Four University of Utah colleges will share some administrative services starting in the 2025-26 academic year, according to an announcement on Jan. 2 from U President Taylor Randall and Provost Mitzi M. Montoya.
The U’s College of Science, College of Humanities, College of Social and Behavioral Science and the School for Cultural and Social Transformation, collectively referred to as the Colleges and Schools of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS), will share some services under the model. The decision comes after months of research, planning and receiving feedback.
“It is important to emphasize that these colleges will not be merged,” said the announcement email sent to faculty and staff in the four academic units. “Each college will maintain its autonomy, with deans continuing to lead their academic units, set strategic visions, oversee curriculum management and manage faculty-related responsibilities such as appointments, promotions and tenure processes.”
Administrative support, communications and marketing, event planning, facilities, fiscal management, human resources, IT support, scholarship administration, student services and well-being initiatives might be coordinated and aligned as part of the process, among other potential services.
Montoya’s office has launched an internal search for a vice provost and senior dean (VP/SD) to serve as senior academic officer of the LAS units, with the aim of appointing the new leader by the end of February.
According to the position description, the VP/SD will be responsible to the president and provost “for the strategic advancement and management of the LAS academic units. The VP/SD is expected to work collaboratively with the deans of the LAS units to develop and implement a vision for the future direction of the educational, research and external engagement programs of each of the LAS units, independently and together, and for the university.”
The VP/SD will collaborate with the LAS deans on everything from developing faculty and supporting students to managing financial resources and building connections among LAS units and with other parts of the university.
“In addition, the VP/SD is responsible to the president and the provost for oversight of strategic alignment and resource optimization across the LAS units, including the development and management of a shared service model for administrative services that further the above responsibilities,” the position description says.
The VP/SD job title and description, as well as the plan to include all four units in the shared services model, were determined after consideration of concerns shared by faculty and staff in a series of listening sessions, online feedback, a survey and a town hall meeting.
“Once appointed, the vice provost and senior dean will work closely with faculty, staff and department leadership to design a process for planning and implementing shared services,” the announcement said. “Their work will be guided by the findings from the data collection process conducted this fall, as well as continued feedback from faculty and staff.”
Key decisions will include determining which services will be shared, which shared services might be prioritized for a pilot launch, what infrastructure and systems will support shared operations and how new organizational charts will take shape. Phased implementation of shared services is expected to start in the 2025-26 academic year.
Common at higher education institutions, shared service models focus on ensuring equitable and efficient work across colleges with different resources and staffing numbers. This is important as the U faces demands for increased efficiency and better student outcomes, even as funding is increasingly constrained, the announcement said.
“By pooling expertise and resources, we can create stronger systems of support for all units, ensuring that all have the resources they need to excel,” the announcement said. “This approach is designed to address long-standing issues such as gaps in training and onboarding, operational silos and barriers to career progression for staff, among others, while maintaining the autonomy and unique identities of each college.”
Faculty and staff members have raised various concerns throughout the process, citing challenges with services that are already shared across campus. Many emphasized the need to maintain local contacts, particularly for HR, IT and facilities management, to address their specific needs. Additionally, concerns about burnout, heavy workloads and the rapid pace of change were prevalent, with some expressing fears that morale, already strained, could decline further with the implementation of additional shared services.
In their announcement email, Randall and Montoya acknowledged those concerns and said they are committed to designing a system that “preserves local expertise, ensures equitable support and provides the flexibility to meet the unique needs of each academic unit.”
“We want to emphasize that no final decisions have been made about the specifics of shared services,” the email said. “The vice provost and senior dean will guide this design process, working deliberately and inclusively to ensure the system reflects the realities of your work and the needs of your departments.”
Updates on the process and opportunities to provide feedback are available through the project webpage, https://academic-affairs.utah.edu/organizational-structure-project/.