Background
In Fall 2023, Provost Abraham charged the Organizational Effectiveness Task Force with considering a new academic structure for SUNY Brockport. The charge to the task force included the following:
- Now that we are a University, should we organize our academic units into Colleges? And if so, does that allow us to structure Schools within the Colleges?
- Do we have the right number of Colleges/Schools? Are the right departments within each unit? What moves would you recommend?
- Are the departments configured correctly? Should some be distributed into multiple units? Are there portions of some departments that might better fit with other units? Do some need to combine? Again, please provide specific recommendations.
- If we have structural changes, what does that mean for the management of academic units? For example, who administers a school? Consider compensation or support levels (not just dollars, but other issues such as administrative support or release time).
OETF presented a preliminary report in February 2024. Subsequently, they completed several open forums from which to collect feedback. They further obtained feedback through an online survey of department chairs. Using that information, the task force produced a final report that was made available on April 1, 2024. That report may be reviewed on the academic affairs website.
On April 12, a chairs meeting was held that included an hour for feedback on the OETF recommendation. On April 17, an open forum for faculty and a second forum for students was completed. That information was compiled and provided to Deans Council. The main sense of those comments was that costs need to be contained and that administration should be minimized and placed as close to the faculty as possible. That information was used by the Deans Council, in conjunction with the OETF recommendation, to develop the proposal included here.
Key Considerations
- The model presented here is not final. It requires further input and discussion to develop something that is both cost effective and permitted within SUNY.
- The College of Arts and Sciences is retained reaffirming the University’s roots as a liberal arts institution and the value we continue to have of the liberal arts.
- The College of Professional Studies houses four distinct schools that include related departments.
- Each school with have some academic leadership, allowing for greater administrative support for some of the larger programs on campus.
- The proposed model is viewed as a hybridization of the OETF recommendation.
- It is believed that this model will be more equitable relative to department service load, advisement, and related responsibilities.
- The proposed model will result in less upper administrative costs, as resources are redirected from upper-level administration to support administrative needs in departments through the addition of chairs, associate chairs, and coordinators as needed.
Detailed Proposal
The proposal represents a hybrid of OETF Models A and B. To reduce costs, the four colleges proposed in Model A (Business, Education, Public Health and Human Performance, and Nursing) are combined into a College of Professional Studies, with each of the identified areas now identified as a School (note that school names are open for discussion). The School of Arts and Sciences is elevated to a College, as recommended in both models. Consistent with Model B, each School is provided with direct academic leadership. This results in two colleges, each administered by a Dean, with the Schools and Departments as described in the diagrams. While specific department names are provided and assigned into Schools, these are open for discussion. Likewise, further conversation is welcome regarding the location of specific programs within the proposed departments.
The job description for academic leadership needs to be determined, but would likely include elements of course scheduling, student issues, and other operational functions. It is envisioned that administrative support would also be provided to the leadership, likely on a shared basis, and supporting the administrative functions of the School.
Within the proposal, certain programs/departments are identified to have an associate chair or a coordinator. The specific functions of these roles vary by program, which provides maximum flexibility to individual units. These roles already exist across the University, and it is imagined that the general function of each of these positions would be substantially similar to the functions as they exist today.
In keeping with the original recommendation from OETF, the Deans Council has recommended some reimagining of the departmental structure, elevating selected programs to departments, and moving some programs into larger units. Specifically,
- The Department of Educational Administration programs in School Business District Leader (SBDL), School Building Leader/School District Leader (SBl/SDL) are moved to Education, and the HEA and EdD programs are moved into Counselor Education. Each program within the new departments will be provided a coordinator.
- The Departments of Business and AEF are merged into a common Dept of Business. An Associate Chair will be added.
- Create Departments of Kinesiology and Athletic Training, Exercise Science, Physical Education Teacher Education from the existing programs.
- As already agreed, create a Department of Psychology, Philosophy, and Neuroscience, adding a coordinator for Philosophy (retaining the Psychology chair and the Neuroscience coordinator).
- As already agreed, merge Modern Languages and Cultures into the Department of Education, creating a coordinator for MLC.