Departmental Organization

Administration

The Department Chair is ultimately responsible for the academic mission of the department, hiring personnel, developing and monitoring the budget, and representing the department with other bodies on campus. The current Department Chair is Dr. Pradip Srimani.
The Director of Instruction is responsible for supervising teaching assistants, scheduling all courses in the department, and maintaining the undergraduate curriculum. TA's work with the Director of Instruction on teaching assignments, requests to be absent from responsibilities, and performance evaluations. The current Director of Instruction is Dr. Wayne Madison
The Director of Graduate Affairs is responsible for maintaining the graduate curriculum and the recruiting graduate students. New graduate students work with the Director of Graduate Affairs to determine their schedules. Students may also discuss any problems with the Director. The current Director of Graduate Affairs is Dr. Mark Smotherman.
The Director of Laboratory Facilities is responsible for the overall management, operation, and maintenance of all department computing facilities as well as strategic planning for acquisition of new systems. The Director of Laboratory Facilities supervises the laboratory staff, graduate assistants, and hourly students who are responsible for day-to-day operation and maintenance of departmental systems. The current Director of Laboratory Facilities is Dr. A. Wayne Madison.

Committees

Much of the work of the department is carried out by committees. Each committee is chaired by a faculty member appointed each fall by the Department Head. Below is a list of committees and a very brief description of each committee. The chair of each committee normally changes each year.

Advisory Committee - elected by the faculty - This committee advises the Department Head on matters of budget, policy, and direction for the department.
Undergraduate Affairs - This committee recommends modifications in the requirements of the undergraduate degrees, changes in individual course content, and development of new undergraduate degrees. This committee is chaired by the Director of Instruction.
Retention, Promotion, and Tenure - This committee evaluates faculty members and makes recommendations to the Department Head and Dean concerning employment status. The committee consists of the full professors in the department.
Laboratory Facilities - This committee queries faculty regarding their equipment needs, develops a prioritized list of departmental needs, and submits the list to the Head for funding based on priority and available funds.
Assessment - This committee collects, analyzes, and reports data required by university, accreditation, and state organizations.
Graduate Affairs - This committee oversees the graduate program. It recommends modifications in requirements for the graduate degrees, admits graduate students to program status, and sets admissions standards. The committe oversees the development of new graduate courses, and administers the comprehensive portfolio examination for Ph.D. students. The Director of Graduate Affairs chairs this committee.
Honors and Awards - This committee recommends the winners of various departmental awards and the Teaching Assistant Teaching Award winner.
Research - This committee considers and submits to the faculty suggestions for improving the support for research within the department.