By Jo Carroll
In a new plan, Front Range Community College is turning its three campus vice president positions to five college wide positions. This includes vice presidents of: academic affairs, enrollment and student success, community relations, strategic initiatives, and finance.
Dr. Colleen Simpson said that this plan that aims to consolidate campus procedures and some leadership into a college-wide administration was announced to faculty at the beginning of the fall 2022 semester.
Simpson said that the search to fill these positions will be nationwide, as FRCC looks for the most qualified individuals to fill the positions, according to Simpson.
The administration also plans to have two executive director positions overseeing equity and inclusion and The FRCC Foundation respectively.
When asked about the timeline and the structure, Simpson said that upper-level administration would finish transitioning before the start of the 2023 fall semester.
In a separate town hall with FRCC faculty, Simpson stated that the coming spring semester would feel “clunky,” due to some people operating in both their current and future roles.
Currently many different faculty within FRCC have expressed concerns over job security and accessibility of upper level administration within the college as the reorganization presses forward.
In addressing concerns of staff retention and turn over, Simpson said that there are no current plans for workforce reduction. During a separate town hall, Simpson said that positions depend on enrollment, and that her goal is to keep high enrollment to continue to offer positions at their current capacity or above.
Certain plans are still unclear. When asked about changes at the student level, Simpson stated that her main concerns are equity and inclusion alongside student success.
Simpson said there are no current plans to combine student life operations or other aspects of the student experience yet.
However, Simpson alluded to wanting a central director over student government and leadership so that the three campuses might come together. “We’re so much better collectively than working in silos,” said Simpson.
Simpson said that the plan to shift upper level administration should be completed in 2023. At that time, Simpson said they would turn the attention of the restructure to the student experience.