Undergraduate Program

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

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

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.

These design requirements articulate our  desired outcomes, or what we plan to achieve by the end of the project. Our principal design requirement is:

Develop a resilient, sustainable, and sensible program structure

Our project plan for March – Aug 2021 will focus on needs analysis, prototyping, and implementation of a program structure.

Other complementary design requirements include:

• 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

These additional design requirements will inform the implementation of our program structure and how we operate in the new structure beginning in Fall 2021.

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

Goals for May 4 Leadership Council Meeting and May 11 Department Meeting:

• Identify one good-fit organizational model
• Describe how the model meets the design requirement
• Outline stages of work to proceed in summer, fall
• Identify fixed points and change points

Designing matrix and implementation planning
June – September 2021

Goal by end of summer:
Map all current positions to the new matrix-style org chart

June – September project plan (subject to change):

June

• Define decision-making process within the Undergrad ReOrg project 
• Choose the org chart tool 
• Begin to determine the x and y axes labels

July

• Begin to determine the categories on each axis
• Create a shared language
• Map task inventory to the x and y categories
• Identify supervisory structures, life cycle processes, skill sets, and responsibilities, dual supervisory relationship, training, 
• Map all current positions to teams within the matrix structure

August – early September

• Create an evaluation plan (short-term and long-term)
• Determine which committees we need and their charges
• Define decision-making processes within undergrad program
• Identify capacity concerns and opportunities for rebalancing responsibilities
• Map out the timeline for process improvements AY 2021-22

September

• Build out action teams to carry out the process improvements 
• Create backup plans for teams
• Seek Leadership Council and Department Committee approval on org chart design 
• Prepare for initial transition mid- to late fall

Pilot
Sept 2021 – May 2022

AY 21-22 will be an experimental academic year for the program to: 

• Transition into the matrix structure
• Create clear team roles and functions
• Identify and correct capacity concerns
• Explore dual supervision
• Set up a structure that values professional development 

March
Our external consultant, Darin Harris, generated a Findings Report from his interviews with the Undergraduate ReOrg Leadership Team and undergraduate program colleagues during the Feb 24 Engagement Event.

Based on this Finding Report, the Undergrad ReOrg Leadership Team has analyzed and focused the design requirements for this project: Develop a resilient, sustainable, and sensible program structure.

April
Darin Haris recommended we explore two organizational models that could be good fits for the undergraduate program: a hybrid model and a matrix model.

During the month of April, we tested against both of these models via:

1. Feedback from the Undergrad ReOrg Leadership Team and the undergraduate program on tasks that the organizational model needs to accommodate
2. Interviews with three peer institutions to hear their best practices
3. Alignment with the design requirement and its subcomponents

Based on our month-long analysis, the Undergrad ReOrg Leadership Team recommends that the program move forward with the matrix model.

May

The Undergrad ReOrg Leadership Team brought the proposal for the matrix model to the Leadership Council and then to the Department Committee.

On May 11, the Department Committee approved the motion to move forward with the matrix model for the undergraduate program design.

During the next phase (implementation planning), we will create a Chemistry-specific organizational chart using the matrix model.

February 24
3:30-4:30pm
Seeking Alignment with Project Goals and Design Outcomes

March 24
2:00-3:00pm
Findings Report Overview and Retreat Summary

April
Undergrad Program Organizational Models:
April 14
1:00 – 2:00pm
Initial organizational model options and feedback
April 21
2:00 – 3:00pm
Review of progress to date and listening session
April 28
2:00 – 3:00pm
Final model recommendation

May

Friday, May 7

9:00 – 10:00am

Preview of Dept. Meeting Presentation 

July

Wednesday, July 7

2:00-3:00pm

Update on project and summer work

August
TBD