CWUP 5-40

Centers and Institutes

• 5-40-010 Benefits to the University
• 5-40-020 Definition of Centers and Institutes
• 5-40-030 Policies and Guidelines
• 5-40-040 Procedures
• 5-40-050 Units Affected by This Policy

5-40-010 Benefits to the University

Among the possible advantages of centers/institutes to Central Washington University are the following:

(A) Centers/institutes increase intellectual excitement on campus.

(B) Centers/institutes enable students to work closely with faculty and staff on research projects or on other projects of educational value.

(C) Centers/institutes generally bring external funding to the university in the forms of fees, contracts, and grants.

(D) Centers/institutes stimulate faculty to become more involved in their professions, in research, and in writing proposals for external funding.

(E) Centers/institutes enhance CWU's service to both internal and external constituencies, most particularly residents of central Washington, the state, and the nation.

[Responsibility: Provost/VP of Academic Affairs; Authority: Cabinet/UPAC; Reviewed/Endorsed by: Cabinet/UPAC; Review/Effective Date:07/2009; 06/12/2019; Approved by: James L. Gaudino, President]

5-40-020 Definition of Centers and Institutes

Centers/institutes are academic units dedicated to carrying out limited, highly specialized purposes. Centers/institutes draw personnel and resources together in a common effort, providing liaison units that carry out intra- and extramural activities usually related to teaching, research, and/or public service for the benefit of students, local or state agencies or officials, business, industry, professional interest, and/or the public at large.

There are two primary types of centers/institutes: Type A) those that utilize a staff of specialists and the services of personnel from one or more academic departments within a college or within a given administrative unit in the division of Academic and Student Life to provide organized leadership and unified programming; Type B) those that involve personnel from departments from more than one college or that involve personnel from one or more colleges and other administrative units (e.g., the School of Graduate Studies and Research, the School of Education, the Brooks Library, Student Success, the Office of International Studies and Programs, etc.).  For the purposes of this policy and related procedures, “administrative units” are entities with a direct reporting line to the provost. 

Activities carried out by centers/institutes may include the offering of courses, student internships, student practica, conferences, training, research, extension services, as well as publications, service, and public information programming.

[Responsibility: Provost/VP of Academic Affairs; Authority: Cabinet/UPAC; Reviewed/Endorsed by: Cabinet/UPAC; Review/Effective Date: 07/2009; 06/12/2019; Approved by: James L. Gaudino, President]

5-40-030 Policies and Guidelines

Centers/institutes, both Types A and B as defined above, shall adhere to the following:

(a) Have a mission statement, goals, objectives, and outcomes that support CWU's mission, goals, objectives, and outcomes as expressed in the university strategic plan.

(b) Involve students in their activities, where possible, in recognition that the primary mission of the university is education.

(c) Involve full-time university faculty or staff in center/institute administration.

(d) Have defined service areas and target populations. Within each service area, specify the service activities offered.  For centers/institutes offering multiple services, specify different service areas and target populations as appropriate.

(e) Document the need for services to be offered within defined service areas.  At a minimum, the needs assessment will include: 1) an analysis of potential duplication with other services (public, private, and university-sponsored) available to the target population in the proposed service area; 2) evidence of a gap in services to the target population in the proposed service area; and 3) a description of the relationships between the center/institute, the target population, the service area community, and existing community services.

(f) Maintain current curriculum vitae of all professional personnel involved in the center/institute.

(g) Operate primarily on a self-supporting basis with the possibility of some allocation of university funds.  Submit annual budgets, reflecting projected income and expenditures, to the provost.  Make adjustments throughout the fiscal year to ensure a balanced budget is maintained.  Maintain income generated through user fees, fees for service, and grants and contracts in university accounts.  Include as expenditures all costs associated with the operation of the center/institute, including, but not limited to salaries, employee benefits, student employment, supplies, and equipment. Carry over surplus monies or deficits incurred during a given fiscal year to the subsequent fiscal year; deficits will be the responsibility of the unit (Type A centers/institutes) or units (Type B centers/institutes) to which the center/institute reports.  Complete annual reviews of the center/institute’s budget. 

(h) Pay all employees through the university's payroll system as they are CWU employees. CWU faculty and staff may be employed by centers/institutes provided the employee has received written authorization from the employee's primary supervisor. That written authorization must include a statement that the employee's duties with the center/institute will be either in addition to or part of the employee's primary job responsibilities. CWU faculty or staff may receive reassigned time from their primary responsibilities to perform work in centers/institutes upon recommendation of their supervisors and approval of the appropriate director or dean. Whenever possible, the center/institute will reimburse the academic department/unit for any reassigned faculty time.

(i) File an annual report with the head (Type A) or heads (Type B) of the administrative unit(s) to which the center/institute reports. That report shall summarize the activities of the center/institute during the fiscal year just completed. It shall describe each project undertaken and provide detail on how many people were served by the center/institute.

(j) Every four years, conduct a thorough review of the centers/institute’s mission and activities. The head (Type A) or heads (Type B) of the administrative unit(s) to which the center/institute reports shall conduct this review and submit it to the provost. Centers/institutes which are no longer fulfilling their purpose will be dissolved.  Centers not reviewed according to this section are presumed to be dissolved.

(k) Present requests for expansion beyond approved facilities through the annual space allocation process.

Proposals for new centers/institutes must address (a) through (j) above, as appropriate, and also include the following: 

1) An organizational chart clearly showing how the center/institute fits within the university's academic administrative structure and to what administrative unit (Type A) or units (Type B) the center/institute reports.  Centers/institutes may report to departments, deans, or other administrative units within Academic and Student Life.  While centers/institutes are encouraged to develop advisory boards, they must still report to an administrative unit (Type A) or units (Type B) within Academic and Student Life. 

2) Detailed budgets covering at least three years of operation and specifying the origin of all funds supporting the center/institute.

3) An analysis of the space needed and a proposal for securing that space.

4) A description of equipment needed, how that equipment will be secured, how it will be maintained, and how maintenance will be funded.

5) Demonstrated compliance with applicable Human Resources/Payroll and Business Services/Risk Management policies and procedures, as well as applicable collective bargaining agreements. 

6) Procedures for dissolution of the center/institute and, for multi-unit centers/institutions, procedures by which parties may uncouple from the center/institute and how partnerships may be dissolved.

[Responsibility: Provost/VP of Academic Affairs; Authority: Cabinet/UPAC; Reviewed/Endorsed by: Cabinet/UPAC; Review/Effective Date: 07/2009; 06/12/2019; Approved by: James L. Gaudino, President]

5-40-040 Procedures

Any Academic and Student Life unit (Type A center/institute) or units (Type B center/institute) wishing to propose a center/institute or substantially modify an existing center/institute shall submit to the provost through the appropriate administrative head(s) a proposal which addresses all of the policies and guidelines outlined above.

The provost shall request a review of the proposal by a review committee consisting of the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research, the administrative head (Type A) or heads (Type B) where the proposal originated, a representative from the office of the Vice President for Business and Financial affairs, faculty representatives(s) from the unit(s) involved, and other personnel appointed at the provost’s discretion.  After reviewing the proposal, the committee shall make a recommendation to the provost on whether the center/institute should be approved, should be approved with modifications, or should not be approved.

[Responsibility: Provost/VP of Academic Affairs; Authority: Cabinet/UPAC; Reviewed/Endorsed by: Cabinet/UPAC; Review/Effective Date:07/2009; 06/12/2019; Approved by: James L. Gaudino, President]

5-40-050 Units Affected By This Policy

This policy does not apply to the CWU University Centers or instructional sites including, but not limited to, the following:

CWU-Des Moines
2400 South 240th St.
Des Moines, WA 98198-1007

CWU-Lynnwood
20000 68th Avenue West
Lynnwood, WA 98036-599

CWU-Moses Lake
7662 Chanute Street NE, Room 1846C
Moses Lake, WA 98837

CWU-Pierce County
9401 Farwest Drive SW
Lakewood, WA 98498-1999

CWU-Yakima
1000 South 12th Avenue, Room 107
Yakima, WA 98907-2520

CWU-Wenatchee
1300 Fifth Street
Wenatchee, WA 98801

CWU-Joint Base Lewis McChord
6242 Colorado Ave
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA 98433

CWU-Sammamish
120 228th Ave. NE
Sammamish, WA 98074

With the exceptions listed above, any academic unit which has the words "center" or "institute" in its title or which carries out activities which fit the definition of a center/institute described above without having the words "center" or "institute" in the title, comes under the jurisdiction of this policy.

[Responsibility: Provost / VP of Academic Affairs; Authority: Cabinet/UPAC; Reviewed/Endorsed by: Cabinet/UPAC; Review/Effective Date: 07/2009; 06/12/2019; Approved by: James L. Gaudino, President]