122 ORGANIZING ACADEMIC COLLEGES: A GUIDE FOR DEANS Deans’Recommendations Across Mandated College Reorganizations When asked what recommendations they would like to make to fellow deans reading this book, the deans we interviewed made the following points. These recom- mendations are from the context of their campuses; judge which apply to yours. Re: Communication • Be transparent in your actions • If savings are to be had, make it clear to the faculty the process and priorities for reallocating those resources • Dispel rumors at every opportunity • Communicate frequently with other deans on campus and your college’s faculty senate • Proactively reach out to key donors to the college and its departments and explain the benefits of the reorganization • Do not undermine campus leadership in the communication process Re: Faculty • Have the process be largely faculty-driven • You will only prolong the negotiation phase of the merger if faculty are not provided explicit guidance (e.g., the principles to be adhered to in the process) • If you seek faculty input, let go of your preconceived notions for the outcome and allow the faculty to guide it • As faculty and chairs like to see they have influenced the result, if you want to provide a straw model so people can understand the concept of reorganization, demonstrate with a model you do not like, as the faculty is certain to recommend something different! Re: Process • Define what constitutes a department in collaboration with the faculty and provost, and firmly follow those principles • Be willing to hire department chairs from the outside depending on the needs of the new unit(s) • Define in advance how to address organizational changes to named/endowed units (e.g. schools, departments) that may be organizationally moved or modified • Be solution focused, define the challenges that can be overcome through a new structure, and outline the benefits and the costs that are foreseen, thereby ensuring the time investment and expenditure of political capital will be worth it • If you are going to reorganize, don’t do other major changes at the same time (e.g., Tenure & Promotion changes) and develop post-reorganization priorities for implementation in a prioritized and sequential manner • As you develop options for reorganization, check with units outside of academic