University of Hawai‘i System
Administration Reorganization

Approved by the Board of Regents, 12/12/02

Links:
Organizational Chart
Executive Summary
Previous Organization
Revised Organization
Background and Reasons for the Reorganization
Impact on Staffing and Resources
Consultation during the Reorganization Process
Alternatives Considered

Executive Summary

The purpose of this reorganization is to realign lines of reporting and responsibilities for established functions and create new offices for a Chief of Staff, Vice President for Research, Vice President for International Education and Vice President for Student Affairs. This document provides a rationale for every line of reporting affected by the creation and revision of positions within the University of Hawai‘i system-wide administration, as well as affected administrative functions at each campus.

This reorganization creates a Council of Chancellors reporting directly to the President. Represented in this council are chancellors of each individual campus throughout the UH system, including a chancellor for each community college. The creation of this council eliminates the Office of the Senior Vice President and Chancellor for Community Colleges and reassigns the functions of system community college staff to various system-level vice presidential offices.

Consistent with the newly created strategic plan, which calls for a system based on functionality, this reorganization moves UH toward higher levels of functional integration while enhancing the quality of our programs for the benefit of our students. The structure reflects organizational dynamics common among several systems of post-secondary education in the United States, while simultaneously acknowledging the unique character of the University of Hawai'i system in its embrace of two-year institutions, baccalaureate institutions and a complex doctoral institution. The proposed system-level office defines and organizes a limited number of functions reporting directly to the President of the system, and will be funded through a systemic reallocation.

The President will establish policies and procedures to ensure full collegial consultation with faculty and students during the reorganization process.

Previous Organization

The January 2001 reorganization separated the positions of Manoa Chancellor and UH President. UH System administration was composed of 12 senior executives: Vice President for External Affairs and University Relations, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer, Vice President for Planning and Policy, Senior Vice President and Chancellor for Community Colleges, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa Chancellor, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Chancellor, University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu Chancellor, Vice President for Student Affairs, Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs & University General Counsel and Director of Capital Improvement.
The following summarizes the results of the January 2001 reorganization:

a. The Vice President for Academic Affairs is the senior academic officer of the UH system, currently with no reporting units.

b. The Office of Student Affairs was housed on the Manoa campus, with the Vice President for Student Affairs reporting directly to the Manoa Chancellor.

c. After abolishing the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research and Dean of Graduate Education, day-to-day operations of the Office of Research Services and the Office of Technology Transfer & Economic Development were absorbed by the Manoa Chancellor’s Office.

d. Distance learning was a program within the Office of the Vice President for Policy and Planning, with the Vice President for Policy and Planning reporting directly to the President.

e. The Senior Vice President and Chancellor for Community Colleges coordinated and promoted international education within the 10-campus system University of Hawai‘i system.

f. The Senior Vice President and Chancellor for Community Colleges reported directly to the President, overseeing the administration of the community college system.

Revised Organization

The new organizational structure will be effective January 1, 2003.

Four new positions reporting directly to the President are established: Chief of Staff, Vice President for Research, Vice President for International Education and Vice President for Student Affairs. A Council of Chancellors is established reporting directly to the President with consultative communication lines to both the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief of Staff. The positions of Provost for the seven community colleges are retitled to Chancellor. Current positions within the Office of the Senior Vice President and Chancellor for Community Colleges are redistributed to various offices within the system administration. Finally, the President will establish a formal consultative line of communication to the Senior Advisor for Native Hawaiian Affairs.

The following functions are affected in the reorganization:

The Chief of Staff is the organizing agent for the senior administration, the President’s chief coordinating agent with particular attention to non-academic matters (the General Counsel previously served in this capacity in addition to her/his other duties).

The Office of the Vice President for International Education is established, with responsibility for system-wide leadership for international educational programs for the University of Hawai‘i.

The Office of the Vice President for Research holds responsibility for system-wide research policies and procedures of the University of Hawai‘i. The Vice President for Research serves as chief research policy advisor to the President and other university executives.

A formal line of communication from the President to the Senior Advisor to the President for Native Hawaiian Affairs will be created.

An informal, consultative line of communication between the President and a representative body of faculty senate chairs (currently the All-Campus Council of Faculty Senate Chairs ACCFSC) is created. This acknowledges current and past informal practice of the President meeting regularly with the ACCFSC. In this reorganization, the President will meet with this group on a monthly basis. Additional comments on President and faculty senate consultation are specified below.

The Vice President for Student Affairs is relocated from Manoa to the system level, acknowledging the commitment of the administration to the student centered nature of the university. This position reports directly to the President and has a consultative line of communication with the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The Director of Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action relocates to the Office of the Vice President for Legal Affairs and University General Counsel.

The following functional and staffing changes will be made (lettering corresponds to above present organization section):

a. As noted above, the Vice President for Academic Affairs coordinates all academic functions throughout the system. An informal consultative and coordinating line is created from this office to the Council of Chancellors, the Vice President for International Education, the Vice President for Research and the Vice President for Student Affairs. The Vice President for Planning and Policy (see "d"), will report to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs for Community Colleges (see "e") will report to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Further, Information Technology Services will remain intact and will have a dual reporting line to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and to the Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer. Finally, the Vice President for Academic Affairs will act with presidential authority during absences of the President from the University.

b. The Vice President for Student Affairs (89103) and secretary (100054) will relocate from the Manoa Chancellor’s Office to the presidential system level.

c. The Office of Research Services, Office of Technology Transfer and Economic Development and University Connections are relocated to the Office of the Vice President for Research. These offices are reassigned intact.

d. The function and position (89059) for distance learning will separate from the Office of the Vice President for Planning and Policy and will report directly to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Office of the Vice President for Planning and Policy will relocate to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs intact, with the noted exception above.

e. The Office of International Affairs is relocated to the Office of the Vice President for International Education. Four permanent positions will be transferred with this office (89380, 51355, 81158, 81015). The Senior Vice President and Chancellor for Community Colleges will become Vice President for International Education (89001). Three additional positions will be transferred from the Office of the Senior Vice President and Chancellor for Community Colleges to support this movement (100041, 89341, 47688).

f. With the Office of the Senior Vice President and Chancellor for Community Colleges eliminated, the community college academic affairs function and currently assigned staff relocate intact, with the exception of position 80019, to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs from community college Administrative Affairs. In addition, three positions (89342, 80447 and 81038, last position listed did not previously appear on any community college organization chart) will relocate to community college Administrative Affairs.

Position number 80447 is from the community college Office of Student and Community Affairs, and position number 89342 is from the community college Chancellor’s Office. The remaining positions in the Office of Administrative Affairs relocate intact to the Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer with the exception of position number 80019, noted above.

The staff of the community college Office of Student and Community Affairs will transfer intact to the Office of the Vice President for International Education with the exception of position number 80447, discussed above.

g. A change is made in the reporting line for the Vice President for Legal Affairs and University General Counsel to render that to the Board of Regents as a direct reporting line, with an indirect reporting line to the President.

Background and Reasons for the Reorganization

BACKGROUND AND REASON FOR THE REORG)
The reorganization promulgated by the Board of Regents’ in January 2001 separating the Manoa Chancellor from the President established that office and abolished other positions (e.g., the Office of the Senior Vice President and Executive Vice Chancellor and that of Senior Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate Division) but remained silent on other aspects of system-wide administration. Subsequently, in July 2001, the Board of Regents approved the positions of Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for External Affairs and University Relations. This reorganization further defines the composition of those positions, locates them in the system’s administrative organization and indicates the overall reporting relationship of other positions brought forward from the previous system organization.
This reorganization reflects organizational dynamics common among several systems of post secondary education in the United States, while simultaneously acknowledging the unique character of the University of Hawai'i system in its embrace of two-year institutions, baccalaureate institutions and a complex doctoral institution. In each campus, a mechanism is provided to link the President directly to the chief operating officer of the campus through the Council of Chancellors.
The organizational schematic creates direct lines of authority to the President in an effort to promote clear delineations and specifications of accountability and increase the autonomy of campuses with regard to mission and direction. Specifically, the creation of the Chief of Staff and the coordinative role of the Vice President for Academic Affairs at the system level indicate the offices’ responsibilities as facilitators and coordinators for system-wide non-academic and academic matters, respectively. The creation of the Office of the Vice President for International Education reflects the imperative of a concentrated global vision for the University. Likewise, the creation of a Council of Chancellors reflects a movement toward equitable presidential access for each campus in the system. The creation of an Office of the Vice President for Research anticipates the increased importance and level of research and training grant activity for each campus. The addition of a dual reporting line for Information Technology Services to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer reflects the increased importance of technology in the delivery of all education. Finally, the co-location of previously discrete administrative functions within the Office of the Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer reflects the desire to centralize and streamline these functions to ensure consistency and efficiency in their oversight.

Impact on Staffing and Resources

Positions will be re-described as necessary, commensurate with new functional statements. This proposal creates five positions–Chief of Staff with private secretary, Vice President for Research with private secretary and Vice President for International Education. These positions will be obtained through reallocation from vacant positions within the university system. Fourteen staff will be reassigned on a temporary basis from the existing Office of the Community Colleges Office to the Office of the Vice President for International Education. Four of these are currently assigned to the existing Office of International Affairs; 10 others are made available for reassignment through the reorganization of the Office of the Community Colleges to the proposed Office of the Vice President for International Education. These positions will constitute a transitional office for launching the Office of International Education.

Consultation during the Reorganization Process

Because these administrative changes at the University of Hawai‘i System level will have direct or indirect impacts on academic programs and policies and on budget policies and priorities, the President will set up systems of consultation with faculty during the process of implementing the reorganization. Faculty senates will be consulted in the process of defining the specific roles and functions and operational plans of the system level administrative offices and their initiatives to ascertain their potential impact on academic and budgetary policy. Such consultation is mandated by BOR policy 1.10 and Executive Order E1.201 and by the charters and by-laws of the respective faculty senates. It is anticipated that these policies and procedures will need to be revised in light of the reorganization. The President will consult with the campus faculty senates, the UH Student Caucus and the unions in formulating proposals for revised consultative structures for presentation to the Board of Regents.

Alternatives Considered
The administration reviewed and integrated several organizational models for other similar university systems in the United States in the development of this proposed reorganization.