TO: All Employees
FR: Ming-Tung “Mike” Lee, President
After nearly a year of discussion about Academic Reorganization, this memo provides Presidential approval for the plan attached in this email. This plan supersedes the Omnibus Proposal and all over reorganization memos. The plan will also be posted on the Academic Reorganization website.
Sonoma State lays new ground with this plan. It charts a path that provides an impetus for enrollment growth and curriculum change and offers greater budget stability to Academic Affairs and the campus. The discussions have been extensive, complex, and difficult. We appreciate every comment, every suggestion, and every critique. We now move forward and come together as a campus to rebuild Sonoma State as outlined in the plan.
During the month of March, as part of my decision-making process about Academic Reorganization, I have engaged in three formal listening sessions:
- March 7 meeting with Academic Affairs Leadership Team (Provost, Deans, and AVPs)
- March 28 Listening Session (In Person)
- March 29 Listening Session (Zoom)
Five general themes emerged regarding common concerns and recommendations for action:
- Loss of department chair positions and assigned time
- Staff engagement and morale
- Metrics for success
- Ensuring an appropriate return on investment, in terms of budget savings, cost control, and opportunities for revenue growth (enrollment)
- Timeline for implementation
The Plan for Academic Reorganization provides pathways to address these concerns and recommendations, both through action this semester and through continued dialogue and evaluation during implementation. Moving now into implementation is necessary to demonstrate that Sonoma State is doing all that it can to address its enrollment declines and the resulting budget deficit. The Chancellor’s Office is implementing the CSU Enrollment Target and Budget Reallocation Plan that cuts Sonoma State’s state funding allocation by three to five percent over each of the next three years as long as it is more than 10% below its enrollment target. Those cuts could have a considerable impact on our ability to protect our academic core and could hinder our ability to serve our students effectively. Enrollment is showing signs of recovery, but until tuition revenue increases, the campus must act swiftly to align its resources with its current enrollment.
My sincere thanks go to Provost Moranski and her entire team of staff and administrators in the Provost Office. I also extend my deepest gratitude to the Academic Senate and to the Deans for their invaluable input and for their very helpful engagement in this process.
Sonoma State is making hard decisions to build a better future for our campus, for our incredibly hardworking and loyal faculty and staff, and for our students, who deserve the best, most equitable and inclusive education we can provide. Thank you for joining with me in this effort and for engaging in continuing collegial conversations about the best ways to rebuild our campus. We will continue to move forward, together.
