VCU Board of Visitors approves two new schools

By Pamela DiSalvo Lepley

RICHMOND, Va., – The Virginia Commonwealth University Board of Visitors today approved two new schools in the university’s College of Humanities and Sciences – the School of Government and Public Affairs and the School of World Studies.

The development of the new schools is part of a restructuring of the College that university officials say will differentiate VCU’s liberal arts and sciences programs from those of other universities.  The new schools will not have traditional departmental structures in order to promote greater collaboration between disciplines and to strengthen faculty resources for students.

“The new organizational structure will offer the best of all worlds,” said VCU President Eugene P. Trani, Ph.D.  “It will maximize opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration while still permitting students to major in the disciplines of their career interests.”

The idea of restructuring began as an exercise in figuring out how to deal with budget constraints “that turned into an extraordinary opportunity to remake ourselves in a bold and exciting way,” said Stephen D. Gottfredson, Ph.D., dean of the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences.  “The restructuring – abolishing departments – enables us to maintain strong program areas with greater agility to respond quickly to critical societal needs and funding opportunities.”

Gottfredson said upcoming changes in faculty staffing also made this an opportune time for change.  Over the next several years, the College will experience significant turnover because of retirements.  More than half of the 300 faculty are over the age of 50 and one-quarter are more than 60 years old.  “We were faced with an immediate decision,” Gottfredson said.  “Replicate ourselves over the next five to ten years, or seize the opportunity to make ourselves into the VCU of the future.”

With the restructuring, the School of Government and Public Affairs will be the largest of its kind in the southeast.  It will offer programs in criminal justice, economics, nonprofit management, political science, public administration and urban studies.  The School of World Studies will offer programs in cultural anthropology, foreign languages, geography, international studies and religious studies. 

Gottfredson said the restructuring will position the College of Humanities and Sciences to be more competitive in recruiting students – particularly out-of-state students -- and faculty.  He said other benefits include enhancing interdisciplinary opportunities for students, increasing research support and private funding, and improving various higher education rankings.  He said the restructuring also will reduce administrative costs.

All resources needed to create and support the new schools will be reallocated from within the College’s existing resources.  “The restructuring allows us to build without spending new money,” Gottfredson said.

With today’s board action, the proposals for the new School of Government and Public Affairs and the School of World Studies will be forwarded to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) for approval.