Since Chancellor Randy Woodson started in April, he has made changes to the administrative hierarchy, making it similar to Purdue University as well as most of the universities in the UNC system.
Thomas Stafford, vice chancellor for Student Affairs for 27 years, will no longer report directly to Woodson. Instead, he will report to the yet-to-be-hired provost.
According to Woodson, the move takes effect July 1. He said he made the move now so the new provost would be clear about the job responsibilities and so the chancellor would have fewer direct reports.
“Here’s the bottom line, in advertising for the new provost, I want it to be as honest as possible. We had to move Dr. Stafford to reporting to the provost, so we could advertise the position and show what the person we hire as provost would be responsible for,” Woodson said.
Stafford has about 40 different University departments reporting to him. Some of these include the arts programs, like Center Stage and Arts NC State, the ROTC programs, the Center for Student Leadership, Ethics and Public Service, University Scholars, Caldwell Fellows, and Campus Recreation.
Stafford said, “The primary reason that Chancellor Woodson changed certain parts of the hierarchal system is because he felt there were too many direct reports to him. He decided to reorganize a bit to relieve some of these direct reports.”
Along with Stafford, the dean of the graduate school and the director of institutional research will also be reporting to the provost instead of the chancellor.
“Making this change is not going to have a negative impact on the students, if it was, I wouldn’t do it. This change will make sure Student Affairs is an integral part of the university,” said Woodson. “We want to increase the retention rate of students as well as the graduation rates, and Student Affairs plays a big role in this. This will help us to focus our attention in Student Affairs on academic success.”
According to Woodson, the administration is categorized into four “silos”: academic affairs, business, research and engagement.
“These silos are organized along the four pillars of the University; therefore it is important for Student Affairs to be a part of the academic side of the University,” Woodson said. “I’m trying to get everything organized along those four pillars to make things run smoother.”
Under the current structure, the athletic director also reports directly to the chancellor. Intramural and club sports are under Campus Recreation and will continue to report to Stafford.
Woodson, who officially began work at N.C. State on April 5, said, “The rearrangement of the hierarchal structure is coming from the fact that we want our organizational structure to be so that the success of the students is central to everything we do at the University.”
According to Woodson, he has the most direct reports of any chancellor in North Carolina and this rearrangement will alleviate some of that from him.
Woodson said, “I want to stress that this move is not showing a lack of support of the students at N.C. State, it’s showing the opposite. We want to make sure Student Affairs is an integral part of academic affairs and helping students succeed.”
The provost is the chief academic officer of the University. A search, led by Marjory Overton, chair of the faculty, is underway for the new provost with campus interviews scheduled to start in September.
“The provost has responsibility for all the deans, all the colleges, and therefore all the students and faculty,” said Woodson.
