The University is merging six current schools and departments into a new college, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Jack Hamilton revealed yesterday.
The College of Education, the School of Social Work, the School of Library and Information Science, the School of Human Resource Education and Workforce Development, the Department of Kinesiology and the College of Education and College of Agriculture’s joint Early Childhood PK-3 program will be combined into a new college.
This decision comes after the University’s budget committee, on which Hamilton sits, found compatibilities among the programs that could collectively strengthen them, Hamilton said.
But Hamilton said the change is not because of budget difficulties, and echoed that message to the deans and department chairs of the respective colleges.
“The provost said this isn’t budget driven,” said Melinda Solmon, interim chair of the Department of Kinesiology. “This is based on how to move the University viable.” Lindsay said she will meet with each unit head and facilitate the transition by making sure every faculty member is engaged.
“We need to look at what’s part of all of these colleges and ask what resources we have the ability to share,” she said.
Solmon said the Department of Kinesiology is also supportive of the changes.
“It gives us the opportunity to grow,” Solmon said. “We don’t see a downside of it. We are a unit in the College of Education and we’ll continue to be a department housed in a college. We’re proud of what we