Ohio University's provost approved 10 moves in the reorganization of the College of Health and Human Services as well as the formation of an Academic Health Center today.
Departments and schools have been submitting proposals with increasing specificity for the past three months, although the discussion started last year with a white paper from the deans suggesting a restructuring of the college.
The changes that I have outlined establish a new strategic structure that will enhance academic quality
facilitate offering new high demand degree programs create new opportunities for marketing programs to prospective students and enable the establishment of new services and outreach opportunities
Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit wrote in an e-mail to faculty and staff today. I anticipate seeing the results of the restructuring through larger numbers of students
increased faculty success
and additional university revenues.
Health and Human Services will be renamed the College of Health Sciences and Professions as part of the Academic Health Center and four programs that submitted proposals in the reorganization process will remain in that college.
One of those departments - Family Studies - was initially slated to move to the College of Education but Benoit decided after the most recent round of proposals that its connection to health and wellness issues justified keeping it in the reformed Health Sciences college, according to the provost's office.
Benoit said the email that there will need to be further conversations about the college's internal organization, but that she expects it to become a center of excellence.
The College of Education will now include a branch of the Early Childhood Education program; the Child Development Center; a new department of Recreation and Sports Pedagogy; Restaurant, Hotel and Tourism; Retail Merchandising; and Family and Consumer Sciences Education.
In its first Oct. 1 proposal for Part 1 of the provost's process, the Early Childhood Education program in HHS expressed serious concerns about joining the Early Childhood Education program in the College of Education. Neither the second version of that proposal nor the Part 2 proposal submitted Nov. 24 dealt with similar concerns.
Two other HHS programs are also moving to different colleges: Interior Architecture will be housed in the College of Fine Arts and Sports Administration will join the College of Business. Remaining clinical programs across the university will be part of the Academic Health Center.
Benoit asked programs to discuss possible revenue-generating opportunities the moves might produce, as well as any additional staff or resource needs that might come up. Most of the programs still plan to be housed in Grover Center.
The provost said she expects to address additional proposals - those related to University College and the regional campuses - next week.
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Emily Grannis
