SEM Operational Excellence Organizational Framework FAQ

Our new draft strategic plan (pdf) calls for us to be innovative and bold, bringing a holistic focus on students, their academic and career success, and their wellbeing. It also calls on us to create more integrated, less-siloed environments to promote operational excellence, efficiencies, collaboration, and optimized allocation of resources.

Many of the Student Success programs are naturally aligned with those of Student Life. However, the separate organizations serving current students in different reporting lines (one to the President and one to the Provost) has proven to be an inefficient operating structure. Based on the lessons learned since the 2018 restructure, we also need a more-clearly defined structure reporting to the president and provost as enrollment is a top priority for the university.

The new organizational framework is designed to:

• Be responsive to significant stakeholder input during the strategic planning process and the lessons learned since the 2018 reorganization.
• Align with the draft strategic plan imperatives and directions.
• Send a clear message of change with a more integrated, less-siloed environment and a holistic focus on students.
• Streamline and clarify key student support functions like holistic student advising (academic, career, and wellbeing) in the context of operational excellence.
• Establish a less-siloed, more clearly defined SEM structure reporting to both the president and provost.
• Facilitate collaborative work and enable greater coordination among our central units and the colleges and other academic units working together to support K-State students.
• Build synergy among university academic student enrichment and scholar programs.
• Better position the K-State Office for the Advancement of Women in Science and Engineering (KAWSE) as a program promoting equity for faculty and staff, including women in STEM.
• Strengthen day-to-day operational efficiency.

More information regarding the new organizational framework can be found in the July 19 letter from the President and Provost.

New structures incorporating these realignments will be identified in early August and fully implemented no later than October 1, 2023. To facilitate planning during this transition period, Office of Student Success units will report to Vice President Lane, effective Monday, July 24.

Vice President Lane, Vice President Rana Johnson, and Dean Mary Tolar will work with a small transition project team co-led by Shanna Legleiter, human resources, and Lynn Carlin, provost office, to help facilitate the transition. The transition team will also include Becca Zecha, budget office, Marci Ritter, human resources, Heather Mills, campus planning, Ashley Bourne and Cindy Hollingsworth, communications and marketing, Sonya Paph, student life, and Sandra Brase, provost's office.

The transition project team is charged to focus on the budget (general, restricted and Foundation accounts) and staffing work, space planning, communications, issues identification, and project management for the transition.

Organizational charts showing the Provost reporting structure and the realignment of the functions and services to the newly named Division of Academic Success and Student Affairs, the Staley School of Leadership, and the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging are available here (pdf). Updated charts incorporating the changes into the respective units will be shared once the transition planning is completed. The expectation is that the new structures will be identified in early August and full implementation no later than October 1.

As we complete and begin implementing our university strategic plan, we expect other changes may need to be made. We must continue to be agile as an institution and open to change that will align us in new ways, build up our collective capacity, and ensure we are able to achieve excellence in all we do to achieve our vision as a next-generation land-grant university.

There are no immediate plans to physically move units or employees as part of the current transition. The transition team will look at future space needs for these units as part of our ongoing efforts to co-locate related units, services, functions and teams to enable greater coordination, efficiency, and teamwork. Any future moves would be consistent with university directions as we create a new Manhattan campus master plan and proceed with university-wide space planning.

The restructure is being funded with existing resources.

Of utmost importance is continuing to provide services to our students while managing the change that comes with any transition. In addition, it is important to continue to check on your colleagues and communicate concerns and questions anytime by emailing nextgen@k-state.edu.

Employees may experience a change in their direct supervisor as well as their colleagues. Through this restructure, we expect the enhanced alignment of resources and staff will help employees identify synergies and ways to do their work more efficiently and effectively.

• Will everyone have to apply for new jobs?
  No. It will not be necessary for employees to reapply for positions they currently hold.
• Are other position eliminations being discussed? Is there a possibility of salary reductions?
  No positions have been eliminated in the announced restructure; with the exception of position of the vice provost leading the Office of Student Success, which no longer exists in the new organizational framework. The intent is not to eliminate positions or reduce salaries, but to build the staffing capacity needed to drive operational excellence in the recruitment and retention of students and provide holistic efficient and effective services for students and their academic, career, co-curricular success and wellbeing.

All current remote work arrangements will remain in place at this time. Employees may expect that remote work arrangements may be evaluated by new leaders and that any changed expectations regarding remote work will be discussed with them. More information about the university's remote work policy may be found in PPM Chapter 4045.

Decisions and changes will be communicated through updates to this webpage and through emails directly to staff in the affected units. In addition, the university community will receive updates through articles in K-State Today.

We encourage you to submit ideas, suggestions, or thoughts about this restructure or the future of our university to nextgen@k-state.edu.