Consistent with President Sands’
message to the campus community earlier this month, I’m writing to share an update on the status of our
CSU 2.0 college realignment plans and processes.
There are several interrelated CSU 2.0 components that will come together over the course of this academic year. We are committed to sharing regular and relevant updates, both through topic-specific campus messages and also through a web-based “dashboard” showing progress on multiple CSU 2.0 components so anyone can monitor progress on a number of efforts in real time. That dashboard will go live later this month and we will let you know when it is ready. In this message I’ll focus just on campus realignment.
In addition to extensive work underway within and across the colleges most impacted by the realignment (for example, committees are examining alignment and integration of college bylaws, promotion and tenure guidelines, curricular adjustments, equity and inclusion practices), there are three key questions I know are on many people’s minds.
What and how will we name our newly configured colleges?
What we name our new colleges should reflect college mission and scope, and it must be succinct and inspirational to our internal and external stakeholder groups. How we name our colleges should allow opportunity for both campus community input and expert guidance. To that end, we will dedicate the month of November to soliciting input—via online feedback and listening sessions--from students, faculty and staff on the naming of three colleges:
- The college that will include urban affairs, some social science programs and education
- The college that will include the school of nursing and health professions
- The college that will include arts and sciences
For context and background ahead of listening sessions, we will share a briefing document that includes the specific academic units that will be located in each of these three realigned colleges, and the mission/vision statements from current colleges most impacted by the realignment. This will be available by the end of October.
Our goal is to confirm and announce the names of our realigned colleges by the end of March 2022.
Who will lead these colleges?
By the end of this month we will share information about the leadership of our newly configured colleges. In colleges where national dean searches will be undertaken, we will also announce campus listening sessions to help shape the parameters of those searches. Campus listening sessions will likely happen before winter break, with national dean searches launched soon thereafter.
When do we “go live” with our newly configured colleges?
Our target date is July 1, 2022. I realize that some aspects of complete realignment may follow different timelines (for example some committee structures within colleges or reappointment, promotion and tenure guidelines). Still, from the perspective of a new or returning student, our new college structure will be in place before fall semester of next year.
In closing, as a relative newcomer to this vibrant campus community, I have been inspired by your dedication and drawn to the aspirational vision of CSU 2.0, which is captured well in these
four strategic themes:
- We will seek distinction as a leading public urban research university.
- We will prioritize student success and engaged learning.
- We will strengthen our mission as an anchor institution and become a beacon institution for the region.
- We will build financial strength and strengthen our campus community.
I am grateful to the many staff and faculty members across campus who are working hard every day to advance these priorities. Thank you ahead of time for sharing your insights and recommendations as we move forward with these next vital steps in our college realignment plan. Your voice matters and your work is vital.
