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UHH Faculty Congress Academic Affairs Re-Organization Task Force

Report to Faculty Congress

April 15, 2016

Goal: The Re-Organization Task Force was appointed by Faculty Congress to develop proposals to re-organize relevant Academic Affairs units (Colleges, Departments) at the University of Hawaii – Hilo in order to improve efficiency and functioning across units. A significant problem in the current organizational structure is the imbalance between CAS, CoBE, and CAFNRM in terms of size, complexity, and resources. The aim of a reorganization effort is to allow decision making to be moved down to the local level in order to provide more autonomy to departments/colleges as they make important resource allocations in the future.It is expected that decentralizing budget decisions will allow academic units to make better allocation decisions.

Our assumptions: The proposals for this reorganization are offered with several assumptions:

  1. This effort is not about downsizing the university or faculty retrenchment – no faculty or staff will lose their jobs as a result of this effort;
  2. No faculty or staff will experience a reduction in salary, benefits, rank, or tenure status as a result of this effort;
  3. Jobs of support staff and ATP positions will inevitably need to be restructured or reorganized, but no one currently in these positions will lose their positions as a result of this effort;
  4. This effort will require transparency and consultation with all key stakeholders on campus and the relevant unions;
  5. This effort will be essentially cost neutral to the university.

Our approach:

  1. We compiled financial data, student semester hours (SSH), and academic FTE for each of the colleges in the existing organizational structure;
  2. We identified different ways to group units (e.g., traditional, thematic, functional lines);
  3. We decided that our consideration should be approached at the macro level rather than the micro level;
  4. We agreed that our goal would be to develop several general conceptual models (vs. fully developed and detailed operational models) to present to faculty and staff at UHH for initial discussion, feedback and refinement.

Current UHH College Organization and Data:

Colleges / SSH* / Budget for Salary** / Faculty FTE*
College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) / 66,792 / $11,686,367 / 157
College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources Management (CAFNRM) / 3,468 / $1,546,356 / 14
College of Business and Economics (CoBE) / 5,816 / $1,757,172 / 12
Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy (CoP) / 11,323 / $5,874,078 / 24
Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani,
College of Hawaiian Language (KHUOK) / 5,068 / $1,154,776 / 11
College of Continuing Education and Community Service (CCECS) / $264,108

*Data are for FY15 - obtained from the Institutional Research Officer

**Data are for FY16 - obtained from the Chair of Long-Range Planning; data represent faculty, administrative, and APT salaries.

This Task Force was appointed by Faculty Congress in January 2016, and has reported monthly to the Faculty Congress Executive Committee and to Faculty Congress.

Proposed Conceptual Models for Re-Organization

A. Traditional units:

Colleges / SSH / Salary / Faculty FTE
Natural Sciences + CAFNRM+ Nursing / 31,228 / $6,908,409 / 84
Social Sciences + CoBE / 30,155 / $5,829,635 / 65
Humanities / 14,693 / $2,251,851 / 34

AA. Traditional units:

Colleges / SSH / Salary / Faculty FTE
Natural Sciences (less Computer Science) / 21,827 / $4,385,833 / 52
Social Sciences / 24,339 / $3,660,010 / 53
Humanities / 14,693 / $2,251,851 / 34
CoBE + CAFNRM + Computer Science + Nursing / 15,217 / $4,692,201 / 44

Rationale: Models A and AA are variations on our current, traditional structure that allow for a more balanced size and complexity across three and four colleges, respectively.

B. Thematic units:

Colleges / SSH / Salary / Faculty FTE
Allied Health: Psychology + KES + Nursing / 13,575 / $1,388,673 / 31
Basic Sciences: Natural Sciences + CAFNRM / 27,258 / $5,932,189 / 72
Humanities / 14,693 / $2,251,851 / 34
Social Sciences (less Psychology + KES) + CoBE / 20,550 / $5,417,182 / 46

BB. Thematic units:

Colleges / SSH / Salary / Faculty FTE
Allied Health: Psychology + KES + Nursing / 13,575 / 31
Natural Sciences / 23,790 / 58
Humanities / 14,693 / 34
Social Sciences (less Psychology + KES) / 14,734 / 34
CoBE + CAFNRM / 9,284 / 26

*A five College approach is based on using the dean position within CCECS

Rationale: Models B and B are variations of a thematic approach that allows for a reorganization into four new colleges of relatively comparable size and complexity.

C. Status Quo: Make no changes (see previous page for data by College)

Appendix 1: Notes, Issues for Further Consideration, and Resources

Notes:

  1. These models assume that only CAS, CoBE, and CAFNRM are involved in the reorganization, though KHUOK and CoP are welcome to join the reorganization if they choose to.
  2. The by-laws of KHUOK require that all faculty within their College speak Hawaiian.
  3. The unique tuition-dependent business model of CoP would complicate its reorganization or merger with any other unit on campus.
  4. The three involved colleges have a total of 4 E&M positions (3 Deans and 1 Associate Dean) that can be repurposed as needed.
  5. The proposed reorganization models assume that the current Division structure of CAS, and the Division Chair positions, will be eliminated.
  6. CAS + CoBE + CAFNRM = 76,076 SSH total. Divided into three (3) Colleges it would be an average of 25,359 SSH each; divided into four (4) Colleges it would be an average of 19,019 SSH each.
  7. None of these models are developed in full detail and it is expected that there may be some movement of individual departments from one College to another.
  8. For example, a department currently within one CAS Division might be moved to the College formed by another Division in order to help balance SSH or budget across Colleges – or to achieve better thematic homogeneity within Colleges.

Issues for Further Consideration:

  1. Should the role or organizational structure of CCECS be considered at this time?
  2. Although no program accreditations appear to be jeopardized by reorganization, per se, program accreditation is a critical issue that must be attended to carefully.
  3. How will this effort affect Department/Division/Unit level personnel committees?
  4. UHH is in the final year of its strategic plan.

Resources:

From CAS Dean Susan Brown: These guidelines from Arizona summarize the processes for a well thought out reorganization:

Appendix 2: Other Models Proposed and Considered

AAA. Traditional units – “Budget Version”:

Colleges / SSH / Salary / Faculty FTE
Natural Sciences / 23,790 / $4,385,833 / 58
Social Sciences / 24,339 / $3,660,010 / 53
Humanities + Nursing / 18,663 / $3,640,524 / 46
CoBE + CAFNRM / 9,284 / $3,303,528 / 26

BBB. Thematic units:

Colleges / SSH / Salary / Faculty FTE
Basic Science and Technology (Natural Sciences, less Geology) / 22,296 / 54
Humanities and Social Sciences (less KES + Geography) / 31,942 / 77
Agriculture and Applied Sciences (CAFNRM + Geography + Geology) / 8,010 / 23
Business, Economics and Allied Health (CoBE + Nursing + Kinesiology) / 13,279 / 29

D. Functional lines: Combine three Colleges together and appoint three (3) Deans.

(C1) Personnel (hiring, T&P)

(C2) Curriculum

(C3) Research

E.

(E1) Natural Sciences + CAFNRM

(E2) Social Sciences

(E3) Humanities + CoBE

(E4) CoP + Nursing

F.

(F1) Natural Sciences + CAFNRM

(F2) Social Sciences (less History)

(F3) English + History + Art + Performing Art

(F4) CoBE + Philosophy + Communication

(F5) CoP + Nursing

G.

(G1) Natural Sciences

(G2) Social Sciences (less KES) + Humanities

(G3) CoBE + CAFNRM + Nursing + KES

H. (partial proposal)

(H1) Comm + Nursing + Computer Science + Philosophy

Appendix 3. Ad Hoc Faculty Congress Task Force Membership

Kainoa Ariola-Sukisaki (Student Affairs)

Jeanie Flood (Nursing, CAS)

Chris Frueh (Social Sciences Division, CAS)*

Kim Furumo (CoBE)

Jene Michaud (Natural Sciences Division, CAS)

Kirsten Mollegaard (Humanities, CAS)

Karen Pellegrin (CoP)

Matt Platz, VCAA**

Mike Shintaku (CAFNRM)

Laz Sye (UHSA)

Pila Wilson (KHUOK)

*Chair

** Ex Officio

Note: The committee also consulted formally with the Deans of CAS, CAFNRM, and CoBE, as well as the Chair of the Long-Range Planning Committee and the Institutional Research Officer. Suggestions and proposals from faculty across the UHH campus were also considered and incorporated.