Professional Schools Region Governance Structure

 Professional Schools Region Governance Structure:

 Update Approved 4/16/21

Charge of the Professional Schools (ProS) Region

The ProS service region supports the teaching and research mission of the University by providing high-quality service to the professional schools at UC Berkeley in the areas of research administration, human resources, onboarding, purchasing, and reimbursements. The ProS Region will collaborate with a variety of other campus partners—including but not limited to the Berkeley Regional Services central office, Supply Chain Management, Contracts and Grants Accounting, the Sponsored Projects Office, the Industrial Alliances Office, the Academic Personnel Office, and People and Culture in delivering integrated services to the professional schools in the region. Collaborating closely and advocating with these partners in supporting the research and teaching missions of our community is an important aspect of the ProS charter.

The ProS Region currently includes the following UC Berkeley professional schools: Business, Education, Extension, Journalism, Law, Optometry, Berkeley Public Health, Public Policy, Social Welfare, SSALL.

The ProS Region will be jointly managed by the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Administration (VCA) and the Professional Schools Council of Deans. The Regional Director (RD), with support from the ProS Regional Associate Dean (RAD), will be responsible for communicating to the VCA about the progress of ProS activities within the region, and together will advocate for the budgetary and service needs of the region. The ProS Regional Director has a solid line reporting relationship to the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Administration and a solid line reporting relationship to the ProS Council of Deans through its’ representative, the ProS Regional Associate Dean. 

The ProS Regional Associate Dean will be appointed for a one-year term, with renewal at the approval of the Professional Schools Council of Deans. The ProS Regional Associate Dean responsibilities will include:

  • In collaboration with the Council of Deans and VCA, supervise the ProS RD

  • Attend the RAD meetings with VCA and the RAD/RD meetings 

  • Attend the ProS Council of Deans meetings

  • Attend the monthly ProS CAO meetings, as available 

  • Other duties as outlined in the RAD job description

The Professional Schools Council of Deans will be responsible for dealing with matters that need escalation if/when the RD, RAD and regional CAO(s) are unable to achieve resolution in the areas of human resources, onboarding, research administration, purchasing and reimbursement matters. Matters for escalation should be directed to the RAD for escalation to the Council, as needed. The Council of Deans will refer any unresolved dispute between an individual School and the ProS Region to the Vice-Chancellor for Administration, who will be the final arbiter.

Future changes to the Governance Structure will be proposed by the RAD and will require two-thirds approval by the regional deans.

ProS Advisory Board

The ProS Advisory Board is made up of at least one representative from each professional school serving in the capacity of CAO (or the equivalent), the RD, and the RAD for the region. Finance and other professional school staff may also attend advisory board meetings as necessary. The ProS Advisory Board will meet on a monthly basis and will invite professional school deans to attend meetings as necessary. 

A ProS Advisory Board lead CAO (or equivalent) will serve on an annual basis as a spokesperson and liaison for the ProS CAO group, as needed.  The lead will also collaborate with the RD in setting the monthly agenda for the ProS Advisory Board meeting. This lead will be nominated and approved annually by the ProS Advisory Board at the July meeting.

The ProS Advisory Board is tasked with supporting the RAD and RD in developing optimal strategies for administrative tasks that combine regional and departmental resources in the most effective and appropriate ways to advance UC Berkeley’s teaching and research missions. This will include:

1)  Partner with the RAD and RD to maintain community, and build services and trust among the professional schools and the regional service center.

  • All advisory board members are at-large members with a responsibility to the region, as well as their schools.

  • Advisory board members will help liaise between the RAD, RD and faculty and staff within the schools and the region. They will gather information and report to the RAD and RD on the state of administrative services, the opportunities to directly or indirectly make improvements, and the challenges confronting faculty and staff (both in the region and the schools).

  • Advisory board members will maintain open lines of communication with the members of their schools, the RD, and the RAD to address concerns and problems. They should encourage early escalation and mutually agreeable solutions for addressing such matters before they become more difficult for the ProS Region to address.

2)  Help the RAD and RD set priorities, develop policies, identify solutions and establish metrics that will lead to more effective administrative support for teaching and research in the region.