Last month, we shared a draft plan to restructure the university’s academic units to better facilitate collaboration across related disciplines and align with the needs of our students and community. Over the past few weeks, we have received insightful feedback on the draft through both the public comment portal and numerous meetings with faculty, staff, and other campus leaders. Our plan was based on the in-depth and extensive work of the Academic Structure Task Force, which facilitated conversations with more than 1,000 stakeholders over the past year. In providing our proposal, we sought to address the decision points outlined in the Final Report of the Academic Structure Task Force. 

We want to offer our sincere gratitude to the campus community for your ongoing participation in this collaborative process. Navigating change is never easy, but the input provided through the public comment period and follow-up meetings was thoughtful, helpful, and collegial. The spirit of cooperation and mutual respect present at ETSU never ceases to inspire. Additionally, over the past few weeks, groups of faculty members have met with department chairs and deans to work through questions, address concerns, and help facilitate what will be a period of transformation for our campus. We have listened to and carefully considered the feedback we received through public comment and additional conversations with campus leaders. Today, we present a revised plan for restructuring to you. 

This final version of the proposal will be submitted to the university’s governing bodies for approval and reflects changes made in response to concerns and ideas shared over the past month. Changes from the initial version include the following:

The Department of Psychology will remain housed in the College of Arts and Sciences, under the proposed new School of Social Sciences and Humanities, rather than moving to the College of Public Health as initially suggested. Due to the field’s complex and interdisciplinary nature, there is no standard for where a psychology department is housed across higher education institutions, and we recognize that ETSU’s Department of Psychology can thrive in multiple settings. We have therefore revised the original plan in accordance with the clear preference to remain in the College of Arts and Sciences, as communicated by faculty during the public comment period.    

The Department of Counseling and Human Services will move from Clemmer College of Education and Human Development to the College of Health Sciences to facilitate stronger collaboration with the Department of Social Work. 

The Nutrition program will be placed in the School of Clinical Sciences in the College of Health Sciences instead of moving to the new School of Human Performance and Sport Science. This revision was made considering that the program includes a robust clinical component, prepares students for a wide range of career opportunities, and encompasses numerous applications of study beyond sport science.

The American Sign Language program will move to the College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Literature and Language, to better align with other language studies programs. 

Cross-Disciplinary Studies will move to the Clemmer College of Education and Human Development, which provides a strong foundation for these programs due to the college’s focus on lifelong learning and growth.  

The Strong BRAIN Institute and the Child and Family Health Institute will be housed under the Office of the Vice Provost for Research due to the cross-disciplinary nature of these research areas. Additionally, a task force will convene in the coming year with the goal of studying and optimizing the impact of all of the university’s centers and institutes, as suggested in the Final Report of the Academic Structure Task Force.  

The Department of Health Sciences in the College of Public Health will review and change its name to avoid confusion with the newly named College of Health Sciences.

The revised proposed structure is available for review online in a fully accessible format. This final proposal will be discussed with the Faculty Senate on Monday, April 8. It will then be presented for a vote of approval to the Academic Council on Thursday, April 11; University Council on Monday, May 13; and the ETSU Board of Trustees on Friday, May 24. The proposed changes will become effective July 1, 2024. 

In preparation for the next stages of this process, we have convened an Academic Restructure Implementation Team, which will work with stakeholders across campus to facilitate our transition to a new structure. This group will identify, plan for, implement, and evaluate necessary administrative changes at the university, college, department, and other administrative levels to support the revised academic structure. Additionally, they will facilitate conversation and decision-making related to the creation and management of schools within colleges. Implementation updates will be communicated through the Academic Structure Task Force website, with a list of responses to frequently asked questions. More information about this team is available online.

Finally, as we turn our attention toward implementation, we would like to reaffirm ETSU’s core values, which state that people come first and are to be treated with dignity and respect. Individuals who will be directly affected by the proposed process will be consulted for additional input, and we will strive to accommodate personal preferences to the extent possible. Again, we would like to thank each of you for your thoughtful input and the spirit of shared purpose and collaboration exhibited throughout this process. It is truly an honor to be part of a university community that is so steadfastly focused on its mission and the well-being of the students and region it serves. We look forward to the positive impact these changes will have. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle
Dr. Brian Noland

 

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