Administrative Reorganization

The state’s challenging fiscal circumstances have prompted consideration of an array of administrative changes across campus that are intended to increase “efficiency” and ultimately save money. Our department has been a significant part of this effort in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. In response to a request from the CALS administration, we’ve worked to create an integrated administrative hub that services the Development Studies Program, Agroecology, the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, and the Department of Landscape Architecture as well as our own department. To say “we” have worked is a bit inaccurate, since the central force behind this administrative reorganization is the department’s invaluable administrator, Kari Straus. Kari joined our department in 1999 and has risen through the ranks, being appointed the manager for this administrative hub late this spring. In her new role, Straus is working to create a single set of policies and practices for all of the units that make up our new “service center.” With abundant skill at navigating university bureaucracy, Straus is working to make all of our lives easier on such matters as course administration, grants management, staff skill development, and travel reimbursement.

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