Office of Academic Affairs

The Provost’s office oversees academic and student affairs. Academic Affairs is organized around five colleges and faculty which together administer the academic programs on the Downtown and Hawaii Loa Campuses, and Military bases around Oahu. Student Affairs includes Student Life, Housing, Student Activities, Student Government Association, and Behavioral and Mental Health. Each academic program is home-based in one of these colleges, regardless of the campus on which its faculty teach or its courses are delivered.

The Office is headed by the Provost and Sr. Vice President of Academic Affairs, who reports to the President of the University and is a member of the President’s Cabinet and the University’s Senior Leadership Team. Each of the colleges is headed by a dean who manages the academic programs of the college with a team of assistant/associate deans, department chairs, faculty council, faculty committees, and elected faculty officers. The deans also serve on the Dean’s Council where university-wide academic matters are deliberated, and as ex officio members of the committees of the Faculty Assembly as appropriate.

Each faculty member, whether holding regular or adjunct status, is assigned to a college under the office and, according to his/her status, takes part in the governance of that college. The specific division to which a faculty is assigned is based upon his or her major academic discipline and the academic programs in which the discipline is located. Faculty who teach in several fields will have one college designated as their home base but may find that they take direction from more than one dean.

Recommendations on academic matters such as the approval of courses and curriculum, the planning of academic programs, the formulations of academic requirements for degrees and honors, and the selection and evaluation of faculty are made by the Provost and Sr. Vice President of Academic Affairs to the President. These recommendations are based upon recommendations of the Deans Council, the Faculty Senate, and or the Faculty Assembly. The processes of faculty governance are described in the Faculty Senate constitution and bylaws.

Other departments that report to the Provost and Sr. Vice President of Academic Affairs include the Registrar’s Office, Academic Advising, Career Development, the Library, the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP), Office of International Students and Scholars, the Study Abroad Program, and International Student Exchange program.