OU's vice provost for marketing and communications and chief strategy officer announced Wednesday that the university's efforts to centralize its marketing and communications department and revamped its strategic plan prompted staff to issue a letter expressing dissatisfaction with the president of the Senate. gave a speech in the Senate. Change towards diversity, equity and inclusion.
According to Jennifer Hollingshead, vice president of marketing and communications, the centralization of marketing and communications was completed in eight weeks, with much of the work already completed. He said all employees being considered for centralization are included, but there is a possibility of realignment in the future.
“There have been big changes,” Hollingshead said. “I think an initiative like this and the leadership of a department of this size requires a continual ‘recalibration’. Realignment sometimes means that some positions need to be changed to other areas, or that some units need to be better supported and utilized.
“That's always going to happen, but by and large centralization is happening.”
Hollingshead said there are 65 marketing and communications employees at the universities in Norman, OU Health Sciences Center and Tulsa. Hollingshead said the marketing and communications department is currently working on 135 projects. He added that the current strategy relies on an agency model that organizes employees by skill set.
“With the agency model, we have the opportunity to bring people together and organize them according to their true skill sets,” Hollingshead said. “Now that we have been able to organize ourselves that way, I think the goal is to become more professional in the marketing and communications space over time.”
Mr. Hollingshead said different employees reacted differently to centralization, making reorganization of the department a little more difficult.
“Change is hard, but this is a pretty significant change for Marcom,” Hollingshead said. “I can't be honest unless I say that…[For some people]it's just a transition period. There were others who wholeheartedly embraced this change.”
Hollingshead said it's unclear when all university social media will be centralized. He added that 12 social media accounts have been or are in the process of being transferred to the ministry's control.
Hollingshead said the marketing and communications department is searching nationally for an assistant vice president of communications.
According to Hollingshead, 1,909 web pages were reviewed and prioritized in accordance with Gov. Kevin Stitt's executive order banning DEI in Oklahoma.
In December, Stitt signed an executive order banning the use of public funds for DEI programs and departments. OU's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department has since been renamed the Access and Opportunity Department.
During the meeting, Academic Personnel Records Manager Diana Fitzpatrick said there had been changes to Pillar 4, with the pillars updated to reflect a sense of belonging and emotional growth. Originally, Pillar 4 included strategies to make diversity, equity, and inclusion “a cultural strength of OU.”
OU's Lead On, University strategic plan includes five pillars that represent the various goals the university has set.
When Chief Strategy Officer Jim Morrison updated staff on OU's Lead On, a revamp of the university's strategic plan, in May, he said the executive order would strengthen OU's commitment to community belonging and emotional development. He said that nothing has changed.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison encouraged members of the OU community to share their ideas for the revamp on OU's Lead On university website.
“The overall goal of Pillar 4 is a commitment to belonging and developing individuals professionally and emotionally, and that remains at the top of our priorities,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. Ta.
Early Wednesday morning, OU Faculty Senate President Hunter Huyck posted a letter on Facebook addressing the faculty's response to Stitt's executive order's May 31 deadline. Huyck wrote a letter to senate executives, and the Faculty Senate Executive Committee decided to gather concerns from faculty and urge the OU administration to address them in consultation with the governor's office and the state Legislature.
“We remain concerned about the issues surrounding the implementation of this executive order and want all faculty to know that we are here to represent you and your concerns.” wrote Huyk.
This story was edited by Peggy Dodd, Anusha Fathepure, and Ismael Lele. Ryan Little and Grace Rose copy-edited this article.
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