VP of finance and administration position divided
It’s going to be a summer of change for University of Idaho’s upper administration.
The position of vice president of finance and administration will be split into two positions this summer to form the vice president for infrastructure and vice president of finance.
“We can be better in each of these areas by aligning the skill sets and the right people to do the job,” said UI President Chuck Staben.
The reorganization comes after Ron Smith, current vice president of finance and administration, announced in February he would step down to teach accounting in the College of Business and Economics.
The newly created vice president for infrastructure will oversee the Office of Public Safety and Security, Risk Management and Insurance, Facilities and the Real Estate Office, among other departments.
To create the finance position, Staben said the Office of Planning and Budget would be consolidated with the financial side of the division of finance and administration.
Among the last major organizational changes, Staben said Institutional Research and Assessment would be moved from the Office of Planning and Budget to the provost’s office.
“I think institutional research, could be in a number of places, but works very effectively under a provost,” Staben said.
Staben selected Dan Ewart, who currently serves as assistant vice president and chief information officer, for the vice president for infrastructure position.
Staben said Ewart would focus on project management, while the vice president of finance would serve as a chief financial officer for the university, overseeing both finance and budget operations.
While a vice president for infrastructure position is not widespread in higher education, Staben said the organizational changes are logical. Often times, he said leading a finance department requires a different skill set than managing an administration department, so it makes sense to have two positions instead of one.
While Ewart would receive a salary increase in his new position as vice president, Staben said he anticipates the changes to be cost neutral within a year, due to consolidation in the finance area.
Ewart is set to begin his role as vice president for infrastructure June 21, the same day the reorganization is scheduled to go into effect.
Although it’s a short timeline, Staben said he hopes to fill the vice president of finance position by July 1.
Besides the search for a vice president of finance, the university must also select a new university controller, a new dean of students and a new vice president for University Advancement.
“A lot of members of the team are being assembled,” Staben said.
Staben said many of Ewart’s skills in planning technology projects and working with customers make him a good fit the vice president for infrastructure position.
“He has good vision of where we need to go in technology, and I think he can apply that vision a little more broadly,” Staben said.
Ewart said he is excited to assume the new position and plans to focus on being efficient and effective with the resources available. By being efficient with resources, Ewart said he hopes to move quickly through projects while addressing UI’s priorities.
With only a month and a half before he assumes his new position, Ewart said he plans to get up to speed on the many facility projects while also personally meeting with department heads.
“I have a lot to learn in a short period of time,” Ewart said. “But that’s part of what excited me about this job. I love learning new things.”
Ewart said he expects to have a close working relationship with whoever is selected for the vice president of finance position, and anticipates he will have an opportunity to give feedback in the search process.
Overall, Staben said the reorganization would primarily affect upper administrators and most employees within the departments would not see a huge change as a result of the reorganization.
“It probably always looks like a radical change when people start taking new positions, but this is not really a very radical change for the university,” Staben said.
Ryan Tarinelli can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @ryantarinelli