UNDERSTANDING AND IMPLEMENTING MANDATED REORGANIZATIONS 101 This statement—now 50 years old—was a pragmatic recommendation from deans of Arts and Sciences who believed that their colleges’ contribution to the liberal arts was more important than all other considerations. They recommended to keep the liberal arts central in higher education curriculum. Today,thefocusofdeansofArtsandSciencesisdifferent.Notasingleinstitution— despite the large number of institutions we researched and the numerous leaders we interviewed—stated that enhancing liberal education was its primary goal around reorganization. Only a few even mentioned it. In fact, improving the student experience overall was rarely referred to. This seems remarkable as students are the primary reason for the existence of higher education. With the apparent increase in frequency of reorganizing Arts and Sciences colleges on campuses, and now knowing that the student experience is not usually considered, there are many questions a dean needs to consider. Are reorganizations a demonstration of leader- ship skills to the campus community (i.e., chest-pounding or CV building)? Or, as higher education evolves, is there substance behind these reorganization decisions? Exploring these questions, this chapter offers case examples of colleges splitting or merging, including the merger of colleges of two different institutions. Context of these examples The cases recounted here are from deans, associate deans, and provosts who have been through college reorganizations. Thus, these descriptions may possess biases and may not capture events perfectly. Furthermore, the stated reasons for the reor- ganization are the ones known to the deans and likely the public. It is possible deci- sion-makers revealed only part of the story. In one instance, rather than firing a dean not liked by the provost, executive leaders combined two colleges, conveniently finding themselves in need of only one dean and thereby avoided direct conflict. Conversely, cronyism can come into play: An executive leader could split a college, finding need for a dean who is a colleague from a former institution. Our point is that readers understand the drivers for change explained below as the stated rationales for change, but might not tell the whole story. Although the cases below focus on colleges comprised of Arts and Sciences programs—exclusively or in some combination with non-Arts and Sciences programs—they apply to any type of college. We are aware of changes in business, education, and human science colleges that follow these same story lines. These cases do not address reorganizations based on accreditation requirements (e.g., AACSB-accredited business schools, CEPH-accredited public health schools). Not a single institution—despite the large number of institutions we researched and the numerous leaders we interviewed—stated that enhancing liberal education was its primary goal around reorganization.