Dear Colleagues,I am very pleased to announce a reorganization that, by design, underscores my commitment to recognize and support all employees of Humboldt State University. Academic Personnel Services and Human Resources will merge into one division that will be led by Dr. Colleen Mullery. Colleen, as Senior Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs and Human Resources, will report directly to me. Colleen will also maintain a very close working relationship with the Provost and the Vice President for Administration and Finance. We are fortunate that Colleen has agreed to accept this new position. Colleen has led Academic Personnel Services for eight years; prior to that she was a Professor in our School of Business. She also led the CSU Monterey Bay Business Program for several years.The 2010 Cabinet for Institutional Change Report recommended several comprehensive reforms to help make the university more effective and responsive. One of its five key areas of change was the creation of a collegial, respectful, and responsive community. I believe this reorganization, much like our recent transition from an Academic to a University Senate, directly responds to this critical area of focus. Combining APS and HR into one division that reports directly to the President sends a meaningful signal that Humboldt State University respects and appreciates the role that each and every employee plays in helping the university achieve its goal of student success. I also agree with the fundamental premise of the CSU Synergy Project: “We can engage in transformational change by challenging long-standing historic practices, eliminating duplications of effort and administrative silos, and looking at possibilities to share services and expertise.” I believe that by merging these two units into one division the university can capitalize on the synergies made possible by combining similar work responsibilities, and in so doing will serve with even greater effectiveness and efficiency all members of the university community. In order to ensure continuity of services, the Payroll division of our current Human Resources Office will remain under the leadership of Vice President Joyce Lopes in Administrative Affairs.I want to thank Dave Bugbee for the able leadership he has provided Human Resources this past year. Dave will continue to serve an important role in this new division.I hope that your new semester is going well.Rollin C. RichmondPresident