Pres. Mortensen Gives Update on Organizational Changes in Online Education, Statewide Enterprise

Editor’s note: This message from USU President Brad L. Mortensen was emailed to university leaders Thursday.

Dear online and statewide leaders and University Leadership Council,

As we continue the search for the Vice President for Statewide and Online Education, we want to share an organizational step that will help us build momentum and position our new leader for success.

Effective July 16, we will begin functionally bringing our Statewide Campuses and Online & Digital Learning Technology teams together during the search process. While the search is underway, this approach will allow us to begin building relationships, strengthening collaboration, and having the necessary conversations so we can hit the ground running when the new vice president is in place.

This is an opportunity to learn from one another, identify areas where we can work more closely together, and thoughtfully consider how functions are best organized. As a part of this process, we will consider structure and reporting lines. But no decisions will be made until we have a new vice president in place.

To support this transition, Pam Dupin-Bryant will serve as Interim Vice President for Statewide and Online Education. Pam will not be applying for the position but is excited to help the transition in the meantime. She will return to her role as Vice Provost at the conclusion of the search.

In addition, Andrea Hunt will serve as Interim Deputy Vice President for Regional Campuses, Kristian Olsen will continue to serve as Deputy Vice President for Residential Campuses, and Ryan Hobbs will continue to serve as the Vice Provost of Online & Digital Learning Technology with these positions reporting to the Interim Vice President. Andrea also will not be applying for the permanent VP role and will focus on continuing to strengthen the infrastructure and coordination that supports our statewide campuses during this interim period.

We recognize that transitions bring change, but they also create opportunities. We are excited to begin this work now rather than waiting until the search concludes, and we believe these early efforts will position the new leadership team for long-term success.

We appreciate your partnership and look forward to the work ahead.

Best, brad