advancement”
• Administrative Orders: Delegations of Authority

For related information, see:

• Executive Order No. I, “Directors and Chairs”
• Executive Order No. 3, “Executive Order and Administrative Order Procedure”
• Executive Order No. 16, “The Board of Deans and Chancellors”
• Executive Order No. 19, “Attorney General’s Division”
• Executive Order No. 20, “Administrative Appointments, Review of Administrative Appointments, and Review of Academic Units”
• Executive Order No. 47, “Authorization for Publication of University of Washington Rules, Bylaws, Orders, and Policies”