CLO Responsibilities and Search

From: Sanford Shugart
To: All Faculty and Staff
Date: 11/19/01  11:20 AM
Subject: CLO Responsibilities and Search

As the state budget situation has deteriorated these past months and demands on my time as an advocate for the college have grown geometrically, the importance of filling the VP for Academic Affairs/Chief Learning Officer position has also grown. You may know that the position is currently being advertised. Ann Puyana is coordinating the search activity. In addition, we have engaged a consultant to help identify and recruit strong candidates. Ann will provide more details on the search shortly. Our goal is to have a CLO on board by July.

Meanwhile, I have been reflecting on the nature of the position as Valencia's learning journey continues. For a variety of reasons, I have reached the conclusion that we need to strengthen the connection between this position and the front line learning leadership (faculty, staff, and academic administrators) at the campuses. Therefore, I have decided to adjust the organization so the Provosts of the four campuses will report directly to the Vice President/CLO.

Several strengths commend this change. First, it strengthens the alignment of our learning responsibilities in the college, enabling the the CLO and Provosts, working with faculty and other leadership, to pursue our action items in the learning agenda very aggressively. Second, it enables the Provosts to be less divided between their campus responsibilities and the multitude of meetings and other obligations of collegewide positions. As they have grown to represent the learning issues of the entire college and moved beyond more traditional campus advocacy, they are able to share and disperse their roles on the various councils. Third, this arrangement will give the college strong academic leadership while also permitting me to pursue the external agenda that has become so vital to our future. Finally, I believe this reconfigured position will attract a different caliber of candidate to the CLO position.

I discussed this matter with the Faculty Association Board last week. The Provosts and other officers of the college are aware and in support of these changes. I appreciate your patience and support as we work through the implications of our situation more fully and position Valencia for the future.

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