You have heard much in the past three months about our efforts to navigate the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19. Today, as we look toward the future, I am pleased to share additional organizational updates and preliminary task force recommendations that are the result of careful consideration, university-wide collaboration and conversation, and examination of our peer institutions.
This process began with my hiring late last year and accelerated in late January with the announcement of
several initial organizational updates and the creation of nine university task forces, each charged with examining a number of campus issues. In those seven months, I have had the opportunity and pleasure of hearing from many of you in town halls, Senate meetings, departmental and organizational meetings, and informal discussions about your thoughts and vision for our institution – all of which generated a number of ideas. In addition, I have regularly been meeting with members or our community and region to listen to their concerns and ideas.
This was a very deliberate process to include as many groups from the campus and community as possible to make the best possible decisions for our university, region and state.
Recently, our task forces, many of which included not just members from our campus, but also the community, have completed their activities and have reported back to me. Their reports will soon be posted on the
President’s Task Forces webpage, and their recommendations are intertwined with the organizational updates below.
As with all things, these organizational updates are a work in progress. If life with COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is that we must be flexible, ready to respond to the issues of the day and the needs of tomorrow. We will learn as we go and make changes as needed for the best interest of the institution. I am grateful to and appreciative of all those who have accepted new and updated responsibilities and have the utmost confidence in their ability to rise to the occasion.
OFFICE OF THE PROVOST & ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Effective immediately, Provost Rick Muma will assume expanded responsibilities as Executive Vice President and Provost. This is consistent with the structures at some of our other fellow Regents institutions and will allow us to further focus on our priorities and accelerate our mission and vision, especially during this critical time in our world. In addition to overseeing the efforts of all of our academic units, Dr. Muma will now also assume the responsibilities of
(1) Student Affairs,
(2) Office of Research,
(3) Innovation and New Ventures, and
(4) the Office of Military, Veterans and First Responders. Information Technology Services will be realigned under the Office of Finance and Operations.
OFFICE OF REGIONAL ENGAGEMENT & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
A great deal of input was provided by our campus and region. WSU has the opportunity to build on all of the hard work done by many of you over the past few years and provide even stronger and more focused efforts to partner with our local community and in support of our 10-county region and the state.
To better coordinate and harness the incredible efforts of our WSU and WSU Tech faculty, staff and students, we are launching a new and separate Office of Regional Engagement and Economic Development. This office will be responsible for coordinating the resources of the federal, state and local governments with the resources of Wichita State and WSU Tech to better serve our local community and the region by addressing health, education and economic disparities and support university-community efforts that promote the economic growth of our region.
I have asked Kaye Monk-Morgan to serve as the Interim Vice President of Regional Engagement and Economic Development so that we can continue the important work of developing strategic research and economic development partnerships to engage our entire community.
Based on the recommendation of the Engagement and Regional Prosperity Task Force, this office will also supervise community-focused institutes and centers in order to more effectively catalog our institutional service and research capabilities and most effectively leverage our financial and personnel resources. We will undertake a national search for the Vice President of this office in the future.
This is an especially important time in our history for many reasons and requires us to accelerate our efforts in support of our region. I appreciate each of you who are dedicated to addressing the economic, educational, health and social disparities that challenge many in our region and ask that we work together to continue build on our efforts.
OFFICE OF MILITARY, VETERANS AND FIRST RESPONDERS
As noted by the task force, there are incredible opportunities for Wichita State University to be one of the most military and veteran friendly universities in the nation. Our faculty and staff have displayed incredible passion and energy towards meeting this goal and expanding it to the many first responders who protect all of us on a daily basis.
To best serve this population, we are launching the Office of Military, Veterans, and First Responders, led by Dr. Marché Fleming-Randle. This office will be charged with developing new and expanded academic opportunities, nurturing innovation, and creating internships and encouraging research collaborations with external agencies, such as the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration.
I have also asked Vice President Fleming-Randle, who was instrumental in re-establishing Wichita State’s Army ROTC program, to continue to grow not only this current program, but to pursue additional ROTC opportunities, as well.
In addition to these responsibilities, Dr. Fleming-Randle has also graciously agreed to continue to serve as the university’s Chief Diversity Officer until the newly-established position of Vice President of Workforce Diversity, Human Resources and Professional Development is filled.
OFFICE OF WORKFORCE DIVERSITY, HUMAN RESOURCES AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
To achieve our collective goals of ensuring that our faculty and staff are as representative of the diversity of our student body and community, we will be establishing a new Office of Workforce Diversity, Human Resources and Professional Development
This office will be charged with ensuring that human resources at Wichita State is aligned with institutional priorities, attuned to changing workplace demographics, is supportive of individual employees, and builds on past efforts to develop a unified strategy focusing on hiring and retaining a workforce that is reflective of our student body.
Led by a not-yet-chosen Vice President, this office will be responsible for building successful human resources programs around diversity and inclusion, talent acquisition, talent management, learning and development, leadership and organizational development, and employee satisfaction.
I have asked Dr. Aaron Austin, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, and General Counsel Stacia Boden to co-chair a search committee comprised of faculty, staff and students to undertake an immediate national search for a Vice President of Workforce Diversity, Human Resources and Professional Development. This committee will include our task force co-chairs Professor Edil Torres Rivera and Associate Dean Voncella McCleary-Jones.
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING
After many years of dedication and service to our university, Lou Heldman has announced his intention to retire from his position as Vice President of Strategic Communications effective June 12. Be assured that we will find a way to honor and celebrate Lou’s incredible service to this institution. In these times where communication is of the utmost importance, Shelly Coleman-Martins will immediately assume the role of Vice President for Strategic Communications and Marketing.
OFFICE OF INNOVATION CAMPUS AND REAL ESTATE
The development and growth of our Innovation Campus, based on the vision of former President John Bardo, is nothing short of inspiring. Wichita State is truly the envy of many universities and we are unique in our focus on student opportunities through applied learning.
To streamline and consolidate the management of all of our real estate holdings and leases, we have established a new Office of Innovation Campus and Real Estate. This office will be responsible for managing our current Innovation Campus real estate and leasing portfolio, as well as our future growth, and will coordinate internal and external administrative and communication needs.
Within the next fiscal year, we will form a search committee comprised of faculty, staff, students and community members that will develop a job description and qualifications for an Executive Director.
WSU FOUNDATION AND WSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Given their overlapping missions and aspirations, the Foundation and Alumni Affairs task force has recommended the merger and consolidation of our WSU Foundation and WSU Alumni Association into one unified, comprehensive organization. This single entity will allow the university to better leverage resources and expand engagement strategies to reach alumni and non-alumni alike. The target date for the merger is sometime in 2021.
OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL EQUITY AND COMPLIANCE
The regulatory landscape as it relates to higher education is vast and ever-changing. Colleges and universities are called on not to just comply, but to be proactive in our efforts to develop systems and structures that ensure the protection of our campus community. We are therefore expanding our current Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance to include Title IX, Equal Employment Opportunity, Americans with Disabilities Act, Affirmative Action and Clery Act compliance. This office will continue to be led by Executive Director Christine Taylor, JD.
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND COMMERCIALIZATION
Wichita State maintains a rapidly expanding intellectual property portfolio filled with technology and innovation developed by our own faculty and staff researchers. A newly expanded Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization, led by Executive Director Rob Gerlach, JD, will manage the university’s patents, copyrights and trademarks, and will work with faculty and staff to not only patent university inventions, but also find opportunities for invention commercialization.
MOVING FORWARD
I will soon be providing the campus an update on additional activities resulting from the task forces, including strategies to provide greater access to higher education, updates to our branding strategy, and potential new academic partnerships. Additionally, I will be working with the outgoing presidents Julie Scott (UP Senate) and Jeff Jarman (Faculty Senate), as well as the incoming presidents, student government leaders and others on a collective vision of university shared governance.
I know these task forces have taken a great deal of time and energy and I extend my most sincere thanks and gratitude to each and every one of you for your unabated dedication – despite COVID-19 – to this process. Your insights and suggestions will serve as invaluable tools as we work to grow this institution.
I continue to be amazed and incredibly proud of all the work being done by Shocker Nation to serve not only our campus, but also our greater communities. Thank you for all you do!
Stay healthy and positive.
