CHAPTER 7 ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AND CURRICULUM

SECTION 4: ARTICULATION AGREEMENTS

(To see who has authority to approve changes to this section, please see the Approval of Changes page).

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ADMINISTRATION AND SHARED GOVERNANCE

1. Inter-Institutional Agreements

The submission of a cooperative agreement with another institution, either domestic or foreign, indicates not only commitment of the project coordinator, but of the university. These agreements, if successful, can result in a significant impact on the university. Therefore, UWSP has a vested interest in the agreement since the university is ultimately accountable to ensure that the conditions as outlined are fulfilled. Each inter-institutional agreement must be reviewed and approved by the appropriate administrative personnel and shared governance bodies before it is formally submitted to another institution.

The official UWSP Permission to Develop an Inter-institutional Agreement form (available from the Office of Academic Affairs) is designed to facilitate this process. Please attach a draft copy of the proposed agreement plus any other appropriate supporting materials to this permission form. Agreements which involve more than one department, school, college or UW System unit must be reviewed and approved by the appropriate officials of each unit, appropriate shared governance bodies, and ultimately the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The purpose of this approval process is not to question the professional skill or approaches of the project coordinator, but rather to give assurance that the university supports the plans for the project, and that these plans are consistent with the activities, priorities, and mission of the university. The opportunity that this formal approval process presents to inform the campus of the proposed activities is important to the faculty member as well as the shared governance bodies and administrators. The responsibilities of the administrative staff in this approval process are as follows:

• The Department Chair or Director will:

1. review the agreement to assure that faculty and support staff time commitments are reasonable and compatible with departmental workloads, present and planned,

2. determine that the percentage of time and salaries are accurate, and

3. agree that the space, facility, and service requirements are within the department’s present or planned resource capability if not specifically provided for in the proposal.

• The Dean or Line Officer will review the proposal for completeness and confirm that:

1. space, service and support requirements are adequately provided for

2. responsibility is accepted for assuring the availability of local in-kind funds promised in the proposal, and

3. that the agreement’s budget, salary rates, job titles and classifications are reasonable, appropriate, and consistent with UWSP policy.

4. In addition, the Dean/Director should ascertain to what degree the agreement will commit the college/school or unit to long-term support of project personnel or a program which may evolve from the agreement.

The Provost and Vice Chancellor will review the proposal to ensure that it conforms to UWSP and Board of Regents’ policies and state laws; that it is in proper form for submission to the potential collaborators; that it is conducive to the university’s mission by promoting the best academic interests of the university and that implied or definite university commitment of funds, space, and personnel can be met; and that the commitments for matching funds can be met by the university.

Faculty and staff should allow sufficient time for on-campus processing of the proposals to develop a cooperative agreement. The review responsibilities assigned to administrative personnel and shared governance bodies are of such a nature and extent that “walking a proposal through channels” in a brief period of time is difficult.

2. Articulation Agreements

Articulation agreements are specific credit transfer agreements between our institution and one or more Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) or other institutions. Prior to seeking approval for an articulation agreement with a WTCS partner, the agreement should be forwarded to the Transfer Processing Specialist in the Admissions Office for review.

After permission is gained from the appropriate administrative representatives, the department agreement coordinator is then responsible for drafting the formal articulation agreement for signatures. The formal agreement needs to be formatted in compliance with UW System Administrative Policy 140 (formerly UWS ACIS 6.2). The formal agreement is routed by the department agreement coordinator for signatures of those authorized to enter into these agreements on behalf of UWSP and other non-UWSP partners. Once the formal articulation agreement is signed by all required signatories, the agreement is then forwarded to the Transfer Processing Specialist in the Admissions Office, and a copy is sent to shared governance for information and reporting to the university.