College will have three schools
The Columbia College Board of Trustees recently approved a measure that would reorganize the college’s academic offerings into three schools. Citing a need to implement a structure that would both address a decade of rapid college growth and provide for future expansion, Dr. Scott Dalrymple, president of Columbia College, created the College Structure Task Force. This group, which consisted of college faculty members and administrators, as well as members of the Board of Trustees, met throughout the academic year. Based on the recommendation of this group, the college put forward a plan where each school will be led by a dean, with each dean reporting to the college’s new provost, Dr. David Starrett.
“Over the course of the year, I had the pleasure of working with the task force, engaging in much collegial and constructive dialogue,” said Dalrymple. “This new academic structure will strengthen academics in all of our venues, offer increased administrative support to faculty and provide the necessary infrastructure for future growth.”
Under this plan, which was endorsed by the college’s faculty and unanimously approved by the Board of Trustees, the new schools will consist of Business Administration; Natural Sciences and Mathematics; and Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. The college will spend the next academic year preparing for the change, and will conduct a national search for qualified deans. The college plans to officially launch its new schools in the 2016-17 academic year.
“I believe this is one of the most significant decisions the college has made in decades,” said Daisy Grossnickle, chair of the Board of Trustees. “Our goal is to provide high quality education across all of our venues, and I feel this new structure will help position the college for even greater success.”