Unit Head Transitions

Owned by Ann Kelble
Last updated: Sep 26, 2023
8 min read

Purpose

To help COLA units with understanding the various tasks and updates that need to be made when a unit head reaches the end of their term of appointment or a change in unit heads takes place, for whatever reason.

Relevant Definitions:

Unit: This is a tricky one to define, mostly because we do not currently have a clear and consistent definition within the college. However, for our purposes, a “unit” is usually a department, a center, an institute, a program, or a functional area of the dean’s office; it is also sometimes an ‘initiative.’

A unit is characterized by having

  • a unit head (chair, director, dean, associate dean),
  • a name (e.g., “Center for European Studies”),
  • dedicated account(s)/funding, almost always in conjunction with a unique unit code in DEFINE
  • may have personnel
  • may have COLA web presence

DEPT: For purposes of this article, a DEPT (short for “department”) is a formally recognized and official part of the university, existing in the University Department System as a real structural unit within the College of Liberal Arts.

Every DEPT is a unit, but not every unit is a DEPT. This article will use the broader term of “unit” when discussing transitions that may occur, but DEPT transitions typically involve more steps needed and are the ones we tend to have better track of…

A DEPT has the following characteristics:

  • a unit head
  • a name (or names)
  • a 4-character code (or an 8-character code for sub-units); e.g. “ENGL” for “Department of English”; these codes are also used in Workday sup org naming conventions.
  • a unit code (in DEFINE); and, therefore, dedicated account(s)/funding
  • person(s) administratively responsible for maintaining information about this unit
  • Signature authorizations – i.e. Signature Desk authorizations for accounts in DEFINE, and also manual signer designations
  • a category/type, as designated in the University Department System; e.g., ADM= Academic unit; these categories feed into Workday as well
  • Personnel/employees (in most cases)
  • Is usually expected to continue
  • COLA web presence
  • Note: Creation of a new DEPT is a process that involves approvals of the Provost’s Office, Office of the VP for Research, and/or the Office of the Graduate School (depending on the unit type) and is not covered here.

Unit Head: Chair, Director, Dean, Associate Dean – person who is meant to be “in charge” of the unit.

  1. Note: Not all “directors” are unit heads, for purposes of this article; if a director is in charge of something that does not meet the definition of unit listed above, then they are not explicitly being addressed in this article, though there might be similar tasks involved if they leave or change, depending on the position.
  2. Note: it is important to understand to whom this individual will report in their unit head role.
  3. Depending on the type of unit/unit head position, there may be additional benefits associated with holding this role, such as additional compensation, workload adjustments, or other benefits, as established during negotiations with the person to whom they will report (chair, dean, or provost).

Staff: whomever is the contact in the unit who will be helping to see the transition through, from the unit side. Usually the senior-most staff member and/or person responsible for overseeing HR/finances/operations internally (besides the unit head). This role is critical in ensuring a successful transition.

COLA HR: cola_hr@austin.utexas.edu

WD: Workday

APS: Academic Personnel Services; a team in the Provost’s Office responsible for handling many faculty recruitment and faculty HR processes for the university


Process:

Tool to Help:  Unit Head Transition Checklist

  1. Identify the end date of the appointment of the current unit head. Most formally-appointed unit heads have specific periods of appointment—begin and end dates. Ideally, when there is an end date, you can plan ahead and help to facilitate the unit head review process. (Not covered here.)
    1. Note: Most Unit Head appointments begin on Sept. 1 and end on Aug. 31. There are rare exceptions, but generally, at a minimum, appointments follow traditional academic appointment begin and end dates: 9/1-1/15 (Fall); 1/16-5/31 (Spring); 6/1-8/31 (Summer). 
  2. Once you have determined there is a transition (or know one is happening,) you’re ready to proceed. The two most frequent transition types:
    1. Renewal of unit head
    2. Change of unit head
  3. Workday Job: Most unit heads are UT faculty members who are paid in their faculty jobs. Not all unit head positions exist formally in Workday, but when they do, and when they are held by a faculty member, then the unit head job exists as an Add Job at 0SWH.
    1. BPs for unit heads reporting directly to Dean Stevens are processed by APS once the appointments have been approved by the Provost’s Office.
      1. Staff ought to follow-up with COLA HR 2-4 weeks prior to end date of current unit head’s term, whether changing or renewing, so that COLA HR can check on the status of the BP. (Staff will likely not have access to see this in WD because the position is within the Dean’s sup org.)
        1. For changes of unit head, first the current unit head’s additional job must be ended in WD. Then the new person’s additional job can be added. The 8/31 -> 9/1 transition is particularly tricky because of the fiscal year end and so much else happening in WD at same time.
      2. Note: when the WD BPs are in process, other BPs (such as timesheets) that normally route to the unit head will route to Dean Stevens instead, so you might need to hold on to BPs until they final-approve to avoid having them mis-route.
    2. BPs for unit heads reporting to an Associate Dean are processed by COLA HR, once the appointments have been approved by the Provost’s Office and a signed offer letter is on file with them.
      1. Staff ought to be in touch with COLA HR if it is 2-4 weeks in advance of the current end date, and they have not heard from COLA re: the WD process being completed, to ensure this step does not get missed. Please don’t wait till after the start date of the new term of appointment to check on this!
      2. As with the unit heads reporting to Dean Stevens, these BPs cannot happen instantaneously; for changing unit heads in particular, first the existing unit head must have their additional job ended, and then the new person can be added. BPs that normally route through the unit head for approval will route to the unit head’s supervisor if sent forward while the unit head (Director) appointment is in process.
    3. BPs for unit heads reporting to a Chair or Director position are processed by the Staff in the superior organization, if a Workday position for said unit head exists. A signed appointment letter ought to be attached to the Add Job BP.
  4. Signature Authority:
    1. For Accounts: Staff shall refer to GG6 screen in DEFINE [access via VIRTEL] to verify the signing hierarchy for the unit; to change a unit head, Staff should initiate a Signature Desk form [see help article]: and route the Signature Desk form to the person listed as next in the hierarchy on GG6; will usually be Dean Stevens.
      1. When Staff complete the Signature Desk Qualtrics form, they will need to be able to provide the EID and names of both the departing and incoming unit head.
      2. They should list themselves as the contact person.
      3. They should receive an email after completing the form (it should route automatically).
      4. Staff will be notified when change has been completed. Please contact LA Finance with any questions.
    2. Manual Signer of Accounts: Fill out this Qualtrics link to update manual Signers. Questions? Please contact LA Finance.
    3. DEFINE Approver: Contact the Electronic Office Manager for your unit to have them update the routing of your unit in DEFINE; preferably Before the existing unit head has left.
      1. To find your Electronic Office Manager: AskUs Help Article
      2. You might need to have a mainframe ID created for the unit head for this step? (See Mainframe ID section, below.)
    4. Entertainment Expense Approvals: If your unit head is changing, they will not automatically be authorized to approve entertainment expenses for the unit. This authorization will require 2 steps:
      1. Contact the Business (if CBS client) and/or Finance teams in Dean’s Office to ensure update of VPE signature authority for your unit with the Office of Accounting.
      2. Once this update has been confirmed, the Finance/Business teams will update the Official Occasion Expense Form (OOEF) routing.
      3. Staff may need to follow-up with la-finance to ensure these steps are completed.
  5. Additional Authorizations and Access:
    1. Mainframe ID: A DPUSER contact for your unit can confirm whether or not your unit head already has a mainframe ID using the unit head’s EID.
      1. How do I find my DPUSER contact?
        1. Open a mainframe connection via VIRTEL and log in.
        2. Launch *DPUSER from the Tower screen:
        3. If you know your Department Prefix (the first two characters of your mainframe logon ID), use the DP command to go to the Department Profile for your unit; your contacts’ names, logons, and phone numbers will be listed there.
        4. If you don’t know your logon ID or department prefix, use the UI command and your EID to look it up. Proceed as in step 5.a.i.3.
      2. If the unit head already has a mainframe ID in your unit, the DPUSER contact can update the unit head information on the Department Profile screen.
        1. If the unit head is new or does not already have a mainframe logon ID, the DPUSER contact will create a new one with the EID you’ve provided.
    2. Mainframe-Related Programs Other Than DEFINE:
      1. *NRRECS: used for access to class, course, and student information; required for Advisor’s Toolkit authorization
        1. Request via DPUSER contact; provide them the logon and EID of the person whose authorizations the unit head’s ought to match. (Normally the previous unit head.)
      2. Advisor’s Toolkit: once the NRRECS access is in place, can request by contacting la-help@utlists.utexas.edu (and/or include that you will need this access when you contact your DPUSER contact about NRRECS).
      3. Anything else like this: Request via your DPUSER contact. You will always want to provide a model on which to base the requested authorizations (i.e., someone who has or had similar level of access).
    3. Course-Related Authorizations:
      1. Work through your course scheduler and/or contact Lisa Vera in the Dean’s Office.
      2. The Original Proof of the Course Schedule includes an opportunity to update to the department header information for the course schedule/course catalog. (this may have changed)
    4. Dean’s Office Listservs:

      1. The Dean’s Office will transition the Chair and Director listservs the week of the leadership transition. For most unit heads, the departing unit head will be removed on 8/31 at 4pm, and the new unit head will be added on 9/1 at 8am. If your unit head starts on a different date, they will be added to the appropriate listservs on their start date.

      2. If your unit would like to have an overlapping period between the two units heads, please have the current unit head contact Kaley Aguero to have the incoming unit head added prior to their official start date.

      3. If the UT email address in Workday changes, please reach out to Kaley Aguero as soon as possible with the updated email address to ensure there is no lapse in communications from the Dean’s Office.

      4. Each unit head will receive an email notification regarding their new status for these listservs after any changes are made. If your unit head does not receive these notifications within 24 hours of an update, please let Kaley Aguero know as soon as you are able.

    5. COLA CLASP:
      1. Contact LA Finance with the new and old unit head name and EIDs and the effective date of transition to remind them to update the information in COLA’s FileMaker databases when a unit head changes, including updating unit head access to CLASP, as needed for the salary adjustment process, soft money information, etc.
    6. FAR Admin:
      1. If unit head of an academic unit is changing, send COLA HR request for new unit head to have authorization to FAR Admin as chair or director so that they might review all Faculty Activity Reports within that unit.
    7. COLA Webpage Update:
      1. Email Chris Rankin in the Dean’s Office to update.
    8. Unit-Specific Authorizations:
      1. Staff will want to ensure that unit heads are given UT Box access to unit-specific files, as appropriate.
  6. Logistical Stuff:
    1. Office Change:
      1. Contact your Building Manager for key authorizations and/or about moving offices (if unit head is existing faculty member and is moving into designated unit head office)(?)


Related Policies:

HOP 2-2120: Selection and Evaluation of Academic Center Directors

HOP 2-2140: Selection and Evaluation of Department Chairpersons

UT Austin Information about Organizational Units

Other Related Links:

UT Austin Department System

VIRTEL

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