PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – UW-Oshkosh is considering an administrative reorganizing of its academic structure, in hopes of saving at least $1.5 million per year.
As the Universities of Wisconsin has coped with dropping enrollment, several changes have been made at campuses across the state. That has included layoffs and furloughs at UW-Oshkosh, and the end of in-person instruction at its Fond du Lac campus.
In the latest move to deal with the issue, the school is considering moving from four colleges to three.
“These models reflect a lot of input and feedback we have received over the last several months. And they reflect structures—including “career clusters” that many of you may have first learned about in high school—designed to meet the needs of current and future learners. In all, what we are proposing is the product of hard choices and trade-offs as we built the models to better serve you. They offer the opportunity to reimagine how we organize UWO and how we deliver our academic offerings,” states an email to students from Edwin Martini, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. “We spent months in an inclusive, collaborative, thoughtful process designed intentionally to protect programs and faculty positions. Our goal was to design new structures that explore additional ways to sustain and enhance UWO programs for the long term. Refusing to choose a direction—inaction—would force alternative cuts to close the university’s deficit. You don’t want that. We don’t want that.”
The email also suggests the light is at the end of the tunnel in terms of major changes on campus.
“It has been a challenging time at UWO. But we are making choices that are working. UWO’s structural deficit has been significantly reduced. We are on track to eliminate it next year when we take these final steps,” Martini wrote.
Currently, the school has four primary colleges, in addition to the honors program:
- College of Business
- College of Education and Human Services
- College of Letters and Science
- College of Nursing
There are two alternatives for the restructured programs:
Model A:
- College of Business, Media & Communication
- College of Culture, Society & Education
- College of Nursing, Health Professionals & STEM
Model B:
- College of Business, Science & Technology
- College of Culture, Society & Education
- College of Nursing & Health Professions
According to FAQ posted, the proposals do not include eliminating majors, programs, people, or disciplinary identities.
The changes save money as the schools would “consolidate administrative responsibilities and distribute them among a smaller number of individuals at the college, school, and area levels. Both models have one fewer dean, associate dean, and dean’s office than at present. The amount of release time and summer CAS for current department chairs is also significantly reduced,” it says.
Several open houses are scheduled on campus, as it narrows down the options.
“With the models now released, people will have multiple opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback through town hall meetings, open forums, and other college-specific meetings. In March, there will be a university referendum on the two models, followed by ratification in Faculty Senate by the end of the Spring 2024 semester. Transition and implementation teams will be formed to actualize changes following the ratification related to bylaws, governance structures, marketing and communication, and academic infrastructure. The work of these teams will be completed by January 2025,” the FAQ states.
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