May 10, 2023
For over a decade the campus has experienced declining enrollment, which has led to units’ regular budget cuts in response to declining revenue. But those cuts just trim around the edges and do not address the core, systemic budget issues stemming from our smaller size. We are at a point where more deliberate structural and programmatic reductions must take place in order to create a more sustainable financial plan for the campus, as described in my January 2022 budget memo. These strategic reductions are also necessary so we can identify funding to invest in new programs, positions, and raises, as well as other innovative opportunities. All of this signals that the campus must fundamentally change how we operate. As I shared in the budget memo, we are at an important moment in IU South Bend’s history. The status quo is not an option. We have an opportunity to re-imagine our campus – how we collaborate and operate – to best serve our students and our region.
In May of 2022, the Academic Organizational Design Task Force was established. The task force charge was developed collaboratively between the administration and academic senate leadership. It received an endorsement vote from the Academic Senate following the April 2022 Senate meeting. I am grateful to the many individuals with whom EVCAA Pearon and I engaged in discussion during the development of this charge. It is through a shared framework and understanding that we will make progress.
The charge of the Academic Organizational Design Task Force was to recommend an organizational configuration for the academic schools and colleges that maximizes academic synergies and shared efficiencies, while reducing overall administrative costs. The work of the task force was guided by seven principles:
- Remain true to the mission, vision, and values of IU South Bend, including our student-centric and inclusive focus as a teaching institution serving our region
- Reflect faculty, student, and other stakeholder input and recommendations
- Improve student recruitment, persistence, belonging, and completion
- Enhance opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration
- Create efficiencies that free up faculty and staff to focus on teaching, research, student support, and outreach
- Create structures that are simpler and more nimble so we can adapt as our region’s needs change
- Result in administrative and operational budget savings
The Academic Organizational Design Task Force recently completed its work, after a year working on this charge. Many thanks to the task force members and everyone who participated in the town halls, surveys, and other opportunities to provide feedback during the 2022-2023 academic year.
The task force’s report contains a description of their process, the research they conducted, and presentation of four models for consideration including how well each model met the seven criteria above. The Academic Senate also solicited feedback on the models, which I have reviewed. Additionally, I have solicited input from the Student Government Association. The task force report and feedback from the Academic Senate can be found on our new Academic Organizational Design webpage.
Based on my review of the task force report, information I gathered at various meetings, and the additional feedback received, my decision is for the campus to adopt Model A, the two-college model. This model includes a:
- College of Professional Studies with three schools: the Judd Leighton School of Business and Economics, School of Education, and the Vera Z. Dwyer School of Health Sciences.
- College of Arts and Sciences with three schools: the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and School of Natural Sciences.
At this time, I do not believe a Division of Interdisciplinary Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences would be the best way to promote broad, campus-wide interdisciplinary programs and collaborations. Thus, I request that further conversations occur during implementation planning regarding the best structure for promoting intra- and inter-college interdisciplinary collaborations before reaching a final decision on a division of this type.
I believe this model overall best fits the seven guiding principles. In particular, this model:
- Values the identity and tradition of both the liberal arts and professional programs
- Maintains the identity of existing units (e.g., schools) with modest disruption
- Creates two colleges that are more balanced in size
- Offers the greatest potential for administrative and operational budget savings and generating efficiencies
- Creates structures that are potentially more nimble for adapting to our region’s changing needs
- Provides new opportunities for enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration, both within colleges and across colleges
- Aligns well with recommendations that are emerging from the Academic Master Planning process
It will take a year of implementation to fully realize the new structure. Thus, the existing schools and colleges will remain in place during the 2023-24 academic year. EVCAA Pearon has appointed interim leadership for the Raclin School of the Arts and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and is in the process of appointing interim leadership for the Leighton School of Business and Economics.
EVCAA Pearon is also in the process of establishing an AOD Implementation Steering Committee that has representation from faculty, staff, and students. The steering committee will be co-led by an administrator and a faculty leader (appointments are in progress now). As with the task force’s work this year, our implementation work will be done collaboratively. Further communication regarding the implementation work will come from EVCAA Pearon. The expectation is that our new model will be formally in place by Fall of 2024.
This was a difficult decision and I want to acknowledge again the work of the task force and the feedback provided by so many on campus. While not everyone will agree with this decision, we all need to come together as a community to implement this model for the future of our campus. I want to thank you for your continued commitment to our students and the strong and sustainable future of IU South Bend.