Academic Affairs Restructure

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Over the coming months, Academic Affairs will begin preparing for a significant structural reorganization that will be effective July 1, 2020. We will grow from Divisions into Schools.

Throughout GHC’s history, our Divisions have evolved based on the needs of the College and resources available at the time of those needs. For example, Business was placed in Social Sciences, Math and Science were split, Physical Education was placed in Science, and specific professional studies programs landed where they could be accommodated.

We are now in a position to objectively examine these placements and begin to make more purposeful decisions that make sense for both students and faculty alike.

The first move was recognizing the need for our Physical Education faculty to fully expand their discipline into Kinesiology and Wellness, and relocate to the Division of Health Sciences where it could flourish. Along those lines, we also recognized the significant contributions of our librarians, and brought them into the full-faculty fold. Finally, and most recently, we installed Division Chairs not only so that our Deans can focus on more long-term goals for the College, but also to improve process and efficiency in the daily operations of Academic Affairs.

This restructuring announcement is a continuation of this process, and has been carefully studied over the past year by Academic Affairs Leadership. The changes outlined below are the culmination of those deliberations, and support our mission to attract, retain, and graduate students with interdisciplinary interests while teaching 21st century career skills. Furthermore, GHC will be well-positioned for growth as we continue to develop new Bachelor’s and Nexus degrees, expand the BBA program, and build additional transfer and career pathways focused on community needs and interests.

We are excited to enter our golden anniversary year with a new structure that will capitalize on the depth of faculty expertise, foster greater synergy between related disciplines, and lead to innovation, collaboration, and new opportunities for faculty, students, and the GHC community.

The reorganization described below is a restructure of personnel and resources, NOT a reduction in force. Promotion and tenure recommendations, merit raise considerations, and annual performance evaluations for Academic Year 2019-2020 will remain under your current Dean.

To summarize the change from Divisions to Schools:

  • Effective 7/1/2020, Melanie Largin will lead as Dean of the newly created School of Business and Professional Studies (BPS). Disciplines will include Accounting, Business, Economics, Health Information Management, Computer Information Systems, and Statistics. Programs currently in development stages – Cybersecurity, FinTech, Entrepreneurship, and Building Information Modeling – will be located in the School of Business and Professional Studies once approved. Camille Pace will join BPS as the Chair.
  • Effective 7/1/2020, Dr. Alan Nichols will lead as the Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Education (SSE). Disciplines will include Criminal Justice, Education, General Studies, History, Human Services, Philosophy, Psychology, Religion, and Sociology. Christina Wolfe and Dr. Sean Callahan will continue their roles as Chairs.
  • Also effective 7/1/2020, Dr. Sarah Coakley will lead as Dean of the School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Disciplines will include Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Environmental Science, Geology, Integrated Science, Mathematics, Physics, and Physical Science. Jason Christian, Erin Shufro, and Jayme Wheeler will continue their roles as Chairs.
  • Dr. Jon Hershey will lead the School of Humanities, and those disciplines will remain as currently structured.
  • Dr. Michelle Boyce will lead the School of Health Sciences, and those disciplines will remain as currently structured.
  • Julius Fleschner will continue to lead the Division of Libraries and College Testing.

More information and details will be forthcoming. Throughout the rest of this academic year, Alan, Melanie, and Sarah will be meeting with the faculty in business, mathematics, statistics, and computer sciences to fully develop transition and future growth plans. Please help us to make this transition as smooth and seamless as possible.

All best,

Dr. Dana Nichols