ORGANIZING THE FACULTY WITHIN A COLLEGE 95 • Costs to make the change and budget implications once implemented? • Determining where faculty members have tenure? • Review of existing P&T guidelines? • Review of faculty governance? • Revising of program requirements? • A new approach to student advising? • A MOU if the change requires cooperation among various parties? One dean advises: “Bring in as many stakeholders as possible. If you have enough people at the table, someone is going to think of everything that needs to be changed.” Don’t underestimate what needs to be attended to,” says another. “There’s a remark- able amount of work involved in doing this kind of thing!” Political (the dynamics of influence, power, and relationships): • When considering whether to separate two sub-disciplines into separate de- partments, a dean knew it was important to keep his provost in the loop. “I was in touch with the provost along the way, as is my habit, making sure of such things as, Is she supportive of the move? Have we discussed what the resource issues are? Could I get more resources from her office if needed? My approach [with the provost] has always been to say, ‘If I can work this out within the col- lege, will you approve it?’” • The dean described how he built support behind-the-scenes for the merging of several language departments—an idea that the dean initiated for a number of reasons: “I had laid the groundwork for this meeting [of both departments] by talking privately to four or five faculty members whom I suspected would sup- port the idea and who were moderately influential and salted the mine a little bit. I told them, ‘I would appreciate you voicing your support for this.’” • Several deans also mention under “lessons learned” that the dynamics of new configurations among faulty must be attended to after the change is implement- ed. A dean who had authorized a subunit of faculty to split from its larger de- partment to form an independent program relays: “I had to have long talks with the senior faculty [in the new program] about the need to make sure the newly hired faculty don’t get caught up in the old battles between the two units.” Advises another dean, “Create a definite timeline for the change to happen plus plans to review and revise—and then actually do it.” Human Resource (how people feel and what needs they seek to have satisfied): • In considering a desired but “forced” merger of three disciplines, the dean real- ized: “There are unequal incentives to join together into a new department. The- atre faculty need a home and are desperate not to have to teach Gen Ed for the