Central administration is the leading or presiding body or group of people, and the highest administrative department which oversees all lower departments of an organization.
Education
In most cases, a school or
school district
A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations.
North America United States
In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, whi ...
will have a leading group of people as a part of central administration. In a school district, these terms may include a
Superintendent (education),
chief operating officer
A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the " C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if t ...
, school headmaster, and/or other leadership roles in one or more specific department. People on central administration are usually appointed by a board, such as a
Board of education. They are comparable to positions such as a
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...
. They rank over all other administration, requiring leadership skills. Central administrative staff have an executive oversight and supervision on school and/or school district administration. The department exists in Universities as well again playing a key role in the organisation of the department. The department is often also tasked with data protection, disaster control planning and other areas.
Government
Central administration is also a key part of the
civil service
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
in many countries; in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, for example, the department supports the chief executive's office and other key areas.
In the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
, many arms of government have a central administration department. For instance, in correctional facilities, the office of the director is under its tutelage.
It plays a role in the function of various arms of state, such as in
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
, where it plays a pivotal role in the functioning of the civil service. The department also plays a key role in making critical decisions for many countries; in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
(which borders India), for example, there has been a discussion about whether the government should bring rebellious minded tribal areas under tighter control of central administration.
Organizations
In many other organizations, a “central administration” department plays a key role to its function. In the
information technology
Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system ...
sector, Central
Administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, administ ...
is a key resource, along with development teams.
Central administration departments are often tasked with providing IT Support to various organisations, providing key technological support. The nature of the role means the
professionals
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...
have very high access to
PC systems (
domain admins, etc.) as they need to undertake functions that include creation and amending of
user accounts.
Software
Central administration can refer both to people within a department as well as
consoles,
applications
Application may refer to:
Mathematics and computing
* Application software, computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks
** Application layer, an abstraction layer that specifies protocols and interface methods used in a c ...
, and other tools that help its function. Central administration is part of Windows
SharePoint
SharePoint is a web-based collaborative platform that integrates natively with Microsoft Office. Launched in 2001, SharePoint is primarily sold as a document management and storage system, but the product is highly configurable and its usage v ...
server; it allows system administrators or those within Central admin departments the ability to prioritise various tasks as well as allowing users to view resources and currently running services.
See also
*
English law
*
Chief administrative officer
A chief administrative officer (CAO) is a top-tier executive who supervises the daily operations of an organization and is ultimately responsible for its performance.
Government and non-profit
A CAO is responsible for administrative management of ...
*
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...
*
Superintendent (education)
*
Chief operating officer
A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the " C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if t ...
*
Executive director
Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization.
The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, thoug ...
*
Senior management
Senior management, executive management, upper management, or a management is generally individuals at the highest level of management of an organization who have the day-to-day tasks of managing that organization—sometimes a company or a corpo ...
*
Board of directors
*
Trustee
Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...
*
Board of education
*
Board of governors
A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organi ...
References
{{Reflist, 2
Management by type