As Vanderbilt University and Medical Center continue to prepare to become separate legal and financial entities, providing updated information to faculty impacted by the reorganization is a priority across the institution.
“As we work to complete this reorganization, we understand there are continuing questions regarding the transition’s impact on the academic enterprise and how this might affect appointments and promotions, tenure, trans-institutional collaboration and other issues important to our faculty,” said Susan Wente, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.
A new, separate set of Frequently Asked Questions for faculty addressing governance for departments, divisions or centers, support for research activities, educational initiatives, and other information regarding compensation and benefits has been created to provide greater specificity surrounding these areas.
“Everyone has been working diligently over the past seven months to ensure that VUMC meets all regulatory requirements, while also minimizing the impact on faculty and staff,” said Jeff Balser, vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine. “As we gain clarity on the key issues, we are moving as quickly as possible to get updated information out to all faculty and staff.”
In addition, on July 1 several core administrative departments began to test operational procedures related to their future state under the new organizational structure. To the extent possible, these departments are beginning to function as they will after the transition is complete.
Departments participating in the “dress rehearsal” include: Business Services, Finance, Human Resources, Plant Services, Procurement and Real Estate.
Throughout the transition, process teams from across the institution have worked diligently to minimize the impact on all employees, including members of the faculty. Frequently Asked Questions relevant to all faculty and staff have also been recently updated, and can be found on the Human Resources organizational transition website.
