ASU announces university-wide academic reorganization

Arizona State University is continuing its implementation of the New American University model, with an academic reorganization in which all 21 deans at the four campuses will report directly to the executive vice president and university provost.

This school-centric model reflects ASU President Michael Crow’s vision of “one university in many places,” conceptualized in 2002.

The move will give more autonomy to deans, with each one responsible for academic excellence and student success in his or her school or college. Budget allocations will be made to academic units and administrative units rather than to campuses.

“This will elevate all academic programs, further ensuring that they are provided with the best possible opportunity to advance their distinctive missions,” says Elizabeth D. Capaldi, executive vice president and university provost and professor of psychology. “ASU is not four separate campuses, or branch campuses, but one university in which we all move together in our pursuit of excellence, access and impact.

“We’re creating something unique, something different from any other university in the country. It’s quite exciting to help create an academic and administrative environment in which ASU can function as one.”

Academic and administrative leaders will be evaluated by their achievement of unit and institutional objectives, and by comparison to aspirational peers. These will include the enhancement of academic excellence, the enhancement of student retention and the acquisition of resources. Measures of academic quality will be determined by the units.

“Each dean will have responsibility for building excellence,” says Capaldi, who indicated that deans will have the authority to do their own hiring.

In the reorganization:

• David Young, vice president and dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and a professor of life sciences, will move into the newly created position of senior vice president for academic affairs. He will work collaboratively across all campuses to ensure that all academic programs are coordinated, and that ASU effectively uses the faculty expertise on all campuses.

• Quentin Wheeler, dean of natural sciences and a professor of life sciences, will become vice president and dean of liberal arts and sciences.

• Alan Artibise, dean of social sciences and a professor of political science, will become executive dean of liberal arts and sciences.

• Sid Bacon, chair of the Department of Speech & Hearing Science, and a professor of speech and hearing science, will become interim dean of natural sciences and mathematics.

• Mark Searle, a professor of recreation and tourism management, and formerly provost and vice president at the West campus, will assume the position of vice president for academic personnel. He will be responsible for coordinating the university tenure and promotion process, and for handling faculty personnel issues.

• Marjorie Zatz, a professor of justice and social inquiry, will become interim vice president and executive vice provost at the West campus.

• Mernoy Harrison will continue as vice president and executive vice provost at the Downtown Phoenix campus.

• Al McHenry, a professor of electronics and computer engineering technology, will serve as vice president and executive vice provost at the Polytechnic campus.

• Art Blakemore, a professor of economics, will continue as senior university vice provost, working closely with the provost to implement priorities set by the president and provost.

• Maria Allison, a professor of community resources and development, will continue as university vice provost and dean of Graduate Studies.

• Gail Hackett, a professor of counseling psychology and counselor education, will continue as university vice provost and dean of University College. A university vice provost for undergraduate education will be named later.