Dear Colleagues,
The Restructure Taskforce met on June 29th. This meeting focused on exploring various models for restructuring WOU’s colleges. Taskforce members reported out, in small groups, a broad range of ideas for how to structure WOU’s current and impending academic programs. We discussed the primary goals driving our development of possible models, as well as aspects of the different structures that promoted or inhibited equity. We explored the struggles and insights that emerged from the process, as well as strengths of the various ideas presented by the small groups.
Together, we summarized some of the key insights from the small group discussions and established a plan for meeting our charge by September 15th. Among the recurring themes of that discussion was the importance of understanding what different programs do, what their delivery and resource demands are, and how they might find synergy with programs not currently housed in the same divisions or colleges (as well as what existing connections and affiliations should be maintained). A brief discussion of “schools,” “colleges,” and “centers” began, as some of the models we examined used different labels and unit sizes to maximize capacity and promote programmatic strengths.
We established the agenda for our next meeting (on July 13th), when we will continue the process of examining various structures and developing a set of proposed models that we can vet using institutional data from WOU. We strongly encourage members of the WOU community to complete the survey included in the last update (which is also available on the website by clicking on the “Give Feedback” button).
Please take a moment to share your questions, concerns, and/or suggestions with the Taskforce. We welcome and value your input, which will be most helpful in the next few weeks as we endeavor to narrow the range of possible structures to a short list that can be examined in light of our institutional goals, academic programs, staffing and resources. We’re grateful for your input on this important endeavor.
