Our mission is to design a collaborative, sustainable, and responsive undergraduate program team structure that supports the entire educational life cycle of undergraduate Chemistry students.

Stay Informed & Get Involved
February Update:
1st Undergrad ReOrg Engagement Event: February 24, 3:30-4:30pm
Our consultant, Darin Harris, has joined the team.
The team is currently working on defining our Design Requirements.
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
Vision Statement and Guiding Principles
The committee seeks to modernize the program structure by employing a student-centered focus that considers student needs and perspective, while also honoring the tradition of rigor and excellence in the delivery of our courses. Structures we create will more fully support our students while maintaining a healthy work environment for employees. We commit to promoting a mindset of continuous improvement, an environment of wellbeing, the cross-sub-disciplinary cultivation of ideas, and an integrative approach to our work in service of the teaching mission of the Department.
Guiding Principles
We have established these principles that articulate how we will approach this project:
- Take a student-centered focus: keep the student experience in mind when designing our program.
- Maintain a collaborative process: work together to redevelop the undergraduate program structure
- Benchmark structures and prototypes against other departments and universities
- Prioritize form over function in our design: first identify all of the tasks that need to be accomplished, and then design the system to carry out these tasks
- Adopt a mindset of continuous process improvement
- Set clear and attainable deadlines and deliverables
- Bring all the undergraduate program team members and stakeholders along in the process
Design Requirements
These design requirements articulate our desired outcomes, or what we plan to achieve by the end of the project:
- Design a program operation structure that fosters integration and cooperation between all sub-disciplines
- Balance instructor and faculty roles in developing and implementing the curriculum
- Reflect a student-centered approach that supports a world-class educational program
- Develop a resilient, sustainable, and sensible program structure
Undergrad ReOrg Leadership Team
Our Undergraduate ReOrg Leadership Team is comprised of a diverse set of colleagues who represent various areas and expertise in the undergraduate program. The responsibilities of the Leadership Team include:
- Incorporating project management, engagement and change management, and operational design expertise
- Setting an attainable project timeline with defined milestones
- Modeling the guiding principles and championing the reorg project
- Developing proposals to be taken up for approval by Department leadership bodies at the conclusion of each phase of the project
Undergrad ReOrg Leadership Team Members:
- Sponsor, Department Chair: Judith Burstyn
- Sponsor, Associate Chair for Undergraduate Program: Clark Landis
- Project directors: Theresa Pesavento & Kayla Driscoll
- Analytical, lab director: Pam Doolittle
- General Chemistry, lab director, instructor: Stephen Block
- General Chemistry Chair, faculty: Thomas Brunold
- HR and personnel management: Char Horsfall
- Inorganic, faculty: Judith Burstyn & Clark Landis
- Organic, faculty: Tehshik Yoon
- Organic, lab director: Nick Hill
- Physical, lab director: Mark Wendt
- Physical, General Chemistry, faculty: JR Schmidt
- Undergraduate Chemistry director, advising: Jeanne Hamers
- Undergraduate Chemistry services: Sarina Strnad
We are working with an external organizational consultant, Darin Harris, who is responsible for the analysis, benchmarking and operational design prototyping for our proposals.
Team Charter
- Prioritize an organizational focus: the good of the whole versus a specific path or personal interest
- Honor the outputs of discussion and group decision-making processes
- Prioritize working together: aim to find commonality(ies) and make recommendations for which we can advocate
- Expect that we cannot (and should not) cover everything in each meeting or task but that meetings and tasks will build on each other
- Let yourself innovate and not be bound by what has happened in the past; consider all possible solutions
- Consider your role as an advocate for this project when communicating with your colleagues and stakeholders
- Respect the ground rules, the scope of our work, and meeting times
- Trust that we will hear all input and concerns and will take them into account, and that final decisions cannot reflect everyone’s preferences
Committee Roles and Governance Structure
Undergrad ReOrg Leadership Team: This team is charged with (1) carrying out the work of the project plan and (2) giving feedback to the Leadership Team sponsors, program directors and consultant to guide the proposals that are created and presented to Department leadership bodies. The Undergraduate ReOrg Leadership Team meets bi-weekly.
Department ReOrg Leadership Team: This team is the first level of approval for any reorg associated proposals. The Undergraduate ReOrg Leadership Team sponsors and program directors will bring proposals to the Department ReOrg Leadership Team. The Department ReOrg Leadership Team meets monthly.
Department Leadership Council: This team is the second level approval. They evaluate the fiscal implications of a given proposal and will move the proposals forward to the Department Exec Committee. The Leadership Council meets bi-weekly.
Department Executive Committee: This committee makes the final decision to adopt a proposal and to finalize its changes into the Department and undergraduate structure. The Executive Committee meets monthly.
Project Timeline
Internal Inventory
Nov 2020 – Jan 2021
Understand the current state and inventory all functions in the Undergraduate Program
Outcomes: Gather and organize all documentation and related materials
Discovery Phase
Jan – Feb 2021
Seek alignment around the project, set clear priorities for project, and create a project plan and engagement plan
Outcomes: Define vision, guiding principles, design requirements, and governance structure
Functional Analysis
Feb – Mar 2021
Analyze peer institutions, Undergraduate Program information and priorities, engage and seek feedback from Undergraduate Program stakeholders
Outcomes: Create comprehensive current state of program, validate design requirements, investigate best practice models
Alignment
March 2021
Align against established priorities and design requirements, develop future state models
Outcomes: Facilitate retreat for Undergrad ReOrg Leadership Team and Leadership Council members, identify tensions between current and future state
Validation of Undergrad Tasks and Functions
Mar – Apr 2021
Confirm tasks and functions in Undergraduate Program, identify areas for process improvement
Outcomes: Finalize library of tasks, function, processes of Undergraduate Program
Operational Design
Apr – May 2021
Design and showcase prototypes for Undergraduate Program organizational structure, invite review cycles and program-wide feedback
Outcomes: Decide on organizational design model to move forward to implement, build out action teams where needed
Implementation
June – Aug 2021
Develop specific actions and accountability for moving forward on the chosen organizational design model; engage Undergraduate Program personnel to be ready to inhabit new structure
Outcomes: Establish HR structures, professional development, organizational support, environmental factors that will sustain new design
Pilot
Sept 2021 – May 2022
Key Decisions
Coming soon
Engagement Events
February 24
3:30-4:30pm
Seeking Alignment with Project Goals and Design Outcomes
March (late)
Task Inventory Validation
April
Undergrad Peer Institutional Analysis & Creating Best Practices
May
Undergrad Program Org Chart Prototypes
June
Change Management Workshop
July
TBD
August
TBD