Vice Provost Portfolios Realigned

3 September 2017

To: Faculty and Staff of: Academic Affairs, Graduate School, Information Services, International Programs, Student Affairs, Undergraduate Studies, University Outreach & Engagement

Copy to: Provost’s Executive Committee

From: Edward Feser, Provost and Executive Vice President          

Dear Colleagues,

After six months in my role, I’m deeply impressed by the commitment of our leaders and administrative staff to supporting the educational, research, outreach and engagement missions of Oregon State University. I’m grateful for the critically important work you do in bolstering an excellent education and seamless experience for our students and providing support for faculty development and scholarly excellence.

In response to feedback from our leadership, staff and campus stakeholders about the work of central academic administration, I am implementing a strategic and operational realignment of duties and roles in the Office of the Provost. The changes are the product of collaborative thinking on the part of the senior leadership in my office.

The realignment revises the portfolios of four vice provosts and organizes academic support units and programs into groups with much clearer areas of strategic focus:

  • Faculty Affairs, with responsibility for policies and programs to recruit, retain and develop the very best faculty and staff; faculty development programs; academic personnel policy; and facilitation of the development of the university’s strategic plan. This portfolio will be led by the Senior Vice Provost, who is also charged with assisting with management of the work of the Office of the Provost overall.
  • Academic Programs and Learning Innovation, with responsibility for curricular development and assessment, as well as strategic enrollment planning and learning innovation programs. This portfolio will be led by the Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Studies, with a change in title forthcoming to better reflect the revised portfolio.
  • Student Affairs, with responsibility for the delivery of centrally-provided academic support and student life services, reflecting the multiple intersecting dimensions of students’ experiences, including in the areas of academic success, health and wellbeing, career development, community and civic engagement, and leadership development, for both domestic and international students. This portfolio will be led by the Vice Provost for Student Affairs.
  • Information and Technology, with responsibility for providing technology services as well as institutional analytics and business intelligence. This portfolio will be led by the Vice Provost for Information Services, with a change in title forthcoming to better reflect the revised portfolio.

The management portfolios of the Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School, and Vice Provost for Outreach and Extension, remain unchanged. The realignment shifts the oversight of OSU GO and international student and scholar services; the portfolio of the Vice Provost for International Programs (Senior International Officer) is still under review. A revised organization chart is available at: http://leadership.oregonstate.edu/sites/leadership.oregonstate.edu/files/realigned_portfolios.pdf

The realignment will have a significant positive impact on OSU students and faculty by clarifying roles and responsibilities for our senior leadership and the core university service providers they oversee; by making points of academic service and support more legible to campus stakeholders; and by positioning OSU to direct more attention and resources to strategic enrollment management, proactive faculty development, creation of a best-in-class analytics and decision support unit, and student success. More broadly, this operational realignment will enable OSU to be more agile in meeting future challenges.

As we transition to this organizational structure, you will hear more from your Vice Provost about the substance of these shifts, and about the new programs and initiatives we are launching to bring contemporary practices and experiences to OSU.

I thank you for your patience as we implement these changes, as well as for your good work and dedication to Oregon State University.

Sincerely yours,

Ed