Chancellor
Reorganizes Senior Management
Posted April 5, 2000
Chancellor Berdahl this week announced changes in the campus's senior management structure that he said will address changes facing the campus and "sharpen the focus on the academic mission of the university."
Pending changes in the senior leadership of the Berkeley campus, "together with changes in the entire academic environment, have provided the opportunity, indeed, the necessity, to review carefully the organizational structure of the campus," said Berdahl.
Among the issues that must be addressed, he said, are increased competition for graduate students, growing expectations concerning the education of undergraduates, the need to align research and academic initiatives, opportunities and challenges brought about by digital technology and the requirements of greater accountability.
The reorganization takes effect July 1 when Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Carol Christ turns the reins over to Paul Gray, dean of the College of Engineering. Christ and Vice Provost Nicholas Jewell have announced they will return to the faculty at that time. Joseph Cerny, vice chancellor for research and dean of the graduate division, plans to return to the faculty at the end of December.
Berdahl praised the contribution of these senior administrators to the campus. The administration, he said, "will be losing the service of three distinguished and experienced leaders."
Below are the changes to the senior management group as outlined by Berdahl:
• "The chancellor and the executive vice chancellor and provost represent a partnership of shared values and joint decisions affecting the entire campus," said Berdahl. Accordingly, the office of the chancellor will comprise these two offices, with each of the vice chancellors reporting directly to these two positions.
Ultimate responsibility resides with the chancellor, but the executive vice chancellor and provost will be seen as a virtually equal partner. "This is intended to ensure that all decisions are framed by the centrality of the academic mission," said Berdahl.
• The work of the executive vice chancellor and provost will be assisted by three vice provosts.
The vice provost for academic affairs and faculty welfare will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the academic personnel process for 1,500 Academic Senate and 1,000 non-Senate faculty at Berkeley, working closely with the Academic Senate Committee on Budget and Interdepartmental Relations. This vice provost will coordinate dean searches and will play a critical role for the central administration in the recruitment and retention of faculty.
The vice provost for academic planning and facilities will have the primary responsibility for coordinating and implementing academic planning. This vice provost will oversee space and capital planning for academic units, working closely with other administrative offices dealing with space and capital projects to ensure the centrality of academic priorities.
The vice provost for undergraduate education and instructional technology will be responsible for coordinating a number of multi-college undergraduate programs, and for coordinating with deans and department heads the development and implementation of teaching-improvement initiatives and undergraduate enrichment programs. Working with the associate vice chancellor for information technology and the university librarian, this vice provost will be responsible for technology-based instructional enhancements.
• The position of vice chancellor for research and dean of the graduate division will be separated. This will enable the vice chancellor for research to focus on the development of collaborative research initiatives. A full-time dean of the graduate division will be able to concentrate on increasing the support for graduate education and on the educational challenges brought about by the unionization of graduate student instructors.
• The associate vice chancellor for information technology and chief information officer is a change in title of the current associate vice chancellor and shifts the reporting line from the vice chancellor for research to the chancellor and executive vice chancellor and provost. This position will also be responsible for working with each vice chancellor to integrate multiple databases of the campus.
• The vice chancellor for resource planning and budget will now bring together the budget and accounting functions for the campus under the new title of vice chancellor for budget and finance and chief financial officer. The controller position will now report to this vice chancellor rather than the vice chancellor for business and administrative services.
Advisory committees chaired by Berdahl and Gray will solicit internal nominations for open positions. Berdahl will chair the searches for the vice chancellor of research and the dean of the graduate division; Gray will chair the searches for the three vice provost positions.
Both invite members of the campus to send nominations by May 1 to chanclor@uclink4.berkeley.edu and pgray@coe.berkeley.edu via e-mail.
"As we start the new century, the demands we face are matched only by the extraordinary opportunities before us. This new senior management organization will play a vital role in moving us ahead.
"And yet, as always, success in our mission relies on the talents and commitment of every member of our learning community," said Berdahl.
April 5-11, 2000
(Volume 28, Number 27)
Copyright 2000, The Regents of the University of
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