CU Boulder Provost Russell L. Moore today announced he intends to form, by the first week of April, three working groups of campus subject matter experts to examine the structural, budgetary and governance issues needed to implement the major recommendations of a report by the Provost’s Committee on Academic Reorganization.
Recommendations in the report center on internally restructuring the College of Arts and Sciences to include three divisional deans with more divisional budget and governance autonomy and an executive dean that would also be appointed to coordinate, among other things, logistical and material support for the college in areas such as human resources and communications. As proposed, the divisional deans would be full members of the provost’s Council of Deans.
The working groups will be charged with delivering their analyses at the close of the 2019 calendar year “that would say, in essence, ‘here is what it will take to move forward with a proposed new structure for the college.’”
“This would present me, Chancellor DiStefano and Senior Vice Chancellor Kelly Fox with the specifics we need to make a ‘go or no-go’ decision on whether to proceed with restructuring the college,” Moore said.
Moore said if the new proposed structure is adopted, a new transitional dean could, after an interim internal search process, be appointed by as early as February of 2020.
Current interim Dean of Arts and Sciences Jim White would be eligible to be a candidate for the transitional dean post, Moore said.
If the proposed structure is not adopted, a national search for a new dean for the college would begin in early spring of 2020 and would result in a new dean being appointed by January of 2021, Moore said.
“The creation of a new structure for our largest college is not a matter to be rushed, and we want to get a realistic, working sense of what it will take,” Moore said.
He then outlined the work of the three working groups as follows:
- First, the structural working group will need to identify the programmatic and resource challenges and opportunities that might result from the proposed structural and administrative reorganization.
- Second, a group of subject matter experts will need to clearly understand the budgetary ramifications of the proposed reorganization.
- Finally, a third group will work with members of the college to develop a thorough and comprehensive governance philosophy and structure that is optimally suited to support the new organization.
“The core mission of the university, embodied in our strategic imperatives, is to foster student success and to create and disseminate new knowledge and scholarship,” said CU Senior Vice Chancellor and CFO Kelly Fox. “The provost and I view this process as a unique and exciting chance to enhance our academic mission by finding opportunities to align our resources more directly in support of our students, faculty, and staff.
Moore said he would appoint the working groups based on consultation with and nominations from the deans, the Boulder Faculty Assembly, SVC Fox and department chairs and institute directors. The groups will convene in April and work throughout the spring, summer and fall, delivering reports to Moore and Fox at the close of the fall semester.
You can follow the process and read the report by visiting the Provost’s Committee on Academic Reorganization webpage.
