March 25, 2014
Members of the Purdue community,
We have just passed the halfway point in the three-year implementation of Purdue's Foundations of Excellence action plan, an initiative vital to student success and one that is seeing progress and results thanks to intentional coordination and willing partnerships among Undergraduate Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Housing and Food Services.
Today, we are announcing the next step in this initiative -- eliminating the boundaries among these units as envisioned in the original, overarching recommendation of FOE. A committee has been appointed and charged with implementing this consolidation to bring the areas of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Housing and Food Services into one organization. Six units within that organization -- enrollment management; health and wellness; campus life; ideas and culture; learning; and academic success will work under the leadership of the provost's office.
Through these changes, we will align units that have similar missions, reduce confusion for students, effect more direct impact on student success, and emphasize programs that deliver innovative pedagogies as outlined in our Purdue Moves initiatives.
Savings that are gained by reducing duplication and administrative overhead will be directly reinvested in student success and affordability. Importantly, these changes will not include student or academic affairs units within the academic schools and colleges.
The committee will comprise the following individuals:
- Dale Whittaker, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs (Chair)
- Brent Drake, Chief Data Officer
- Frank Dooley, Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs
- Jim Hintz, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Interim Dean of Students
- Pam Horne, Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Dean of Admissions
- Beth McCuskey, Associate Vice President, Housing and Food Services
- Joann Miller, Associate Dean for Interdisciplinary Programs and Engagement; Professor of Sociology; Chair, University Senate Academic Organization Committee
- Dennis Minchella, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, College of Science; Professor of Biological Sciences; Foundations of Excellence Team
- Renee Thomas, Director, Black Cultural Center
- Jared Tippets, Director, Student Success
- Todd Wetzel, Director, Convocations
The charge of this committee is as follows:
- To increase student success and add value to the on-campus residential experience through the coordination of units within the new structure.
- To achieve significant recurring savings by reducing administrative overhead and eliminating duplicated effort currently existing within the units or elsewhere on campus.
- To recommend uses of the savings for student success activities and student affordability.
While the organizational unit will become fully effective on July 1, 2014, changes to programs and personnel will be made as they become apparent and as operational need arises. Joann Miller, in her role as chair of the University Senate Academic Organization Committee, will take responsibility for appropriate faculty input and governance action as the plan is developed. To support the work of the committee, a staff member from the Office of the Executive Vice President for Business and Finance, Treasurer will be assigned as a resource.
We thank everyone at Purdue for efforts thus far toward student success and look forward to additional positive results.
Sincerely,
President Mitch Daniels
Provost Tim Sands