For the past several months, Dal President Richard Florizone and Provost and Vice-President Academic Carolyn Watters have been communicating high-level details of an updated role for the provost within Dal鈥檚 administration. (See: Sept. 4.)
As President Florizone explains: 鈥淏y emphasizing the provost鈥檚 responsibilities, we ensure that our academic priorities drive decisions around allocating resources, renovating or adding new facilities, and other similar concerns. It makes our planning between academic and administrative units more integrated while providing a clearer and more efficient decision-making process.鈥�
At last Tuesday鈥檚 Board of Governors meeting, the Board approved changes to the Provost鈥檚 Office that reflect this mission, and offer a sense of how the refocused provost role will shift how some key university functions are managed.
Realigning student support
The most noteworthy change is the creation of a new vice-provost, student affairs position that replaces the vice-president student services. In an email to all students, Dr. Watters explained the rationale for realigning Dal鈥檚 student service functions within the Provost鈥檚 Office, citing the cross-function nature of Dal鈥檚 priorities within its new (specifically, helping more students succeed in their studies and complete their degrees).
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The change, writes Dr. Watters, 鈥渨ill help strengthen the relationship between our undergraduate student service providers and our academic operations. The vice-provost, student affairs will be a full member of both the Deans鈥� Council and the Provost Committee, ensuring student concerns have a voice in discussions and decisions with both our academic and non-academic administrative leadership and that we improve the connection of our undergraduate student service providers with Faculties and their deans.
鈥淲e believe this will provide a stronger voice for student issues and concerns at the place where they can have the most impact.鈥�
Anne Forrestall, assistant vice-president of student academic success services and who had been serving as senior leader for student services since Bonnie Neuman鈥檚 retirement from the vice-president position, will serve as acting vice-provost, student affairs until such point that a search process has been completed for the position.
鈥淪tudent learning takes place both in and out of the classroom, and in our work supporting students鈥� success we鈥檙e seeing how vital it is to consider the student experience as a whole,鈥� explains Forrestall. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited for the opportunity to serve as acting vice-provost and expand on the work I鈥檝e been doing at Dal this past year with the Student Services team.鈥�
Integration in planning
The other change, explained Dr. Watters, is a simpler one: changing the title of the associate vice-president academic, planning, to vice-provost planning. 鈥淭his title change reflects a growing need for institutional planning that spans academic and administrative units,鈥� she wrote, adding that Susan Spence Wach (left) will continue in the retitled role.
The position works closely with university stakeholders in budget alignment and planning; strategic planning, leadership in project management of institutional initiatives; and has a leadership role in relationships between campuses.
The changes come after several months of discussion, including within Dal鈥檚 administration, with external reviews, and with university committees, offices and academic groups. The new roles do not result in any additional personnel.
For more on the Provost鈥檚 Office, .