University of West Florida emerges from shakeup

The administrative landscape at the University of West Florida has shifted drastically in the last month and a half.

Daily operations and budget management at the university are now in the hands of provost and recently-promoted executive vice-president Martha Saunders. Saunders took over those responsibilities from university President Judy Bense following her promotion to executive vice-president in October.

"I'm in contact with her two or three times a day," Bense said. "So it's not like I don't know what's going on, but I don't have to spend five hours, five weeks in a row working out the budget, which I used to do. Now Martha will do that."

Saunders had already been serving as provost and vice-president of academic affairs, and will continue in those roles with all other vice-presidents now reporting directly to her.

The move to promote Saunders, announced Oct. 1, came in response to a vote of no confidence in President Bense by the university's faculty senate in September, and was hashed out between Bense and faculty union president Steve Belko in a meeting on the Friday following the State of the University Address at the end of that month.

"We had a conversation and he did relay to me that (Saunder's promotion) was something that the faculty wanted to see happen," Bense said. "It wasn't a put up and shut up or else. I asked him what were the issues, and he said that was one of the issues."

In exchange for putting Saunders in charge of university operations, as well as firing one person Belko called "toxic for the university," Belko agreed to rally support for Bense within the faculty. Bense expressed a wish to have the vote of no confidence rescinded, but that's an action that, once taken, can't be undone.

Belko wouldn't say who he demanded be fired, but on Oct. 20 Dr. Susan Stephenson stepped down from her role as vice-president of the division of business, finance, and facilities, the chief financial officer at the university. Executive assistant Deborah Brown is also "no longer working for the Office of the President," though the details of her departure are unclear.

One result of these changes is that the faculty union will return to the bargaining table with the administration to negotiate the 2014-2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement, Belko said. The union had declared impasse in September.

"There's a lot of optimism across campus," Belko said. "There's kind of spring in people's step, especially the senior faculty. I think things are really looking up. The faculty are behind this."

Belko himself, however, is leaving the university, having accepted a position as the executive director of the Missouri Humanities Council.

In the long term, Saunder's promotion will mean less direct oversight of administration at the university for President Bense, which she says will allow her to focus on external matters such as fund-raising and the state's new performance based funding metric that finds UWF at the bottom of the 11-school system at the cost of nearly $4 million in state funding. As for the university's budget, Saunders said Bense will continue to have the final say.

"President Bense will approve every recommendation because that's her role and she's still the president," Saunders said. "She will always make the final decision."

Following Saunder's promotion, Bense dissolved the President's Division at the university, which had been comprised of the Office of the President, Government and Community Relations, the Office of Economic Development and Engagement, the General Counsel's Office, the Office of Human Resources, and the Internal Auditing and Management Consulting office. The Office of the President, Government and Community Relations will continue to report to president Bense, while the other offices will now report to provost Saunders.

All these changes come at the same time as the final stages of the university's restructuring from a three- to four-college system. The following four new deans have been hired to head the four new colleges at the university:

• Dr. Michael Huggins, dean of College of Science, Engineering and Health

• Dr. Steven Brown, dean of College Arts, Social Studies and Humanities

• Dr. William Crawley, dean of College of Education and Professional Studies

• Dr. Tim O'Keefe, dean of College of Business

Finally, President Bense was announced on Thursday as the chair-elect of the NCAA Division II Presidents Council, the chief governing body of Division II athletics. Bense has sat on the council since 2011, and her term is set to expire in 2016. The Presidents Council oversees the Division II Management Council, develops budgets, and implements policies pertaining to Division II athletics. Despite her new leadership role on the council, Bense said there will be no expediting the timetable to bring football to UWF.

"Don't I wish."

Recent changes at the University of West Florida

Dr. Martha Saunders promoted to executive vice-president

President Judy Bense steps back from day-to-day operations at the university, named chair of NCAA Division II Presidents Council

Dr. Susan Stephenson, vice-president of the division of business, finance and facilities steps down

Executive assistant Deborah Brown exits president's office

Bense dissolves the Presidents Division

Faculty union president Steve Belko leaves to head Missouri Humanities Council

College reorganization finalized, UWF moves from three to four colleges

Dr. Michael Huggins hired as dean of College of Science, Engineering and Health

Dr. Steven Brown hired as dean of College Arts, Social Studies and Humanities

Dr. William Crawley hired as dean of College of Education and Professional Studies

Dr. Tim O'Keefe hired as dean of College of Business