Ohio Northern’s Getty College of Arts and Sciences Structural Changes

The Getty College of Arts and Sciences will be experiencing a structural change during the 2019-2020 school year. These changes will affect all aspects of the college, the most notable alteration being the dissolvement of departments and emergence of divisions. 

As opposed to having seventeen different departments, the college will be switching over to six divisions throughout the 2019-2020 and into the 2020-2021 school year. The term ‘division’ is a general term that is being used to describe the new groupings of majors. Holly Baumgartner, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, describes these changes as more “stream lined and integrated.” The new divisions are as follows: The Center for Teacher Education; Visual and Performing Arts; Health and Behavioral Sciences; Humanities; Social Sciences and Human Interaction; Science, Math, & Technology. 

The Center for Teacher Education went live this fall. This division includes early and middle childhood and the adolescent/young adult education (AYA) programs. Dr. Erica Brownstein is the director and Ms. Penny Fiebiger is the coordinator of partnership development. Ms. Cheryl Simon is the senior administrative assistant. 

The Visual and Performing Arts division includes the theatre, musical theatre, music, art, and design majors. Prof. Brian Sage is the director of the division with Prof. Kristen Osborn-Manley as the assistant director. Ms. Rosie Hoersten will be the administrative assistant. This division is expected to go live in Spring 2020. 

The Health and Behavioral Sciences division encompasses nursing, medical laboratory sciences, human performance and sports sciences, health communications, psychology, and pre-professional programs. Dr. Kami Fox is the director with Dr. Kristie Payment as assistant director. This division will go live Spring 2020. Within this division, there is also a number of accreditation requirements. Dr. Lisa Walden is the director of accreditation for MLS and Prof. Michelle Wilson is the director of ATTR. The division coordinator is Ms. Cathy Vermillion. 

The Humanities division is composed of language and literature, history, philosophy, and religion. This division is expected to be implemented in Spring 2020, under the direction of Dr. Jennifer Moore and assistant direction of Dr. Errol Katayama. Dr. Justine Post will continue to be director of the writing center, which will also operate under this division. Ms. Torie Wright is the coordinator for the Humanities division. 

The Social Sciences and Human Interactions division will consist of communication and media studies, criminal justice, political science, sociology, and geography. Dr. Mark Cruea is the director with Dr. Katy Rossiter as assistant director. This division is expected to be implemented in Spring 2020. Ms. Erin Swick is the coordinator of this division. 

The Science, Math, and Technology division is the largest of the divisions and includes, biological sciences, chemistry and biochemistry, mathematics and statistics, physics, and technological sciences. Implementation is not expected until Fall 2020 because the changes to this division are extensive. Dr. Brad Wile will be the director, with Dr. Linda Young and Dr. Rich Miller as assistant directors. Dr. Bob Verb will be the director of the nature areas. Ms. Lori Kindle is the coordinator and Ms. Jill Dotson is the senior administrative assistant. 

Students can expect to see no negative impact throughout this restructuring. Dean Baumgartner says, “We’re hoping in that process [of getting the division’s up and running] that you don’t have any disruptions. You might have different faces at your front desks for your areas … In terms of the collaborative piece, as they {the divisions] get up and running, that’s where were hoping you will start having activities and opportunities that are in addition to the existing ones that you already have.” 

Despite rumors circulating around Ohio Northern, the purpose of the Foundations for our Future Project (FFP) was not done in an effort to save money. Rather, FFP was done to help the University better meet the future needs of students, faculty/staff, and the University as a whole. Creating these new divisions helps group together areas that have overlapping interest to garner more collaboration between departments.