Leaders' duties to be shuffled

The board of trustees approved proposals made by President Adam Herbert for a "reconstruction" of IU leadership and structure Saturday during an emergency meeting called by the IU-Bloomington faculty in response to growing criticism of Herbert's performance. \nSet to occur Feb. 1, the changes of executive leadership include the creation of the new position of provost and vice president for academic affairs on the Bloomington campus. IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis chancellor Charles Bantz was also named executive vice president of IU, and will report directly to the president and assist him with administrative issues as well monitoring all undergraduate academic programs and reviews. \nCalling for changes in the job descriptions of several executive positions, reporting relationships and academic standards, Herbert said in a recent letter to trustees that several issues must be addressed to enhance IU's operations. \nHowever, IU executives and faculty members will not be solely affected by the president's new proposal. New admission standards, as well as general education requirements, will be in place for the fall semester of 2008, changes IU Student Association President Alex Shortle said will better the articulation between schools and campuses.\n"When you're switching your major, you're not going to be retaking a lot of classes. You're not going to be taking a lot of different classes," he said. "All of them will be requiring the same basic classes and the same prerequisites so that up until maybe junior year you will be able to change majors without any real problem to help students graduate in four years." \nHerbert said he believes that "schools think they own their majors," causing him to call for the board of trustees to set general education requirements to disperse throughout all schools on campus.\nNew requirements and raised standards will allow IU the opportunity to seek out top Indiana students, said IU board of trustees President Stephen Ferguson in the board's official response to Herbert's proposal at the meeting.\n"We consider all of these actions absolutely necessary to address pressing issues. We also view them as the first steps in an ongoing process of analysis and transformation which we, as a board, believe is critical to IU's future," he said in the statement. \nThe trustees discussed Herbert's plans in a private morning meeting and Herbert presented them during the public meeting. \n"We must be prepared to run the University and through the support of the board we will collaborate to achieve these aspirations," Herbert said. "My hope is that you share my beliefs."\nExpressing his concerns about the role of chancellor on the Bloomington campus, Herbert said he believed eliminating the position and defining the president as the "clear leader of the campus" would satisfy the expectations of the trustees and IU faculty.\n"One of the fundamental realities is for the president to exercise those responsibilities that are requested would require a necessity that the role of the chancellor be diminished," Herbert said. "You cannot have two executive officers running one campus."\nIn another resolution the trustees passed, the dean of the Kelley School of Business will now report directly to the newly created position of provost on the Bloomington campus instead of the previous reporting relationship held with the chancellor of IUPUI. There is also a possible move of the School of Optometry from the Bloomington to the Indianapolis campus to join it with other health science schools. \nPreviously, the leadership modifications would have taken months to approve. But the board of trustees made a bold statement to move quickly in light of mounting irritations, said IU student trustee Casey Cox.\n"There was a lot of pent up frustration about things that should have been changed years ago. Now they have just manifested. We have been able to identify that we have to act now," he said. "That's why we have a board of trustees. This was the opportunity to change. That's what we all realized over the last few months."\nIn light of the board's decision not to review the president's job performance, Bloomington Faculty Council member Herbert Terry said time will tell if the proposed changes will ease faculty frustrations and concern.\n"Coming weeks will tell if tension is reduced or not," he said. "I believe a reduction is possible if everybody approaches the next few weeks with an open mind and if discussion and decisions proceed openly and transparently."\nAccenting the reality that time is of the essence, Ferguson said the board cannot allow its usual processes to stand in the way of acting rapidly.\n"If it isn't already obvious, I would close by noting that 'business as usual' is out the window at IU," he said. "We ask all of you to join us as we build a new future for Indiana University"