At some point in our university lives, we all felt overwhelmed by our university's complex structure. Departmental relationships, reporting hierarchies, and faculty positions can be a tangled web. That is where a university organization chart comes in! It is a handy tool that is like a cheat sheet for campus life, showing you who’s in charge of which department, where to contact in different matters, and how everything is connected.
If you want to know about this secret weapon to help you through the university maze, keep reading this article. In this article, we will discuss university org charts and their benefits in detail. Using an online drawing tool, we will also show how to make one yourself.
In this article
Part 1: University Organizational Chart Templates
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A university is basically a city within a city. Lots of different staff are doing different jobs, making sure that everything keeps running smoothly every day. But how can one know who’s in charge of what? In order to learn the operation structure of the university or any organization, the best way is to see its organizational chart.
Think of it as a blueprint of the university, a clear and concise map that tells the hidden structure behind the university campus life. It outlines the network and interactions between governing boards, departments, faculty, students, and even outside organizations.
Using boxes or shapes connected by lines, they show the flow of authority, responsibility, and communication within the university campus. Its main aim is to track who interacts with whom and who’s responsible for what. Let’s look at what other objectives it has:
- It is a blueprint for the new students to find their advisor or specific subject departments.
- Professors from different departments can use this chart to connect with other professors within their departments. This helps them in teaming for potential collaborations and projects.
- This chart allows everyone in the university to work at their maximum efficiency by keeping them organized and well aware of their own and other departments.
Hierarchical Structure of Large University Org Chart
Following is a simplified model of the hierarchical structure of a university organization chart. It can vary significantly from university to university depending on many factors. These factors include university size, complexity, administrative style, etc. Let’s look at the breakdown of a university org chart.
- President and chairperson: This is an executive-level position responsible for implementing the Trustees' board vision. They oversee all university operations and report back to the Board of Trustees.
- Board of trustees: This is an external body with the highest authority level. Its decisions influence the overall university’s direction and policies. It appoints the president and chairperson.
- Vice chancellor: This position handles all the middle management. However, this position varies from university to university. In some universities, the vice chancellor is second in command, reporting to the president directly and also overseeing specific departments.
- Chief academic officer: The CAO oversees all the academic departments and matters, including faculty, curriculum, research, etc.
- Chief operating officer: The COO oversees all the university’s day-to-day operations which include finances, facilities, human resources, etc.
- Director sports: This individual leads the university sports and athletic departments, overseeing coaches, sports programs, national and international events, and facilities.
- Director of alumni affairs and advancement: This individual oversees matters related to alumni relations, fundraising efforts, and also donor stewardship.
Part 2: How to Make a University Organizational Chart in EdrawMind
Understanding who’s in charge of what department and where to find them is a huge blessing in university life. There are multiple apps through which you can make such org charts. We recommend you check out EdrawMind.
Its user-friendly interface and amazing customization options can produce corporate-graded organizational charts very easily. Let’s show how to use EdrawMind to make a university org chart.
First, make sure you have downloaded the EdrawMind desktop version. If you haven’t, download and install it from the official website. Once launched, Log into your Wondershare ID, or you can also assess the software using your social media account.
Step 1:
Go to the EdrawMind main menu and click Gallery from the left panel. After that, click Diagram Types category > Organizational Chart category. This will give you all the relevant templates in the organizational chart category.
Step 2:
Click on the Search Template option and type your keyword, “University Org Chart.” Explore all the templates. Hold the template that suits you the best and click the Duplicate button. This will be the foundation of your university org chart, and you can customize it according to your needs.
Step 3:
Click the Start button on the top menu bar to start customizing your template. You can add or remove Topics, Subtopics, and Floating Topics from here. Double-click the existing boxes in the template and rename them according to your university’s departments. Click the text to change font color, style, and size. You can also edit the shapes by adding borders, connectors, and branches.
Step 4:
From the Insert option, you can add numbering, clipart, tables, pictures, etc. For instance, if you want to add pictures to your org chart, click Pictures. You can add pictures from your downloaded images, their Pexels HD image gallery, clip art library, or even use their AI to generate images.
Step 5:
Next, click on the Page Style button. This gives you options to change the theme, font and color, background color, and texture. There is also an option of Magic Hand Drawing, which lets you add effects on your org chart shapes and text to give it a personalized touch.
Step 6:
EdrawMind has another amazing feature: Wondershare AI Painting. You can use this Ai integrated customization to get the background per your needs. You just need to enter a prompt describing which type of background you are looking for. Choose your desired image dimension and style and it will create it for you.
Step 7:
You can save it to your device once you’re done customizing your hotel org chart. Click the Disk icon next to the Printer symbol in the top-left menu. Choose the location where you want to save it. That’s it, you’ve your own customized university org chart.
Part 3: Why Edrawmind for Organizational Chart?
EdrawMind is known for its amazing mind-mapping features, but it goes beyond that. It also functions as an exclusive org chart maker. It is a powerful tool that transforms complex organizational structures into clear, easy-to-grab visuals. The best part is you do not need any prior design experience.
EdrawMind is a full-featured digital brainstorming tool with pre-built templates, easy drag-and-drop functionality, and a rich design library. It also offers AI assistance to streamline the process, making it a perfect option for all users, even those without tech knowledge.
Key Features
- Huge template gallery: One of EdrawMind's major key features is its massive pre-built template gallery, which is specially designed for various organizational bodies. These templates save you a lot of time by giving you a strong foundation org chart to work on.
- AI assistance:: EdrawMind uses AI to streamline the org chart creation process. This makes the whole process easier and lets you explore your creativity.
- Collaboration workspace:: Its collaboration feature lets teams work together efficiently and effectively. It offers real-time updates and progress.
- Import/Export files:: EdrawMax's flexibility regarding file formats makes it stand out from the rest of the software. It lets you easily import existing data from other tools or spreadsheets to add to your org charts, saving you the hassle of manually entering data. It also lets you export various file formats, including Excel, SVG, PDF, PPT, Word, and many image formats.
- Working modes:: EdrawMind caters to different users by offering different working modes. These working modes include mind map, outline, and presentation mode. This lets you do everything from notetaking, brainstorming, or even displaying your work.
Reasons to Try
- Simple and user-friendly:: With EdrawMind, you do not need any prior design experience. Its simple functionalities are easy for anyone to master, even at the beginner level.
- Affordable solution:: EdrawMind offers affordable pricing plans compared to competitors. Its free plan with basic features is perfect for individual users and small teams.
- Boost your productivity:: It saves you from wasting time on manual updates and confusing structures. It boosts productivity by promoting collaborative features, allowing teams to work together on a single org chart.
- Effortless efficiency:: EdrawMind streamlines the org chart creation process with features like AI integration. This saves you a lot of time and maximizes your efficiency.
Ratings
G2:4.6/5
Capterra Ratings:4.6/5
- Ease of Use: 4.5
- Customer Service: 4.3
- Features: 4.5
- Value for Money: 4.4
Pricing Plans
Depending on features and usage, EdrawMind has several paid subscriptions for individuals and businesses. It is preferred that you visit the software to find the latest pricing.
| Category | Pricing Plan |
| Individual |
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| Team & Business |
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| Education |
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| AI Tokens |
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Part 4: Benefits of a University Organizational Chart
There are several benefits of using university org charts, let's take a look at them:
- A university org chart helps maintain transparency and clarity by showing how different departments and units are connected.
- A clear understanding of the university structure automatically helps improve communication across the university. ,
- University org charts help identify relevant authorities to contact within departments and colleges, which helps enhance collaboration.
- They also help in appropriate decision-making for specific issues.
- A clear visualization and outlines of reporting promote accountability within the university.
- These org charts help understand the structure and needs of different departments, leading to enhanced resource allocation.
- It also promotes stronger external relations. When an org chart is readily available, it helps in smoother interactions.
Conclusion
Creating a university organizational chart is an essential step toward outlining and understanding the hierarchical structure and relationships within the university. Whether you’re a student seeking resources, a faculty member collaborating across departments, or an administrator visualizing future growth, the organizational chart would be the right overview for you.
With so many online drawing tools, creating your org chart is very easy nowadays. This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to create your university org chart using EdrawMind. If you're looking for a simple and professional mind-mapping tool with a wide range of built-in templates, EdrawMind's free version is worth trying.
EdrawMind
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