SIU Trustees have approved a change in the way some schools report to the administration - something leaders hope will be more efficient, but others still have concerns about.
The change affects SIU's Schools of Law, Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy. President Randy Dunn says the change is about making policy reflect reality - meaning his office should be more directly involved, for example, with some actions in the School of Medicine.
"The reality is, the President cannot help but be almost hand-in-glove with the Chancellor in taking along a lot of the responsibilities for the School (of Medicine), and Healthcare."
But not everyone is convinced the changes are a good idea. Trustee Shirley Portwood remains worried about unintended consequences.
"It is not clear, from reading the various studies that have been done, what problem will be solved by the change in reporting lines. Nor do they indicate how it improves university as a whole."
Currently, the Law School reports to SIU Carbondale's Provost; the Dental and Pharmacy Schools report to SIU Edwardsville's Provost; and the School of Medicine reports to Carbondale's Chancellor.
The changes, approved with only Trustee Portwood voting no, will now have the Medical School reporting to both the Carbondale Chancellor and System President, and the other schools reporting to their respective campus Chancellor.
