Campus organizational changes have been announced. Details are outlined below in this letter from Dr. Tromp:
Dear colleagues,
As we continue to roll out our university strategic plan, I want to keep you updated on important organizational and structural changes. There are several areas that will be touched by these changes: campus operations, public safety and transportation, finance and administration, university affairs, government and community relations, and research and economic development.
Starting next Monday, we will begin merging campus planning and facilities with finance and administration to simplify our structure, better align functional priorities, and create greater synergy among our operations, facilities, finance and administrative teams. This is an important part of our commitment to operating efficiently and maximizing our resources, particularly in financially challenging times. Public safety, including campus security, transportation and parking, emergency management and integrated security technology, will move to the Division of Compliance, Legal, Public Health and Audit, which will become the Division of University Affairs.
I am especially thankful to Alicia Estey, Mark Heil and Randi McDermott for their thoughtful leadership throughout this process.
Roger Brown will soon step into the role of Director of Economic Development and Community Relations in the office of Harold Blackman, the Vice President of Research. This move aims to help us cultivate and build upon our community partnerships. Roger will continue to advise us on legislative matters as we assess next steps. I am grateful to Roger for the guidance and support he has provided in his governmental and community relations role, and I look forward to enhancing our economic development efforts and supporting our truly valuable relationships with our partners in the business community.
In sum, you will see the following changes:
- Alicia Estey, VP for University Affairs and Chief of Staff, will oversee the Department of Public Safety.
- Mark Heil, VP and CFO, will oversee all other areas of Campus Operations.
- Randi McDermott will shift to Chief Planning and Facilities Officer, reporting to Mark Heil.
- Roger Brown will move into the Office of the Vice President of Research and Economic Development as Director of Economic Development and Community Relations, reporting to Harold Blackman.
To my colleagues who work in these areas, you have demonstrated your indispensable value to the university a thousand times over this year, and I want to express my sincere gratitude. I value the roles you all play in making our university the engaged and vibrant community that it is. You have been instrumental in our success this past year keeping our campus healthy, safe and open. We couldn’t have done it without you, and I look forward to seeing the innovative work you’ll do in the coming year.
Mark and Randi will hold a town hall meeting in the coming weeks with their team to talk through the new structure for their area and to answer questions; Alicia will do the same with her team.
Thank you to each of you for your important work on behalf of our students. Together, we have achieved amazing outcomes. We anticipate that our number of living graduates will rise to over 100,000 at commencement this May: 100,000 people whose lives have been positively transformed by your work, who have gone on to share their talents and give back to their communities. Your work is a service to our students, to our state, and to the world.
Sincerely,
Dr. Marlene Tromp
President