Southeast regents OK restructuring plan as cost-cutting move

Despite concerns from students, faculty and staff, the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents on Friday approved two major academic restructuring proposals that cut $121,000 in base-budget administrative costs by reducing two department chair positions and two administrative assistant positions.

In the wake of recent higher-education budget cuts from the Gov. Eric Grietens’ administration, Southeast has been working since August to realign its academic structure to compensate for some of the lost funds.

The academic-affairs sector of the university needs to identify $1.2 million in department cost reductions — a fraction of the $6.1 million gap in the university budget.

During the first week of the fall semester, provost Karl Kunkel proposed two restructuring plans that would reorganize five academic departments: the Department of Modern Languages, Anthropology and Geography; the Department of History; the Department of Communication Studies; the Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology; and the Department of Social Work.

Under the proposals, the Department of Modern Languages, Anthropology and Geography would dissolve to create two departments that are merged with the Department of History and the Department of Communications Studies. The two departments would be the Department of Modern Languages and Communications Studies and the Department of History, Anthropology and Geography.

The second proposal combines the Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology with the Department of Social Work. It was the proposal most opposed by students, faculty and staff.

Major academic-restructuring proposals procedures are outlined in the faculty handbook and go through five committees before being presented to President Carlos Vargas-Aburto and the regents. Of these committees, both departments, the Health and Human Services college council and the graduate council, expressed varying opposition to the proposal.

The Department of Social Work responded to the proposal with a unanimous vote against the reorganizations, saying the merger would not be in the best interest of their students, community and personnel.

It outlined faculty, staff, student and community effects in its response, and when it came to their students, it stated in an email to Kunkel: “Although social work and criminal justice are both social sciences, our basic approach to clients and foundational discipline premises differ significantly. … Social workers have too great a responsibility to clients and communities to have their scope of practice blurred with another discipline’s philosophy.”

As for the Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology, faculty and staff said they are not opposed adamantly to the merger, though they are hesitant to approve it.

“Although the department understands the university’s engagement in academic restructure is based on significant financial need, the department believes this proposal was not adequately vetted or properly based on input and sound evidence,” the department stated in an email to Kunkel.

Hamner Hill, interim dean of the College of Health and Human Services, stated in an email to Kunkel he supported the proposal, but with significant reservations.

“Given the fiscal state of the University, it presents an opportunity to contribute to institutional economy and efficiency,” he stated. “There is no principle reason why programs in criminal Justice and Social Work cannot coexist with one academic department.”

“We hear the concerns, but on further reflection, we believe this is the best move for Southeast Missouri State University,” Board of regents president Jay Knudtson said.

According to Kunkel, many of those concerns have come from misinformation about the proposals and a reluctance to change. Kunkel said his main goal was to merge departments in a way that makes sense, and in no way will the merges affect the individual curricula.

“We are not doing anything that will jeopardize the curriculum or accreditation of Social Work; we are simply restructuring the administrative oversight,” he said.

A big concern that came from the Department of Social Work was the uncertainty of how merging with another department will affect accreditation. Kunkel said he contacted the Council of Social Work Education, the Department of Social Work’s accrediting body, and made certain the restructuring would not jeopardize the future of the program.

Kunkel said he wants the university to get through the budget deficit more effective and efficient than it was, and through the restructuring, he hopes to create conversations among faculty that would not have occurred otherwise.

He outlines opportunities resulting from the merger to include the possibility of courses themed around common interests and developing innovative certificate and degree programs.

“It’s recommendations like this that are going to get us through this,” Knudtson said.

The new administrative structure will become effective July 1 pending the appointment of department heads and administrative assistants.

The university is discussing major academic restructuring at the college level. For more information about possible restructuring proposals for the future, go to semo.edu/provost.