 Committee Recommends Expanding Student Affairs
With the object of consolidating all aspects of student life under one umbrella, a steering committee recommended adding three more departments to the division of student affairs.
Athletics, public safety, and University Ministry would report to the vice president for university life, a new title recommended by the committee for the current position of vice president for student affairs. The vice president for university life would continue to report directly to the university president as well as have a new role within the academic vice president’s council, which traditionally has been limited to the university’s eight deans.
One key component of the original recommendations made by the Planning Action Task Force in 2001—how to integrate some or all of academic services within student affairs—was left untouched. Instead, by charging the new vice president to keep in constant communication with other executives, the committee hopes to eliminate redundancies and integrate and coordinate efforts between academic departments and student affairs.
“We want to have people around the same table to initiate collaboration,” said Susan Prion, assistant to the vice president of academic affairs and a member of the steering committee.
USF President Stephen A. Privett, S.J. has not said whether he will act on the committee’s recommendation and add the three departments to student affairs. The university is conducting a search for a vice president for university life and Fr. Privett said his decision will be made only after the position has been filled and after further discussion with the vice presidents—probably by fall.
Citing territorial proprietorship and a lack of understanding between departments in student affairs and academic affairs, the committee wrote in its final report that its recommended changes should bring about a “climate change” and produce a “more integrated learning experience.” In fact, inviting faculty, administrators, and students to the committee’s hearings on the subject has already stimulated change, Prion said.
“We heard a lot of ‘a ha’s’ around our committee table as the various departments found out the misconceptions they held about each other were just that,” she said.
Under the university’s current organization, the athletics department reports to university advancement, public safety is part of business and finance, and University Ministry reports directly to the president.
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