Beginning on Oct. 1, the University’s Division of Student Affairs will absorb three new departments under their umbrella as part of an effort to realign the structure of the University.
President Steven Leath has expanded the realm of Student Affairs to now cover Tiger Dining, the First-Year Experience Office, Housing and Residence Life and Auxiliary Services Property Management, among the other departments already under the Student Affairs umbrella.
“The realignment was really based on Dr. Leath’s vision, and he wants a better student experience,” said Bobby Woodard, vice president for Student Affairs.
In total, more than a dozen departments will now be under Student Affairs.
“One of the primary reasons we realigned Student Affairs was in discussion with student leadership, Jacqueline
Leath noted before the realignment, departments were spread across the organization of the University.
“[It] made it hard for students to know where to go and made it hard for them to be fully integrated,” Leath said. “So we put them all together in one area so it’s kind of a one-stop shop.”
Leath said he believes the realignment will allow the University to be more efficient and allow the students to be better served. Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement Lady Cox agreed.
“We are constantly working to make the student experience better, anything we can do to improve your time while you are here at Auburn we want to do that,” Cox said.
The departments moved into Student Affairs are not expected to undergo significant changes.
“We are really just changing structure lines. The department’s day-to-day operations will stay exactly the same,” Woodard said. “They are very efficient in what they do, we might tweak some little things here or there, but for the most part, they are just moving as a whole structure.”
Woodard said getting the true student experience and getting to the heart of how the University can create a better campus experience for the students, mainly the undergrads but also to help the parents, is one of the main purposes of the realignment.
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