There have been discussions about merging schools and colleges on campus, at the dean level and by Provost Thomas Sudkamp.
Health programs have the potential to be reorganized into one school.
Other mergers currently under discussion are the College of Education with College of Liberal Arts, the College of Science and Math with the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and School of Professional Psychology with the Boonshoft School of Medicine, according to a Board of Trustees report.
These discussions are motivated by a need to increase enrollment and retention, according to an official message from the Provost’s office.
Other goals include providing student pathways to graduation, allowing faculty to develop research and academic programs, aligning schools with employer and community needs and reducing administrative costs.
Currently, there is no defined proposal for how schools will be merging together. However, the deans have met to discuss the ways in which schools could potentially merge together in the future, according to Nathan Klingbeil, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science.
Proposals are expected to be introduced by February of 2018.
The School of Professional Psychology has held a Town Hall meeting with students to involve them in the discussions. There are expected to be more, broader discussions in the future which are expected to include to alumni, faculty and community stakeholders.
In order to organize these conversations, the faculty senate will appoint faculty members to a steering committee, according to La Pearl Logan Winfrey, dean of the School of Professional Psychology.
“Our role [as deans] is to enhance student pathways, increase faculty opportunities with multidisciplinary research, and to be responsive to workforce needs,” said Winfrey.
Ultimately, the deans would like to see this initiative move forward to provide better, more collaborative opportunities for students and faculty, according to Margaret M. Dunn, dean of the Boonshoft School of Medicine.
Part of the reason these discussions are taking place is to potentially have more common first year curricula, according to Douglas Leaman, dean of the College of Math and Science. This could provide students with more flexibility later in their degrees.
The academic motivations behind the discussions are being able “to have more flexibility, to provide more options for students, and to be more successful in generating workforce,” said Klingbeil.
