Dear Colleagues,

As you will recall, the University launched an organizational assessment starting last August of our decentralized business and administrative support, along with our marketing and communications functions. Our external partner, the Segal Group, has effectively engaged since then with staff, faculty, and leaders through interviews, feedback sessions, and campus visits. We sincerely thank everyone who took the time to participate and share their valuable insights.

This broad engagement demonstrates our strong commitment to collaboration, transparency, and continuous improvement, and it has established a solid foundation for confidently shaping our path forward together.

We performed this assessment to strengthen operational efficiencies, foster a culture of continuous improvement, and reduce administrative burden on staff and faculty. Assessments such as this also help us make clearer connections across the University by linking opportunities identified in one area to other operational priorities.

In addition, this assessment enables us to make data-informed decisions and optimize resources to meet accreditation standards, as we are currently in our 10th year of NECHE accreditation; strengthen the institution’s reputation and sustainability; and improve student learning outcomes and the overall student experience.

We have reached a significant milestone in the Segal engagement. The assessment process is now complete, and Segal has compiled its findings and recommendations. We are moving into the next phase, which involves sharing our insights, engaging with the University community, and outlining the steps we will take as we transition from assessment to action.

With this foundation in place, we are ready to share Segal’s findings and recommendations and to outline how members of our community can continue to engage as we move forward.

First, we want to acknowledge that this engagement and potential changes it could bring have raised concerns among our workforce, particularly regarding job security. With that in mind, we want to make it clear that Segal did not recommend eliminating positions or reducing the size of our workforce.

At the same time, Segal did identify opportunities for change, and we recognize that change — even when not related to staff reductions — can create uncertainty and anxiety. As we embark on the next phase of this initiative, we are committed to providing timely communication, ongoing opportunities for feedback and engagement, and other resources to support employees in adapting to change.

In their review of the business and administrative processes assessed, Segal identified four overarching themes:

• The decentralized nature of the work results in administrative inefficiencies and limits opportunities to leverage economies of scale.
• Burdensome processes and disconnected systems are increasing administrative burden.
• Uncertainty is negatively affecting morale, including concerns about transparency and communication.
• There is a need for clearer strategic direction and stronger alignment of organizational priorities.

At a high level, Segal recommends designing new models within the business and administrative areas that were assessed, which may include shared services or hybrid models that utilize both embedded and shared service functions.

At this time, no decisions have been made, and no models have been selected. This will continue to be a collaborative process in which staff and faculty input will be critical as the new organizational model is designed. Its goal is to improve service delivery, reduce administrative burdens, strengthen compliance, clarify roles, and establish sustainable workloads while expanding opportunities for staff career development and growth.

Next Steps:

The University will host an informational session at 10 a.m. on Monday, April 13, in which Segal will present the key themes, findings, and recommendations that emerged from the organizational assessment.

University leadership will also provide more details during the informational session about how this work will move forward, including what to expect in coming months and how community input will continue to inform the design and implementation planning.

This presentation will be recorded and posted, and will not include live Q&A. This approach will allow members of our community to hear directly from Segal and University leadership, reflect on the findings and recommendations, and take time to digest the information with opportunities for future discussions.

To support thoughtful dialogue, we will provide a series of Q&A topics for discussion, and conversation and feedback sessions will be scheduled following the presentation. These sessions are designed to create opportunities for deeper engagement once the community has had time to reflect on the findings and recommendations.

Sessions will be offered separately for business and administrative support functions and for marketing and communications, ensuring focused and relevant discussion. Information regarding the Q&A and feedback session, including registration information, will be available following the campus-wide presentation.

Your Continued Role

Your participation will remain essential as this work moves forward. We are committed to continuing this process collaboratively and transparently, with regular communication to keep the University community informed. As we consider the next steps, we will thoughtfully review and incorporate feedback shared through upcoming engagement opportunities to help guide our decision-making and implementation.

We are grateful for the continued engagement, care, and professionalism of our community, and we look forward to working together as we take these next steps and focus on building a stronger institution for all.

Sincerely,

Radenka Maric

President

Pamir Alpay

Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs