Process for Departmental Reorganization

As we embark on departmental and school reorganization in Fall 2023, we have developed a process for departmental reorganization. As indicated in the May 17, 2023 Campus Update on Departmental and School Reorganization, we will move from a structure organized by schools and departments to a structure where departments are organized into schools (with school chairs) and then into four colleges. As conversations have begun to occur this summer, we have received requests to elaborate on the process for decision-making related to departmental organization. Below are some guidelines and a process for decision-making. 

Department chairs have been invited to a retreat on August 8 hosted by the 5 academic deans to brainstorm models for college, school, and department organizational structures. As we begin this conversation, we want to reiterate what the Provost said in her May 17 memo: faculty and staff in the academic schools have agency to explore and develop models for reorganization in discussion with deans and other administrators. We do not have a hidden, preferred model in mind, and all of our current schools and departments can and should be open to change. Departments should explore the collaborations that allow them to grow enrollment for programs, maintain curricular integrity with losses of faculty, and develop interdisciplinary practices that encourage student-centered and inclusive pedagogies and foster faculty success.  

Guidelines

Every department that supports fewer than 500 majors will need to form a school with at least one other department. If a school formed from two departments supports fewer than 200 majors, it should consider combining with another one or two departments. Optimally, no school should contain more than four departments or support more than 700 majors, with the exception of majors that already house that number of students. 

Departments and Deans will work together to develop a single proposal with recommendations for departmental and school reorganization which will be sent to the Provost for review by November 1, 2023, and she will address questions or concerns and work with departments and Deans to finalize the proposal for faculty governance consultation and review following the procedure outlined in the Interim Policy on Academic Reorganization. The final decision on reorganization will be made by the President for implementation June 1, 2024.  

In Fall 2023, we will be developing the structure of the reorganization – specifically, which departments are organized into which schools and which colleges. Many other aspects of the reorganization are vital, including naming, budget, RTP, departmental staff, and assigned time, but these aspects of reorganization will be addressed in late Fall and Spring 2024, after the structure has been established.

The Deans will support departments in finding partners or larger groups, facilitating discussions, and supporting interdisciplinary initiatives before and after reorganization. Interdisciplinary programs, cross listed courses, or joint hires may cross departmental, school, or college boundaries. 

Process for Departmental Reorganization

Departments will form into schools via the following process:

1. Departments will meet to discuss possible partners and their preferred college. To encourage free thinking, we are labeling the Colleges A, B, C, and D.  Naming of the new Colleges will happen after the structure is complete.

2. Department chairs will meet together with the chair or chairs of possible school partners, and chairs should facilitate faculty conversations and sharing of information. It may be desirable to hold joint department meetings.

3. If a potential school consists of departments currently in one school, and chairs believe they will remain under their current dean, then the department chairs should meet with their current dean to discuss their plan. If the potential school consists of departments currently in more than one school or if they believe they will be best served in another college, then they should meet with their current and possible future deans. The deans will help to organize these meetings collaboratively and neutrally.

4. Once the department and deans agree on a plan for these departments, then they will submit a planning form to document the plan and support of the relevant deans. The planning form is here.

College Reorganization

Once departments have formed into schools and this has been documented, along with their preferred college, the deans will review all Google Forms and develop this into a proposal for the Provost. If questions arise, the appropriate deans will reach out to the impacted departments for further discussion.  

The final proposal, which may include one reorganization model or up to three possible options, will be shared with all department chairs at least one week before it is sent to the Provost. The earlier that departments can do the work of collaborating and identifying potential partners, the more likely a longer review process will be possible.

Appendix A

Data for each department

Data sources:

1. Tenure Track faculty headcount (no FERP): Faculty Affairs data

2. FTES AY 2022-23: Official APDB reports reflecting FTES at census each term.

3. Majors Fall 2022: Majors by Department dashboard in SSU Tableau, reflecting students enrolled at census by major. Students with multiple majors are counted once in each major.