Concordia reorganized the structure of the college administration this summer to allow for more synergy between academic affairs, student affairs, and information affairs. Mark Krejci, Ph.D., was appointed by President Pamela Jolicoeur as provost and dean of the college on July 1. Krejci’s previous position was vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college.
“At small liberal arts colleges, it’s [the provost organization model] a way to bring academic affairs, student affairs, and other areas of the campus together in a connective reporting structure,” Krejci said.
Prior to the provost organization model, different branches of the college (academic affairs, student affairs, athletics, etc.) reported to different people. For example, student affairs reported to the President and the director of research grants reported to the advancement office. Now, Krejci said, all of the branches report to him, creating a common point of connection and intersections between the branches to improve student life.
“The purpose for that is to take our student learning environment to the next level of connectivity,” Krejci said.
Krejci hopes the new organization will heighten communication between branches and make the learning experience more seamless for Concordia students, by creating connections and allowing them to easily move throughout different areas of the college.
“I don’t think it goes through students’ minds a lot,” Krejci said, “but administratively and therefore operationally, by bringing this model into place, we are going to create connections for you.”
Academic affairs has also been reorganized, including the appointment of James Aageson, Ph.D., as the dean of arts and sciences. Aageson will oversee all academic departments, with the exception of the School of Business, which is overseen by Greg Cant. Cant was appointed dean of the School of Business in the fall of 2008.
Krejci said he can already see more synergy with the provost model. He explained that previously, he dealt primarily with academic aspects of the college. Now, he has the opportunity to engage in conversation with staff from both academic affairs and student affairs, which allows for greater collaboration.
Krejci said one of the key advantages of his new role is that he will have more time available to converse with Cobbers.
“As we move forward in providing a stronger learning experience,” he said, “I want to have more opportunity to connect with students.”
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Marisa Paulson is a senior and the news & features editor of The Concordian, although she still writes when she can. She plans to attend the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in fall 2011.
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