Hogan announces plans to restructure

A plan to reorganize the central administration has been announced by President Michael J. Hogan. The plan is intended to strengthen the University’s research and graduate education and foster greater collaboration between the Health Center and the Storrs campus.

Under the plan:

• the research enterprise of the entire University, including the Health Center, will be headed by a single individual. That person will hold the title of vice president for research and graduate education and dean of the Graduate School, and will report to both the president and the provost;
• all deans at the University, including those at the Health Center, will report to the provost. The vice president for health affairs will report to the provost in his or her capacity as dean of the medical school, but will continue to report to the president regarding clinical and administrative matters.

The changes, which involve amendments to the University’s bylaws, will be discussed by the Board of Trustees at its Jan. 22 meeting and are expected to be finalized at its February meeting. Searches to fill the top research post and the position of head of the Health Center have been modified to reflect the proposed changes, which will take effect with the new hires.

“We need to have one university, not two; one provost, not two,” Hogan says.

“We need a unified mission when it comes to research, as well as education and the larger academic agenda. These changes must be made in order for the University to achieve its major goals.”

One of those goals is to expand the University’s research agenda and elevate the standing of the graduate and professional programs.

Hogan says the vice president for research will work with the provost to set a vision for the entire institution, leveraging all the resources, expertise, and skills at the University.

The changes were prompted by the recognition that the future of research and scholarly work lies in cross-disciplinary collaboration, he says, and that the University needs an organizational structure that will facilitate such work.

Hogan points to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program as an example. Researchers at the Health Center and Storrs are currently preparing to apply for one of these awards.

The program, now in its third year, is intended to speed up the translation of scientific research into practical applications in the medical field – “bench to bedside science.” The NIH is expected to distribute half a dozen grants of about $14 million this year.