This spring, the expanded Academic Reorganization Working Group will seek feedback on UVM’s academic organization. The Working Group will consider realignments that capitalize on our strengths, collective resources and academic and research synergies while ensuring a sustainable future for the university. The Working Group and Subgroups will be looking at both current successful structures and practices at other universities and ways to improve UVM that are aligned with our strategic vision and academic success goals.

Communications
- Academic Reorganization Working Group Update (PDF) Feb 11, 2021
- Academic Reorganization Working Group Clarification Jan 12, 2021
- Update on Academic Reorganization Working Group Jan 11, 2021
- Academic Reorganization: Thinking About Our Future Nov 23, 2020
- Academic Organizational Restructuring Working Group (PDF) May 28, 2020
Working Group and Subgroups
In collaboration with the Faculty Senate and in response to the motion regarding academic organization passed at the November 2020 Senate meeting, the Academic Reorganization Working Group will expand its membership. Following the successful models of the General Education and UVM Strong Working Groups, we have reconstituted the Working Group and added three subgroups to examine the various facets of academic reorganization.
All members of the Working Group and Subgroups are part of the overall reorganization effort and each group has an important voice and role in the process. The membership of the Working Group, however, does not include the full membership of the Subgroups.
Academic Reorganization Working Group:
David Jenemann (Chair—Dean, HCOL/CAS)
Linda Schadler (Dean, CEMS)
Jim Vigoreaux (Vice Provost/CAS)
Mary Cushman (Faculty Senate Executive Committee/LCOM)
Adrian Ivakhiv (Faculty, RSENR)
Alan Maynard (Faculty, CNHS)
Ernesto Mendez (Faculty, CALS)
Pramodita Sharma (Faculty, GSB)
Jay Garvey (Faculty, CESS)
KC Williams (Staff/Student Services Collaborative)
Avery Rasmussen (Student, GSS)
Chris Burns (Faculty Senate President/Libraries)—ex officio
Working Group Responsibilities:
- solicits stakeholder feedback in public meetings, focus groups, one-on-one conversations, and other avenues designed to maximize community input;
- oversees the work of the subgroups;
- compiles subgroup findings, community input, and other information;
- prepares the working group’s reports
External Benchmarking Subgroup:
Pramodita Sharma (Chair—Faculty, GSB)
Jim Vigoreaux (Vice Provost/CAS)
Jinny Huh (Faculty, CAS)
Adrian Ivakhiv (Faculty, RSENR)
Jay Lashombe (Staff Council/Admissions)
Katherine Merrill (Faculty, CEMS)
Alex Yin (Executive Director, OIR)—ex officio
Kathy Howrigan (Foundation/Alumni Relations)—expert resource
External Benchmarking Subgroup Responsibilities:
- researches other institutions of higher education who have undertaken university-wide reorganizations;
- interviews external and internal senior administration, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders about reorganization experience at other institutions;
- examines how reorganization might position the university in the market place
- assesses potential impact on alumni and donors;
- compiles any measurable outcomes resulting from reorganization that can be tracked
Internal Alignment Subgroup:
J Dickinson (Co-chair - Vice Provost/CAS)
Susan Comerford (Faculty, CESS)
Alan Maynard (Co-chair - Faculty, CNHS)
KC Williams (Staff/SSC)
Lana Al Namee (Student, SGA)
Avery Rasmussen (Student, GSS)
Kirk Dombrowski (Vice President for Research)—ex officio
Internal Alignment Subgroup Responsibilities:
- examines barriers to student success created by our current academic alignment;
- identifies policies and practices in place at the unit or university-wide level that promote student success;
- examines current and potential research alignments to determine opportunities for research growth;
- considers ways to improve the graduate experience and any opportunities to invest in our graduate offerings that would result from reorganization;
- identifies potential opportunities and synergies for innovation/relevance/academic excellence at the undergraduate level;
- assesses impact on students, faculty and staff
University Resources Subgroup:
Linda Schadler (Chair – Dean, CEMS)
Mary Cushman (Faculty Senate/LCOM)
Cathy Paris (Faculty, CALS)
Mary Lou Kete (Faculty, CAS)
Randall Headrick (Faculty, CAS)
Shari Bergquist (Budget Director)—ex officio
University Resources Subgroup Responsibilities:
- analyzes and evaluates university infrastructure relative to our academic organization;
- catalogues administrative tasks and services likely to be impacted by reorganization;
- identifies opportunities for more effective support for academic programs that would result from reorganization;
- evaluates the financial impact of selected organizational models
Timeline
STUDY PHASE | ||
---|---|---|
FY20 | May 2020 | FPPC Resolution Recommending a New Reorganization Planning Process |
May 2020 | Initial Working Group Charged | |
FY21 | Fall 2020 | Working Group Initial Findings shared with President Garimella and Provost Prelock |
Nov 2020 | UVM 2050 Conceptual Model presented to Faculty Senate | |
Nov-Dec 2020 | UVM 2050 Conceptual Model shared with Campus | |
Jan 2021 | Expanded Working Group and Subgroups Constituted | |
May 2021 | Additional Feedback Gathered from Faculty Senate |
PROPOSAL PLANNING PHASE | ||
---|---|---|
FY22 | Jun-Nov 2021 | Working Group Development of Academic Reorganization Proposal |
Dec 2021 | Academic Reorganizational Proposal Presented to Faculty Senate |
Resources and Reports
- Updates and Plans for Soliciting Input (PDF) February 24, 2021
- UVM 2050 December 2020
- Academic Organizational Restructuring Working Group Draft Report (PDF) October 2020
- Strategic Initiatives Project Organization Structure Team Report to Campus (PDF) May 2012
- Report of the Transformational Change Working Group (PDF) April 2009
- President's Commission on Critical Choices (PDF) January 1993
- University of Vermont Geneology: 1911-2018 as prepared by T. Vogelmann (PDF