Colleges are usually governed by a board, most often called regents or trustees. The boards establish the overall direction and set policy for the colleges.
The president is selected by the governing board and oversees the day-to-day operation of the college. All other campus offices are subordinate to the president.
The college’s academic units report to the provost, who, along with the president, sets priorities and budgets for this fundamental portion of the college.
Vice presidents primarily control nonacademic units of the college. For example, a college might have a vice president of finance, vice president of student affairs, vice president of development and others.
Most universities and colleges are divided into large academic units also called colleges, such as the College of Engineering, College of Arts and Sciences, and College of Liberal Arts. The dean oversees department chairs and faculty within the college.
Each college is divided into subunits, called departments. A College of Humanities, for instance, might consist of communications, English, history and foreign language departments, among others. All faculty within each subunit answer to the department chair.