OU’s vice president of marketing and communications and the chief strategy officer spoke to the Staff Senate about the university’s Division of Marketing and Communications’ centralization efforts and its strategic plan refresh on Wednesday, following the publication of a letter written by the senate chair expressing frustrations with the changes to diversity, equity and inclusion.
According to Vice President of Marketing and Communications Jennifer Hollingshead, marketing and communications is eight weeks into centralization and most of it has already happened. She said every employee considered for centralization has been included but recalibration is still possible in the future.
“The big change has happened,” Hollingshead said. “I think an effort like this or leadership of any department of this size, requires ongoing ‘recalibration.’ Recalibration means that from time to time some positions need to flex to other areas, or we need to better support and leverage some units.
“That will always be happening, but by and large centralization has happened.”
Hollingshead said marketing and communications has 65 employees across every college in Norman, OU Health Sciences Center and Tulsa. Marketing and communications is currently working on 135 projects, according to Hollingshead. She added the current strategy relies on an agency model, which organizes employees by skill set.
“We, with an agency model, have been afforded the opportunity to bring people together and organize them according to their true skill sets,” Hollingshead said. “Because we've been able to organize in that way, I think the goal is (that) over time we'll see a heightened sense of professionalism among our marketing and communications discipline.”
Hollingshead said different employees have reacted differently to centralization, adding some difficulty to the restructuring of the department.
“Change is hard and this is a pretty profound change for Marcomm,” Hollingshead said. “I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t say (it is) … (for) some people, it’s just been a period of transition for them. There have been other people that have really embraced the change.”
Hollingshead said she is uncertain when all university social media will become centralized. She added that 12 social media accounts have transitioned or been transitioning to the department’s control.
Hollingshead said marketing and communications is searching nationally for an assistant vice president of communications.
According to Hollingshead, 1,909 web pages have been reviewed and triaged in compliance with Gov. Kevin Stitt’s executive order banning DEI in Oklahoma.
In December, Stitt signed an executive order banning the use of public funding for DEI programs and departments. OU’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has since been renamed to the Division of Access and Opportunity.
During the meeting, Diana Fitzpatrick, manager of academic personnel records, said there have been changes to Pillar 4, with the pillar updated to reflect belonging and emotional growth. Originally, Pillar 4 included a strategy to make diversity, equity, and inclusion a "cultural strength of OU."
OU’s Lead On, University strategic plan includes five pillars representing a different goal set by the university.
While updating staff about OU’s Lead On, University strategic plan refresh in May, Chief Strategy Officer Jim Morrison said the executive order has not changed OU’s commitment to community belonging and emotional development.
Morrison encouraged members of the OU community to share ideas for the refresh on the OU’s Lead On, University website.
“The overall heading for Pillar 4 is a commitment to belonging and developing individuals professionally and emotionally, and that still is top of our order priorities,” Morrison said.
Earlier on Wednesday, OU Faculty Senate Chair Hunter Heyck posted a letter to Facebook addressing faculty’s response regarding Stitt’s May 31 executive order deadline. Heyck wrote the senate officers and Faculty Senate Executive Committee decided to gather concerns from faculty and push OU’s administration to address them in conversation with the governor’s office and the state Legislature.
“We remain concerned about issues surrounding the implementation of this executive order, and we wish all faculty to know that we are here to represent you and your concerns,” Heyck wrote.
This story was edited by Peggy Dodd, Anusha Fathepure and Ismael Lele. Ryan Little and Grace Rhodes copy edited this story.
