SU completing reorganization plan amid secrecy
Southern University is nearing completion of its academic reorganization proposal, according to a new administrative and academic college draft plan that circulated Thursday among faculty leaders.
The biggest difference from a previous draft that leaked last month is Southern’s Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs would now be merged with the College of Education, rather than with the College of Business.
The Southern Board of Supervisors is expected to consider a reorganization and faculty termination plan on Dec. 16 after the university previously declared a financial emergency, called exigency, in October.
Exigency, generally considered a serious blemish to a university’s reputation, gives the Southern administration more leeway in laying off faculty and axing academic programs.
The university has struggled with state budget cuts and student enrollment losses in recent years.
Southern Chancellor James Llorens has refused to discuss or release the specifics of any proposals prior to next week.
A draft proposal discussed Thursday by the Faculty Senate Executive Committee did not release any information about program cuts or layoffs, but it did show the proposed academic and administrative structures.
As for the reorganization, the merged academic colleges would be the:
- College of Education, Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.
- College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology (or “Computer Science” instead of “Technology”).
- College of Business.
- College of Natural Sciences and Agriculture.
- College of Nursing and Allied Health.
The potential changes would consolidate many parts of the current and separate College of Education, College of Arts and Humanities, College of Engineering, School of Architecture, College of Business, Nelson Mandela School, School of Nursing, College of Sciences and the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences.
The mergers would reduce the number of academic deans and staff on campus.
The proposed plan would change the Graduate School into just a “director of graduate studies” serving under an associate provost of academic services. The Southern Honors College could be transformed into an honors program without a dean, according to the draft plan.
Faculty leaders on Thursday continued to complain about the lack of faculty involvement in the process, although faculty input has been solicited.
Faculty Senate President Sudhir Trivedi, who serves on the reorganization committees meeting behind closed doors, said the committee members have not been able to make formal recommendations or take votes.
“Everything has been hush hush,” Trivedi said. “It’s ‘give me your input and forget about it.’ ”
The faculty members complained the administration has not given them any criteria for the upcoming faculty terminations.
“I think the way it’ll work out is they’ll make the cuts and then come up with the criteria to justify the decisions,” Trivedi said.
Biology professor Diola Bagayoko contended the reorganization process is being conducted too hastily.
For instance, Bagayoko said it is ridiculous to have a College of Natural Sciences and Agriculture when so many fields like chemistry, material sciences, forensics and much more are not considered “natural sciences.” It should be the College of Sciences and Agriculture, he said.
Trivedi also reiterated Thursday that faculty fundraising is continuing to initiate litigation against the university for declaring exigency. The argument is the university and the Southern Board allegedly failed to follow its own exigency bylaws and procedures.
“The legal action is imminent,” he said.