A formal Delegation of Authority is a statement providing the authority for specific positions to execute actions and activities, including the authority to act, commit resources, and execute agreements and other documents that are legally binding to the University.
The UC Board of Regents is granted “. . . full powers of organization and government . . .” of the University by the Constitution of the State of California, Article IX Section 9. The UC Regents have delegated certain broad authorities to the President and to other University of California Officers through Standing Orders and Bylaws. These authorities may be redelegated by the UC President promulgates formal written statements granting authority for specified matters with more specificity and restrictions.
In the Standing Orders of The Regents, certain authorities are conferred upon the President of the University of California by the Board. The President may choose to transfer certain responsibilities to other senior officers, including Chancellors of the campuses, by formally delegating authority in a published form. Within the Santa Cruz campus, operational responsibilities for actions, activities, commitments of resources, and executing agreements and documents that are legally binding to the University are assigned to specified campus administrators by written delegation of authority statements. Additionally, responsibilities are delegated in policies or captured within job descriptions and policies.
Key concepts for composing a Delegations of Authority:
- Authority for matters that require specific approval of the Board of Regents may not be redelegated.
- Authority is delegated to a position title, not to an individual. Delegations of authority should be addressed accordingly. It is not necessary to issue a new delegation when individual position incumbents change unless the duties of the position also change. Likewise, it is not necessary to issue a delegation for routine office management and/or administrative responsibilities.
- By longstanding custom, delegations of authority “flow down” through the chain of command. The President delegates authority to a direct report, who then (if allowed) may redelegate that authority to a direct report, and so on.
- Align authority with appropriate organization level of responsibility, i.e., place delegation (authority) where actual decision and financial accountability rests.
- Ensure Consistency, i.e., ensure that delegations are consistent and do not conflict with Standing Orders of the Regents, Presidential delegations, current policy statements, financial bulletins, and manuals.
- If a written delegation does not contain a statement disallowing or limiting redelegation, the presumption is that the authority may be redelegated.
- Authority is prohibited if the position to receive the delegation holds an for those with an inherent conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict, or if a conflict or the appearance of a conflict develops or occurs. If a conflict of interest arises once a delegation is in place, the individual in the position or the person to whom that individual reports must determine how to manage the conflict of interest. The authority should be withdrawn if there is an ongoing conflict or the perception of a conflict.
- Authority must be granted and exercised consistent with the terms and conditions of the original delegation and with applicable laws, regulations, and University policies.
- Delegations of Authority may be required following the issuance of a new policy or policy revision. Those delegations of authority must follow the same process as the above.
The Policy Office offers a Google template for Delegation of Authority writers. The template is a pre-designed fixed format structure that provides guidance and facilitates easy, consistent capture of all required delegation components. Please copy this document to your own collaboration space for editing. Once you have a draft, please contact Diane Lallemand, diane@ucsc.edu or pco@ucsc.edu for a review and to help with the Chancellor’s approval process.