The UMKC Forward academic realignment, designed to optimize resources and better serve UMKC students and community, will begin on July 1. Significant progress on hiring and program development have laid the groundwork for collaborative research and student success.
In 2020, during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chancellor Mauli Agrawal announced the formation of UMKC Forward, a collaboration of faculty, staff and students across the university that would develop a new vision for the university’s future. Part of that vision was a realignment of the academic units at UMKC in order to optimize the strengths of the university and the opportunities for students’ career achievement. The official launch of the academic units begins this summer.
The School of Science and Engineering (SSE) will include the divisions of Biological and Biomedical Systems; Computing, Analytics and Mathematics; Energy, Matter and Systems; and Natural and Built Environments. Kevin Truman, current dean of the School of Computing and Engineering, will take the role of dean of SSE.
“We are already seeing significant effects on faculty recruitment and collaborative research as a result of the new structure of SSE,” Truman says. “In addition, our current faculty are forming partnerships across department lines. While this is exciting, the expanded opportunity for our students is limitless.”
The School of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSS) will include the departments of Media, Art and Design; Communication and Journalism; English Language and Literature; Foreign Languages and Literatures; History; Sociology and Anthropology; Economics; Political Science and Philosophy; Race, Ethnic and Gender Studies; and Criminal Justice and Criminology.
The SHSS inaugural dean is Tamara L. Falicov, who previously served as associate dean in Arts, Humanities and Area Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Kansas, where she was also a professor in the Department of Film and Media Studies and the Center of Latin American and Caribbean Studies. She will begin work at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences on Aug. 1.
“The focus on undergraduate research at UMKC was a critical component in my decision to pursue the position of dean of SHSS,” Falicov says. “We will continue to expand opportunities for student research in the humanities, social sciences and the arts and amplify the message that the study of human history and experience is critical to our future.”
The School of Education, Social Work and Psychological Sciences (SESWPS) will include the departments of Education Leadership Policy and Foundations, Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies, Social Work Counseling and Counseling Psychology, and Psychology. Carolyn Barber will continue as interim dean for the upcoming academic year while a national search for a new dean is conducted.
“Through the creation of SESWPS, we are strengthening existing connections among programs committed to supporting the development and well-being of individuals across the life span,” Barber says. “By effectively addressing the social and educational needs of our communities through teaching, research and practice, our new school will have a broad, long term impact that will span across generations.”
Existing units that will remain unchanged are the Henry W. Bloch School of Management, Conservatory, School of Dentistry, School of Law, School of Medicine, School of Nursing and Health Sciences and the School of Pharmacy.
“After months of planning we are excited to see UMKC Forward energize our community,” Mauli Agrawal, UMKC chancellor says. “This is the beginning of a new generation of Roos, who will be immersed in exposure to different disciplines and a new philosophy on what a college education is. It will change the way our students think, the way they act and accelerate their potential in a new era of problem-solving as we emerge from the changes of the past two years.”