Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Harlan Sands presented the new organizational structure to more than 600 employees in affected units.
“Change is hard, so I ask for your patience as we do this,” Sands said. He pointed out that the university has grown dramatically in recent years, “and we need to have a structure that will respond to that growth.”
Under the new structure, the unit formerly known as Business Affairs will be split by function into two areas – Operations and Facilities Management.
Financial management responsibilities also will be divided into two areas – Finance/Controller and Budget and Planning.
Susan Howarth, associate vice president of budget and planning, will continue to lead that area; Sands will name the heads of the other units soon.
Four existing areas will report directly to Sands. Those units are: Audit and Institutional Compliance, Information Technology, Public Safety and Human Resources.
A new unit, Performance Improvement and Business Analytics, will focus on process improvements, systems enhancements and operational efficiencies. Sands plans to hire a “change driver” to lead the unit, which will focus on a PeopleSoft redesign, operational excellence, customer service, shared service initiatives and other key improvements.
Mitchell Payne, senior associate vice president for strategy and organizational design, and the lead financial officers – or key unit business managers – will report directly to Sands.
“We have arranged the organization functionally,” Sands said. “That will help us improve communication and accountability. This will enhance financial controls as directed by President Ramsey and the UofL Board of Trustees.”
Some units will move under the reorganization. This includes:
- Printing and Copy Services and ITech Express will move from IT to the Operations unit
- Financial Systems and Human Capital Management Systems will move from Finance to the new Performance Improvement and Business Analytics unit
- Communications and Digital Media also will move from IT to the new unit.
Individual unit heads will share more detailed information with employees in their areas as it becomes available.
This is the first step in the organization-wide restructuring effort, Sands said. His intent is to fill all key leadership positions by September 2015, with implementation of changes to follow.
Sands plans to share his presentation with other employees under his charge and with key constituency groups. He then will share the detailed presentation with the campus through UofL Today.