Academic Restructuring: Don't let the transition control you
Magna Publications News Release
Madison, Wis.—September 22, 2010—Academic restructuring is a difficult and painful process. Unfortunately, it is now occurring on a growing number of campuses, due mainly to budget limitations. This is because higher education in the U.S. now faces the biggest challenges in its history since the end of World War II.
Since the creation of the “Campus Cuts” feature in the Chronicle of Higher Education in April 2010, 57 colleges and universities have gone through restructuring. The process may include laying off faculty, faculty furloughs, and even program closures.
In the recent Magna Online Seminar Academic Restructuring: Guidelines For Academic Leaders, Dr. Kate Forhan noted that there is little published literature or guidance available on best practices to follow when restructuring. Dr. Forhan is the provost and vice-president of Academic Affairs at the University of Southern Maine.
What is restructuring? It can mean reorganizing and combining divisions or programs. It may include program realignment. Dr. Forhan explained that programs that proliferate during times of plenty might need to contract, or even be closed, during times of belt-tightening. She pointed out that while program closure is always difficult for universities, it can provide a welcome opportunity to re-invest in areas with greater growth potential. For example, Russian and German language programs are currently declining, while interest in other languages, such as Arabic and Chinese, is increasing. This natural shift in student interest can create opportunities to merge small departments into new units.
Restructuring decisions are very complex. They require close attention to a variety of factors in order to be successful, including governance; effects on tenure and promotion; culture clashes; staff morale; and student success.
During this seminar, Dr. Forhan provided specific examples of department and unit mergers which have proven successful on college campuses, along with her “Seven Guidelines for Managing the Transition.” They are:
- Define the project
- Identify guiding principles
- Use a task force approach
- Map the project for decisions and actions
- Calculate costs
- Identify Metrics, and
- Develop a communication plan.
Explaining and describing each step in detail, Dr. Forhan also outlined the “Most Common Mistakes” administrators are prone to make along the way.
If your campus is currently faced with the need to restructure, this online seminar will provide you with hard-to-find practical strategies for making the necessary changes with maximum impact and minimal pain.
If you missed the seminar and would like to purchase it for your institution, you can order the program in CD or print transcript format, both of which include the presenters' handouts.
Magna Publications is a leading publisher of newsletters and other information products in the higher education segment. Magna also manages onsite and online conferences on topics of interest to higher education.
For more information please contact David Burns, Publisher, Magna Publications, Inc., at 608-227-8109, or dburns@magnapubs.com.
