On July 1, IUP will implement a new academic structure, including a new college and colleges with new configurations of departments to create more and stronger opportunities for students and for faculty research and collaboration.
This action follows a year-long discussion on academic program review and restructuring involving the entire university community—faculty, staff, and students.
Effective July 1, the IUP college structure, leadership, and department array will be:
- College of Arts, Humanities, Media, and Public Affairs – Dean Curtis Scheib
- Art and Design
- Communications Media
- Criminology and Criminal Justice
- History, Philosophy, Political Science, and Religious Studies
- Language, Literature, and Writing
- Music, Theatre, and Dance
- College of Education and Human Services – Interim Dean Edel Reilly
- Counseling and Human Development
- Career and Wellness Education
- Professional Studies in Education
- School Psychology, Special Education, and Sociology
- College of Health Sciences – Interim Dean Hilliary Creely
- Allied and Public Health
- Nursing
- Psychology
- Eberly College of Business – Interim Dean Prashanth Bharadwaj
- Accounting and Information Systems
- Finance and Economics
- Hospitality and Employment Relations
- Management
- Marketing
- John J. and Char Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics – Dean Steve Hovan
- Anthropology, Geospatial and Earth Sciences
- Biology
- Madia Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Physics
- Mathematical and Computer Sciences
- Safety Sciences and Environmental Engineering
- The University College – Vice Provost for Student Academic Success Amber Racchini
- Student Affairs, Student Success, and Disability Access
- ROTC
- The proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine – Dean Miko Rose
“Maintaining the right mix of programs is a critical component of becoming a more student-centered university while, achieving financial sustainability for the university and advancing our mission as a comprehensive doctoral research university,” IUP Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Lara Luetkehans said.
“This new structure allows IUP to bring departments and programs together in a more logical and student-centered way,” she said. “It also helps us to reorder our resources and focus on a more tightly aligned, narrower set of relevant and in-demand programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels while identifying strategic areas of growth.”
“Simply put, the university’s structure must evolve with the needs and demands of our students and demands of the workforce,” Provost Luetkehans said. “This new structure—including our new College of Health Sciences—reflects very careful study, analysis of data, and discussion to ensure that our academic programming reflects our current and future students’ needs and aligns disciplines and resources, including potential growth areas like the health sciences,” Provost Luetkehans said.
“The college name changes and reconfigurations are designed to create better synergies and stronger relationships between departments to advantage our students with more cross-departmental opportunities,” Provost Luetkehans said. “This is part of an ongoing process that has involved students, faculty, and staff throughout the university.”
“Our IUP Strategic Plan and focus on becoming a more student-centered university remains at the center of all of this work. We will continue to do this on a regular basis to ensure that we offer a relevant program array to ensure sustainability for our institution and to resource areas of investment, including strong programs and growth opportunities,”
The Academic Program Review and Restructuring Process also addressed creating a consistent college structure staffing model: dean; assistant dean; administrative assistant; management technician or administrative assistant; clerical assistant(s) to support departments and programs, based on the number of students and faculty in the program.
The process also resulted in the development of three Academic Affairs functional clusters:
- Academic Success, based on the goals of the IUP Strategic Plan, supporting academic success for all students from application to post-graduation;
- Academic Administration, designed to support faculty, staff, and students to streamline processes for academic planning, institutional data and assessment, academic records, and information technology infrastructure and strengthen the connection between the Academic Affairs and Student Affairs Divisions
- Research and Innovation, elevating and focusing research support services for all students and faculty, ensuring compliance, and facilitating the relationship with the IUP Research Institute. In addition to her role as interim dean of the College of Health Sciences, Creely will manage the research and innovation team.
The Academic Program Review and Restructuring process began in fall 2023 with the Academic Leadership Team sharing a series of iterations of a proposed academic structure with the campus community, hosting open forums and meetings with key faculty, staff, and student constituents.
In all, more than 100 suggestions and comments were shared with the Academic Leadership team, and each comment, idea, and suggestion were thoughtfully reviewed and discussed.
In November 2023, the proposed academic structure of colleges and departments was shared with the university community; the IUP Council of Trustees endorsed the recommended structure in December.
Early in the spring semester, Provost Luetkehans charged the Academic Restructuring Implementation Advisory Committee to develop recommendations and guidance toward bringing the new academic structure to fruition. ARIA, cochaired by Lynanne Black and Gian Pagnucci, began its work on February 9. In addition to its cochairs, ARIA’s membership included members of the Council of Deans, the Council of Chairs, the Registrar’s Office, Facilities, the Budget Office, Human Resources, Admissions, Marketing and Communications, University Advancement, undergraduate and graduate students, APSCUF, and AFSME. It also included support from a number of additional offices and groups.
ARIA divided its work into a number of transition issues and task areas, including connections and innovations; college and department structures; academic records; budget; communications; facilities; program review and accreditation; personnel; shared governance; and student success.
Following the July 1 formal transition date, in the fall, several informational sessions are planned, including a student “registration fair.” Students will register for classes in the new academic structure for the first time in October (for spring 2025 semester classes).
“This work has been the result of thousands of hours of careful analysis, discussion, and collaboration by faculty, staff, and students and consultation with our leadership groups,” Provost Luetkehans said.
“I want to offer my sincere appreciation for everyone involved, especially the Council of Deans, Academic Affairs Council, and Academic Restructuring Implementation Advisory Committee, for their outstanding work. At the end of the day, our focus remains on student success, and a thoughtful and deliberate review of programs and our academic structure will help our students in their academic journey and will create a stronger university for now and for the future,” she said.