By Melissa Moody
The University of Louisville’s provost office is in the early stages of gathering information for the possible restructuring of the Student Affair’s office.
Frank Mianzo, director of Student Affairs technology, has begun gathering information about how other universities structure Student Affairs.
In August, the Cardinal surveyed U of L’s peer institutions as well as other universities in Kentucky and found that most use a vice president of Student Affairs or a position of equivilant power to a vice president. Mianzo said he has found similar results from his research.
Mianzo also said that considering new ways to structure the office doesn’t necessarily mean there were problems in the previous structure. He said that it is common practice for the university to evaluate an office once a vacancy occurs.
The resignation of Dr. Denise Gifford, former vice president of Student Affairs, prompted university Provost Dr. Shirley Willihnganz to consider restructuring the Student Affairs office.
“When Dr. Gifford stepped down, it gave us an opportunity to look at Student Affairs and see if the structure was still the one that would serve us best. As things change, our structures need to change to stay responsive to new opportunities, missions and situations,” Willihnganz said.
The Student Affairs Office at U of L covered a wide range of student services. Gifford oversaw student services including orientation, the registrar, admissions and financial aid offices, as well as student development and campus life, which included the Student Government Association and the Greek system.
Willihnganz said that Associate Provost Dr. Dale Billingsley has taken over the Student Services department of Student Affairs, and Dr. Michael Cuyjet assumed the position of acting associate provost for Student Life and Development.
So far, there are no concrete plans for the potential transformation of the Student Affairs office. At the time of the interview, Cuyjet had been on the job for five days and said, “Until there is a job description, we will not know what the office will look like.”
Obtaining an idea of what the new position will entail as well as taking over some, if not all, of Gifford’s former responsibilities, will be the first step in the process of transforming the structure of Student Affairs. A committee will be formed by the beginning of October to aid in the long-term decision-making process.
SGA President Bill Brammell is in favor of re-evaluating the organization and structure of Student Affairs.
“There are endless options for how this branch of the university could be organized,” he said. “Anything and everything needs to be evaluated from time to time, and there are potentially better ways for it to be organized to benefit students. The university has to change to keep up.”
As reported in the Aug. 23 issue of The Cardinal, SGA Executive Vice President Nathan Haney and others have voiced concern over the re-organization, citing fears that the level of student representation and their access to the president of the university could be compromised in the process. Brammell quelled fears by saying that while officials are unsure of what the new Student Affairs Office will look like, the number of students working on the committee will help to ensure it is beneficial.
The committee in charge of recommending changes to the Student Affairs office will not only include university officials such as the provost and Cuyjet but also members of the SGA and students chosen from across campus.
“Students are vitally important to the university, and any changes we make will be motivated by a desire to serve them better,” Willihnganz said.
