UF President Bernie Machen's recent decision to restructure his administration may have been well-received by UF's Board of Trustees at its meeting last week, but at a Faculty Senate meeting Thursday, faculty members questioned Machen about the changes.
After Machen gave his usual report, several faculty members asked him how the restructuring would affect the search for a new College of Liberal Arts and Sciences dean, especially since two of four remaining candidates recently withdrew.
The administration change will move budget operations, formerly handled by the Office of the Provost, and the University Controller's Office to the office of Matt Fajack, UF's chief financial officer.
Machen said during the Thursday meeting that he hopes the move will help UF better manage its funding and find more financial resources.
He said the only danger UF faces is that "the academics won't have the absolute control over the major decisions that involve the university."
Machen assured faculty that he'd watch developments carefully to make sure that didn't happen. He said the changes would be phased in during the next six to nine months, and he would welcome faculty input on whether the new approach is working.
The restructuring changes the way each college's money is managed, including CLAS, which is currently without a dean.
Carol Murphy, a French professor, asked Machen how UF could attract an adequate CLAS dean in light of such a major reorganization.
Peter Coclanis, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill associate provost who was being considered for the position, dropped out of the search Wednesday, citing Machen's recently announced changes as part of his reasoning.
Machen responded that he thinks UF's budget crisis, which Coclanis also said was a reason for his withdrawal, is a larger concern than administrative changes.
"I don't believe that's the issue that's causing the search to be in some jeopardy," he said of the restructuring. "It's the inability of us to tell dean candidates what their resource base is going to be."
