Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus executive officer gets new title
Dr. Gregory Gray, Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus executive officer, will take on a new title and increased responsibilities this July under a universitywide administrative reorganization plan announced Tuesday. The plan includes Gray, campus executive officer, being named chancellor July 1 to reflect the increased duties.
Under the reorganization, the deans and campus executive officers of the 19 campuses, as well as Penn State Great Valley, will assume the title of chancellor and will have increased responsibilities.
“This new title is appropriate given the expanded role that Penn State’s campus executives have increasingly assumed,” said Rodney A. Erickson, executive vice president and provost at Penn State. “The chancellor title places Penn State’s campus leaders on the same footing as the campus leaders of other institutions in their locality with whom they interact as they represent the university.”
The chancellors of the 19 predominantly undergraduate Penn State campuses will report to the newly created position of vice president for Commonwealth Campuses (VPCC). The campuses of the existing Commonwealth College will no longer report through a separate dean and administrative unit.
The VPCC will serve as the senior academic officer for curricular matters and faculty promotion and tenure review for the campuses formerly associated with the Commonwealth College. The position of dean of the Commonwealth College is eliminated under the new organizational structure.
The breadth of responsibilities of the VPCC includes: developing, where appropriate, regional clusters of activity and resource-sharing among Penn State campuses; promoting curricular integration across all commonwealth campuses and with University Park academic colleges; and overseeing and integrating student recruitment and retention strategies across all commonwealth campuses.
John Romano, who serves as vice provost and dean for enrollment management and administration, will assume the new position as vice president for Commonwealth Campuses, effective July 1.
“This restructuring will allow Penn State to adjust better to changing demographics and the competitive realities in the coming years, and it will position the University to take maximum advantage of the strength of its administrative resources,” said Penn State President Graham B. Spanier.
Highlights of the plan include the consolidation of what are currently three senior administrative positions into two new areas of responsibility, a new alignment of Penn State’s campuses, title changes for the senior campus executives, and policy and structural changes to eliminate administrative overlaps.
Under the plan, the 12 campuses that currently comprise the Commonwealth College will join with seven other Penn State campuses in reporting to the VPCC.
Policy and structural changes to eliminate administrative overlap, reduce costs and improve operational efficiency will be implemented in the areas of Outreach, University Libraries, Student Affairs, Development and University Relations. The reorganization plan calls for greater system-wide oversight from the executives in charge of each of these areas.
“The streamlining will ensure that greater attention and visibility is accorded to undergraduate education and to the campuses where the greatest challenges exist,” Spanier said.
The reorganization plan will be presented for formal approval at the May board of trustees meeting.