Since the resignation of Sybil Mobley, FAMU’s School of Business and Industry’s faculty members have been examining and thinking about re-organizing the structure of its administration.
SBI faculty members received a detailed memo on Nov. 1 about a list of administrative recommendations from the “One Faculty Committee,” an internal organization of division heads.
The memo covered such issues as staff classification, organization and consolidation. The committee suggested, “the organizational structure of SBI should be changed to reflect the core competencies of the faculty and the career interests of the student body.” Also stated in the memo, faculty members should have equal ownership in student education, develop one set of tenure and promotion guidelines and establish a school-wide committee that will develop admission standards for all SBI programs.
SBI’s faculty is divided into two divisions: one for the undergraduate program and the other for the graduate program.
In the beginning of the year, the undergraduate faculty wrote a letter to President Fred Gainous addressing their concerns about unsatisfactory work conditions according to Reginald Beal, member of the “One Faculty Committee.” Faculty members were having problems with work over load, class and office locations and staff classifications.
In reaction to the letter, Gainous appointed a management team to organize SBI. The team then selected a group of faculty to members, the One Faculty Committee, to examine and compose recommendations for the reorganization of the administration and faculty.
Amos Bradford, interim dean of SBI, said he asked the committee to look at the current administrative structure and examine whether certain committees are needed.
According to Bradford the school is trying its best to make “logical” decisions that benefit both the faculty and students.
“We want to take after the university’s theme of creating ‘One FAMU,'” Bradford said. “We’ve just succeeded a legendary dean, we’re in a transition period and we’re just trying to layout a strategy.”
The interim dean said even though the faculty is in the preliminary stages of reorganizing the administrative structure the main focus is still on the students.
The overall goal of students and faculty is for the school to be accredited. Accreditation is granted by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, according to its Web site, Accreditation is a process of voluntary, non-governmental review of educational institutions and programs. Institutional accreditation reviews entire colleges and universities. Specialized agencies award accreditation for professional programs and academic units in particular fields of study.
According to Beal, member of the One faculty committee, gaining accreditation would allow the school to receive high acclaim from noted publications, attract prospective students and corporate businesses.