Eastern Michigan University Interim President Craig Willis announced Nov. 1 three organizational changes intended to help strengthen the University's ability to better serve its students.
Effective as of Nov. 1:
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Cline |
Margaret Cline, chief information officer (CIO) and executive director for Information and Communication Technology (ICT), will report to Donald Loppnow, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.
"This change will strengthen the working relationship between ICT and Academic Affairs, and help ensure that instructional and student computing needs are continuously addressed," Willis said.
Cline, who joined the University in 1998, will continue to serve as CIO at EMU and she and the division will continue to serve the University at large. ICT previously reported to the president.
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Hall |
Cindy Hall, chief of police and director of the Department of Public Safety (DPS), will report to James Vick, vice president for student affairs. Hall, who has worked in DPS for 25 years, was recently named to the post, succeeding John McAuliffe, who retired in July. Willis said the move makes great sense.
"Most of the work DPS does, both educational and legal, involves students. Being aligned with Student Affairs will enable them to do their jobs more effectively by linking the department to an entire array of student support services and personnel," Willis said.
DPS formerly resided in the Business and Finance division.
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Tack |
Dr. Martha Tack, senior executive for presidential initiatives, will remain in that capacity but serve as a "loaned executive" to Stuart Starner, vice president for advancement and executive director for the EMU Foundation.
"One of the University's most critical needs is to increase private giving for academics. For this reason, I've asked Dr. Tack to spend this year focusing on academic fundraising," Willis said.
Tack, who has served as senior executive since 2000, has had a number of positions at EMU including: interim associate vice president for academic affairs, associate dean of the College of Education, interim associate dean of the College of Education, and department head of leadership and counseling.
"Since arriving at Eastern, one of the questions I've continuously asked is, 'how can we better serve students?' These changes, in part, came from those discussions," Willis said. "People said we needed to better integrate areas that dealt directly with students, to provide greater technology support within academic affairs, and to raise money for scholarships and academic programs. These changes address those issues."
Willis said that he does not anticipate making additional changes in the organization.
"While I would always reserve the right to make changes that would benefit the University, with this realignment I believe we have the organizational structure and team in place for the year ahead, " Willis said.
Willis, who joined EMU in August 2004, formerly served as president of Lock Haven University in Lock Haven, Pa., for 22 years. He will serve as interim president while the Board of Regents conducts a national search for a permanent president.
