Statement from Dean of Students on proposed reorganization of student services

In recent weeks, Chancellor John Wiley and I announced plans for a possible reorganization of the Offices of the Dean of Students (ODOS). Our goal has been to enhance ODOS’s capacity to better meet the growing needs of our entire student population in a time of shrinking resources.

We proposed a reorganization plan with only the best interests of students and the university in mind-a plan that would allow us to take into account the current budget environment without harming student services or programs.

Though change can sometimes cause fear and concern, it is also a natural process that helps organizations evolve and grow. One of the fundamental rights and responsibilities of administrators here at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is to use our best judgment to align resources to best serve the campus community.

In the course of our discussions with a variety of student and governance groups, we’ve found that there has been a high degree of division, misunderstanding and confusion over our preliminary plan. To ensure that students, faculty and staff are comfortable going forward, we need to spend more time in constructive conversations about these changes and how they can be best accomplished.

As the current academic year is nearly over, it is our intention to resume discussions about a possible reorganization at the start of the fall semester of the 2005-2006 academic year for a more extensive discussion. Though we will naturally spend the next few months thinking about how to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of ODOS, we pledge to continue engaging in an open, transparent and inclusive communication and decision-making process.

Like other campus units, ODOS will engage in smaller changes in order to adapt to the current budget climate. However, no set plans or decisions will be made over the summer months regarding reorganization until we again begin meeting with the campus community.

I do want to reiterate that change is necessary and will need to take place in ODOS if we are to continue realizing our mission. But to ensure everyone’s voices are heard and ideas are taken into account, we want to take more time for these discussions to occur.

As such, we will postpone a listening session, scheduled for 4-5 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, until a new date can be set in the Fall 2005 semester.