University of Southern Maine

TO: University Community

FROM: Mark B. Lapping, Interim Provost/VPAA

DATE: October 3, 2007

RE: Academic Affairs Reorganization

In concurrence with the Deans' Council, I herewith wish to provide the university community with several scenarios for academic affairs reorganization that we believe are worthy of study.  Let me begin by stressing that reorganization for the sake of reorganization is not appropriate, nor are personal and political justifications for reorganization.  As with reorganization scenarios under review in non-academic divisions of the university, the guiding principle for possible reorganizations is that they support student learning, that they be intellectually credible, that they hold the potential for new and exciting synergies, and that they find fiscal efficiencies.

     With this memo I am asking the Deans and the faculties of our various schools and colleges to study these five possible reorganization scenarios.  It must be noted that decisions on any possible reorganizations will be informed by the findings and recommendations of these studies, together with analyses of any potential cost savings. The five scenarios that I am putting forward originate from the Deans' Council, suggestions that have come forward in submissions to President Wood's "Moving Forward" conversation, the President's town meetings, and from my own evolving thinking.  I ask the university community, under the leadership of the Deans, to begin a process of investigation that may well lead us to the realization of a refocused university -- mission-based, student-centered, and financially viable.

POSSIBLE SCENARIOS FOR REORGANIZATION

1. Combine the School of Business with the School of Applied Science, Engineering and Technology to create a new College of Management, Innovation and Technology with Schools of Business and Engineering & Technology embedded within it. (Note: not all current programs or departments need to be retained in the new structure, e.g., Applied Medical Sciences might migrate to the College of Nursing and Health Professions.)
   
   
2. Combine the College of Education and Human and Development with the College of Nursing & Health Professions into a new College of Education, Nursing and Health Studies with separate Schools of Education and Nursing and Health Sciences. 
   
   
3. Restructure the Muskie School of Public Service to include other academic, research and public service entities or eliminate the School's administrative structure and redistribute some or all of its various programs and institutes to other units in the university, e.g. the Institute of Health Policy to the College of Nursing and Health Professions, Public Policy & Management and Community Planning & Development to the College of Arts & Sciences, etc. 
   
   
4. Within the College of Arts & Sciences combine a number of existing departments and programs (such as Criminology and Sociology, Physics and Chemistry, Linguistics and Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, etc.), and establish within the College four schools: Fine and Performing Arts, Humanities, Science & Mathematics, and Social Sciences. 
   
   
5. Spin-off a number of the university's research and public service entities as non-profit organizations either affiliated with USM or independent of it.

For more information, please click on http://www.usm.maine.edu/mcr/update This site includes the breakfast speech; the latest digest of ideas e-mailed to movingforward@usm.maine.edu; our work plan; and notes from the recent series of town meetings.