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EO 72  University of Washington Tacoma

Table of Contents

    d

Purpose

UW Tacoma is a campus of the University of Washington (University) established by the state under RCW 28B.45 and Executive Order No. IX. The purpose of this order is to formalize the academic leadership structure and academic delegations of authority of the University of Washington Tacoma (UW Tacoma).

Accreditation

The three-campus University of Washington is accredited as a whole by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Individual academic programs may be members of the various accrediting associations in their respective fields.

Chancellor of UW Tacoma

The Chancellor of UW Tacoma is the campus executive officer. The Chancellor has a dual report to the University President and the University Provost and represents the campus to the Board of Regents and to the local and statewide community.

The Chancellor reports to the University President on overall campus administration, campus management, fundraising, and external affairs. Administrative Delegations of Authority are provided by the President to the Chancellor or the Chancellor’s designees in Administrative Order No. 1. The Chancellor may appoint vice chancellors, and other administrative officers and staff, all of whom exercise powers and duties as prescribed by the Chancellor through delegations of authority codified in accordance with Board of Regents Governance policies and Presidential executive and administrative orders, memoranda, and letters.

The Chancellor reports to the Provost on campus academic planning, academic programs, and budget.

Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UW Tacoma

The Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs (EVCAA) is the campus academic officer. The EVCAA is responsible for oversight of all UW Tacoma schools and UW Tacoma Academic Affairs.

The EVCAA reports to the Chancellor, with an important coordinating function with the University Provost. Unless specifically delegated otherwise by the Chancellor, the EVCAA acts in the absence of the Chancellor.

Schools at UW Tacoma

Schools at UW Tacoma are established by action of the Board of Regents in accordance with RCW 28B.20.130. Schools at UW Tacoma are found in EO No. IX.

Deans at UW Tacoma

The separately organized schools established by action of the Board of Regents are headed by the academic administrators as follows:

  • Dean of School of Education
  • Dean of School of Engineering and Technology
  • Dean of School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences
  • Dean of Milgard School of Business
  • Dean of School of Nursing & Healthcare Leadership
  • Dean of School of Social Work and Criminal Justice
  • Dean of School of Urban Studies

The deans have responsibilities as provided in EO No. 12 except:

  • Deans at UW Tacoma report to the UW Tacoma EVCAA.
  • Coordination with the President and the Provost occurs through the Chancellor and EVCAA, unless as otherwise established by the President, the Provost, Chancellor, EVCAA, and the deans.
  • Transmission of recommendations for personnel, budget, curriculum, and related matters occurs through the Chancellor and EVCAA, unless as otherwise established by the President, the Provost, chancellors, EVCAA, and the deans.
  • The EVCAA is responsible for coordination of interdisciplinary programs that cross two or more schools at UW Tacoma.

Directors and Chairs at UW Tacoma

The director or chair of a department within a school at UW Tacoma has responsibilities as provided in Executive Order No. I, except a director or chair at UW Tacoma is:

  • Responsible to a dean at UW Tacoma;
  • In administrative matters, the representative, through the dean, of the Chancellor, the EVCAA, and the department faculty;
  • Responsible for observance of both campus and University policies by the department.

Faculty at UW Tacoma

The President authorizes the faculty at UW Tacoma to share in the formulation of rules and policies as described in Executive Order No. II.

The legislative authority of the faculty at UW Tacoma is consistent with EO No. IV, including the requirement to consult with the elected faculty representatives of the campus faculty organization on matters listed in Section 1 of EO No. IV.

The organization of faculty at UW Tacoma is consistent with EO No. III, EO No. V, EO No. VI, and EO No. VIII and related provisions within the Faculty Code.

Provost, Chancellor, and EVCAA Consultation with Deans at UW Tacoma

The EVCAA and deans at UW Tacoma will meet on a regularly scheduled basis to consider matters of special interest related to educational policy and administrative processes and to review consequences of operations under the Presidential Orders, the Faculty Code and Governance, and the Student Governance and Policies. The EVCAA and deans are encouraged to submit to the Chancellor, or via the Chancellor to the Provost or the President, as a consequence of such review any reports or recommendations they consider useful and necessary for the welfare of the University and the better achievement of its objectives.

The Provost, EVCAA, and deans at UW Tacoma will also meet or establish a means of consultation to ensure input and coordination on educational policy and administrative process that require University wide coordination or campus-specific accommodation. This includes establishing a procedure for gathering campus-specific consultation on regular merit allocation procedures as provided in Executive Order No. 64, Section 2, in advance of the Provost’s recommendation to the President.

Administrative Appointment, Review of Administrative Appointment, and Review of Academic Units

Administrative appointments, review of administrative appointments, and review of academic units must be done in accordance with EO No. 20 with the following exceptions:

  • The recommendation for the appointment of chair or a dean must come to the President through the Chancellor;
  • The Chancellor, Executive Vice Chancellor, and deans are free to use whatever procedures deemed desirable in reaching recommendations concerning the appointment and review of vice chancellors, associate deans, and other administrative aides, providing the review procedures in the section “Chancellor of UW Tacoma” are followed.

Exceptions

In accordance with EO No. 12, the Dean of University Libraries is responsible for tri-campus library services on all University campuses.  The Associate Deans of University Libraries for Bothell and Tacoma report to the EVCAAs for campus library operations.

In accordance with section “Deans of UW Tacoma,” the Dean of Nursing and Healthcare Leadership at UW Tacoma reports to the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. In accordance with the regulatory requirements set forth in WAC 246-840-517, the UW Executive Dean of Nursing, in coordination with the EVCAA, is vested with specific administrative authority over the nursing programs across the Bothell, Seattle, and Tacoma campuses. This coordinated authority ensures the creation and maintenance of an environment which is conducive to teaching and learning across all nursing programs. In addition, tri-campus nursing activities deemed “substantive” by the Washington State Board of Nursing (WABON) and/or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), are conducted in coordination with the Executive Dean of Nursing, as the sole recognized “nurse administrator” across the University’s nursing programs.

History

July 30, 2025.