As we move through this academic year together, I am reminded of the profound impact we make every day through our teaching, research, creative activities, and service. Our collective work embodies the transformative power of education as we shape thinkers, creators, and compassionate leaders who make a difference in their communities and the world.
We know that we are leading in a moment of profound transformation across higher education. Demographic shifts, changing student expectations, intensifying competition, and the rapid evolution of technology are reshaping the landscape in which we teach, learn, and lead. These realities call us to act with intention, courage, and collaboration to ensure that our academic structures, programs, and resources align with our shared mission and vision for the future.
To this end, we are launching a comprehensive review and analysis of our College/School and Department structure. This process will engage faculty, campus stakeholders, and academic leadership to design an academic structure that supports our student-centered commitments across our academic program array and advances the goals of our Academic Master Plan.
Purpose and Outcome Goals
Our work together will result in an aligned and sustainable structure that enhances:
- Pedagogical Alignment across programs and disciplines.
- Dynamic, Cohesive, and Interdisciplinary Programs that prepare students for a changing world.
- Student Engagement, Attention, and Retention through intentional academic design.
- Sustainability of Resources and Capacity, including alignment of department resources with service requirements and balanced college portfolios.
Guiding Principles and Considerations
As we undertake this work, our review will be guided by the following considerations:
- Departments should be of sufficient size and scope to ensure shared governance and operational functionality.
- Interdisciplinary minors and majors should be examined for integration within departmental structures.
- College rebalancing should be considered to align pedagogical connections and resource sustainability.
- Faculty complement, student credit hour production, and advisor/advisee ratios will inform our analysis.
- Accreditation standards will remain a foundational consideration.
- Our process will be future-oriented, imagining who our students will be and what they will need in the next 5 to 10 years.
Our Shared Commitment
This review is not simply an organizational exercise, because at its core, it is a reaffirmation of who we are and what we value. Shippensburg University is a community that provides transformative, student-centered, and high-quality learning experiences both inside and outside the classroom. To advance this mission, our structures must enable innovation, collaboration, and sustainability.
This analysis and alignment of our academic structure capture a moment to shape our future rather than wait for it to be determined for us. The Academic Master Plan provides our compass, calling us to deepen our investment in innovative and interdisciplinary programs, expand access and equity through flexible learning pathways, and strengthen student success through engagement and completion.
We know this work will ask much of us. It will require openness, reflection, and creativity. I am confident in our capacity to engage with integrity and respect to listen deeply, wrestle honestly, and design courageously. Our shared strength lies in our diversity of thought and our commitment to our students and one another.
As we begin, I will outline clear opportunities for faculty and stakeholder engagement in the review process and share a timeline for consultation and decision-making. Your insight and participation will be critical to our collective success. All materials related to the analysis and review will be posted in the S-drive at Public\Employee\AA Analysis and Alignment . At this point, we have posted the current AWA allocations, department/college/school structure details, and summary of purpose and timeline in the S-folder. These provide foundational data for our current structure and resourcing. Additionally, faculty and staff will have an opportunity to provide feedback with a continually present link available at https://forms.office.com/r/Atuyeq8pNA.
Planned Process for Review, Analysis, and Alignment
Phase 1: Launch and Structure Process (October 2025)
Focus: Communicate purpose, goals, and process; establish working structures for engagement
Key Actions:
- Announce process, outcome goals, timeline, and feedback opportunities to all Academic Affairs departments and governance bodies
- Convene Working Group representing faculty, staff, and administration
- Launch collaborative platforms for transparency and feedback
Deliverables: Engagement framework, working group established, governance bodies engaged
Phase 2: Campus Feedback and Input (October 22 – November 15, 2025)
Focus: Solicit broad input and ideas from faculty and campus stakeholders
Key Actions:
- Distribute campus-wide call for proposals and feedback on possible structures
- Collect input via survey and open comments
- Working Group reviews submissions and develops preliminary recommendations
Deliverables: Summary of campus input and Working Group recommendations to Provost
Phase 3: Initial Structural Models and Feedback (November 15 – 30, 2025)
Focus: Present and refine initial structure concepts
Key Actions:
- Share 2–3 initial structure models with the campus community for open feedback
- Host open forum and collect input via webpage link
Deliverables: Initial proposed structure models and summary of feedback
Phase 4: Iterative Review and Updated Model (December 1, 2025 – January 12, 2026)
Focus: Refine proposed models based on campus wide feedback
Key Actions:
- Working Group and leadership analyze feedback and recommend updates
- Provost shares revised structure proposals for additional open comment
Deliverables: Updated proposed structure reflecting integrated feedback
Phase 5: Final Recommendation (January 20 – 30, 2026)
Focus: Present recommended structure for endorsement and final feedback
Key Actions:
- Engage impacted areas to review recommended structure before campus-wide convening
- Provost presents recommended structure in an open campus forum
- Gather final feedback and finalize structure
Deliverables: Final recommended College/School and Department structure
Phase 6: Implementation Planning and Execution (February – April 2026)
Focus: Transition planning, communication, and operational implementation
Key Actions:
- Convene Implementation Team.
- Address operational transitions (e.g., staffing, governance, seniority lists, facilities, marketing, IT, and student success supports)
- Host student-focused forum to communicate changes
- Support departments in organizing chair elections, policies, and bylaws
- Reconstitute University committees to align with new structures
Deliverables: Implemented and operational College/School and Department structures for FY2026–27
Request for Action and Feedback
As you review this planned process and timeline, please share feedback on how to enhance the process via the following link: https://forms.office.com/r/Atuyeq8pNA. Recommendations for faculty, staff, and administration to serve on the working group are also welcomed, so please submit names via the webpage link across the next two weeks.
Let us approach this work with the same spirit of curiosity, collaboration, and care that defines us as educators and as a university community. Together, we will ensure that our academic structure reflects both the excellence of our programs and the promise of our students.
