Managing Delegations of Authority

These procedures supplement the policy on Delegations of the President’s Authority (V.B.5). Refer to the policy for contact information and applicable definitions.

Effective date: June 1, 2014

Determination of Appropriate Delegations

Executive officers of the University who have authority delegated to them by the President may choose to delegate responsibility and authority to their subordinate staff or to others who, by virtue of their professional qualifications and/or their functional relationship to the delegating officer’s area of responsibility, are capable of exercising such responsibility and authority. In any event, such delegation of the particular authority must not otherwise be disallowed by University policy or by an applicable legal requirement. Such delegations also must meet the conditions listed below. Executive officers who delegate authority remain accountable for the exercise of any such authority.

An appropriate delegation of authority meets the following conditions.

• Enhances the effectiveness and/or efficiency of operations while maintaining accountability.
• Does not subject the University to a conflict of interest or circumvent checks and balances in place to minimize risk.
• Is commensurate with the delegate’s role within the organization. The delegate must be otherwise involved in and knowledgeable of the activity being conducted and have a level of responsibility within the University consistent with the authority being delegated.
• Does not involve activity that is outside the delegate’s professional qualifications or licensure (e.g., a license to practice law).

Documentation of Delegations

Each executive officer is responsible for maintaining documentation of his or her delegations and communicating them to the University Policy Office (UPO). The UPO will maintain an online posting of delegations made by executive officers. Delegations below this level are not required to be reported to the UPO, but are subject to all other requirements of these procedures.

Changes in Staff

Delegations of authority are made to the position, not an individual. When a delegate leaves his or her position (either by moving to another position within the University or by leaving the University entirely), the authority stays with the position until or unless it is revoked or reassigned. 

Similarly, when an executive officer leaves his or her position with the University, delegations of authority that were made by the executive officer prior to his/her departure remain in effect until or unless they are revoked or reassigned.

History and Updates to These Procedures

June 1, 2014: Establishment of these procedures in support of the policy on Delegation of the President’s Authority (V.B.5).