Following consultation with the university's Board of Governors, and discussions with faculty, staff, students and alumni, I have completed by plan of action for the first 24 months of my tenure as president of Wayne State University. My goal and that of the Board of Governors will be to address and meet head-on the immediate challenges and opportunities facing the university.

Over the course of the next two years, part of this plan will entail changes in the administrative structure of Wayne State. This restructuring is designed to increase both efficiency and responsiveness to students, faculty, staff, alumni and research partners while also maintaining the fiscal and academic stability of the university.

Currently, the president has 18 positions reporting directly to him. I plan to reduce that number to 11 by redefining responsibilities and adding new high-level positions. Overall, the administrative structure will be streamlined and focused while keeping administrative overhead and needless bureaucracy to a minimum.

The most noticeable change is the reinstatement of the Provost position. The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will assume many of the on-campus responsibilities currently delegated to the President. While I will certainly be a hands-on President and plan to be visible and available on campus, the appointment of a Provost will allow me to focus on the many external responsibilities the presidency entails. We will be conducting a national search for this position.

The other major change is the combining of administrative and fiscal responsibilities into a Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration position. I am pleased to announce that current Vice President for Fiscal Affairs John Davis has accepted the offer to assume the responsibilities of this new position, giving us the benefit of his experience and wisdom for many years to come.

Another change of note is the removal of responsibility for the Graduate School from the Vice President for Research and the creation of a Dean of the Graduate School position. Research funding is a major source of support for Wayne State University, and the elimination of many government-funded research programs has made attracting research partners to the university a more difficult and time-consuming task. The change in the Vice President for Research position will allow that individual to focus exclusively on the university's relationship with research partners, freeing up the Dean of the Graduate School to address the needs of graduate students, faculty and corporate partners.

Additionally, many positions with similar responsibilities are being combined. For example, the duties of the current Vice President for Governmental Affairs and community relations function will be combined into a new Vice President for Governmental and Community Affairs post. This same logic was used to create the Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs and Vice President for Marketing and Communications positions.

Other posts are being elevated to vice-presidential level positions in order to more effectively address and serve the changing needs of today's university. The Vice President for Computing and Information Technology will be responsible for keeping Wayne State University at the forefront of modern information technology so our students, faculty and staff can accomplish their goals with the ease and thoroughness we have all come to expect from the modern technological tools of this information age.

Overall, there will be a total of one less vice president and one more dean under the new administrative structure. While we value the experience and demonstrated competence of our current employees, candidates from outside of the university will also be interviewed, via national search.

In undertaking these changes, I am fortunate to have the support of a strong and active Board of Governors; a faculty second to none in its devotion to the profession and craft of teaching; unions willing to work in true partnership for the good of the university; students with a hunger to succeed and a willingness to learn; a staff dedicated to creating a helpful and efficient atmosphere of learning; alumni who respect and support the institution that provided them with so much; a local community that is proud and supportive of the university and corporate and governmental partners who respect and work with us toward common goals.

I am undertaking these changes to ensure Wayne State University will continue the university's extraordinary progress towards achieving its mission - urban teaching, cutting-edge research and community service--into the next hundred years, and beyond.