Task force scaffolding and first two meeting updates
Phase 1 – Charge and Purpose
Meeting Date: July 10, 2023 (in-person)
The kick-off meeting of the One VCU Academic Repositioning Task Force was held on campus at the James Branch Cabell Library. The members were welcomed by university leadership and provided an overview of the task force charge and purpose. Garret Westlake, executive director of the DaVinci Center for Innovation, discussed the various stages of change and led an exercise where each individual could identify the rational and emotional forces that factor into change management. Task force co-chairs Naomi Boyd, dean of the School of Business, and K.C. Ogbonna, dean of the School of Pharmacy, then led the members in a collaborative SWOT analysis of VCU’s academic structure. The meeting agenda and slide deck are available here.
Phase 2 – Information Gathering
Meeting Date: July 17, 2023 (Zoom)
Deans Boyd and Ogbonna provided an overview of the results of the SWOT analysis performed at the previous meeting. Examples of other universities that have successfully navigated structural changes were reviewed and the members were reminded that the committee charge is to “develop academic structure recommendations.” Those recommendations should “create efficiencies, promote broader programmatic collaboration, increase interactions between Schools and Colleges, and provide unique educational experiences for attracting students.”
The task force members were then assigned to one of eight work groups charged with gathering information on designated VCU units. The work groups met in separate breakout rooms. Each group was assigned a dean liaison and designated a group lead. The meeting agenda and slide deck are available here.