THE OFFICE OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

ABOUT THE OFFICE OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

OAA Mission

To enhance the excellence of the School of Medicine through the appointment, promotion, and retention of a distinguished and diverse faculty dedicated to the continued development of an inclusive and equitable culture.

To support the professional and personal development of all faculty from recruitment through retirement.

To maintain the integrity of school and university standards, policies, and processes in partnership with academic departments, business units, and university leadership.

What We Do

OAA’s main function is to support Departments, the School of Medicine and the University in:

  • Safeguarding the integrity, fairness, and transparency of policies and processes affecting the faculty
  • Providing a supportive environment in which faculty can develop, flourish and succeed.


In addition to overseeing faculty appointment and promotion processes, OAA also has the following responsibilities:

  • Development and implementation of School-wide policies and interpretation and application of University policies regarding academic affairs
  • Collection, maintenance and interpretation of faculty data for reporting to the School and University and for informing policy decisions
  • Management of sabbaticals and other leaves, FTE changes, resignations, retirements
  • Resolution of conflicts informally or through official investigations in response to formal complaints or grievances
  • Direction of the training and processes of department and institute academic affairs staff
  • Faculty Leadership Development provides executive coaching and training for all faculty on leadership, advising/mentoring and related competencies; counseling on appointment and promotion processes; and guidance to division chiefs and department chairs on faculty affairs issues such as those related to performance or conduct.
  • Organizational Development provides services to units when faculty members are involved, such as conduct of needs assessments; climate surveys; 360 reviews, and consultations on retreats for team building and strategic planning.