FSCJ reorganizes student services; many must interview for jobs

Times-Union

About 265 employees at Florida State College at Jacksonville will have to interview to remain employed in the school’s student services departments, which are being reorganized.

Chris Holland, who became FSCJ’s vice president of student services six months ago, said that by July 1, all departments answering to him will have new job descriptions and functions and in some cases new locations, as FSCJ relocates some student services staff to its campuses, he said.
“We’ve got to be where our students are,” he said.

Holland said the redesign is starting at the managers answering to him and working downward, so it’s hard to say how many employees will be placed in the new roles.

“We will be building a new organization from the ground up,” he said, “so we will have opportunities for the staff to look at the new structure and to apply for positions just like anybody else could. The organization is designed to be more responsive to student needs, to be more effective.”

Although some employees said privately they’re anxious about their job status, Holland said this will not result in layoffs or mass reductions.

“Nobody is being fired; no one is having their salary cut,” he said. “Nobody’s being laid off or anything like that... Our goal is not to cut or downsize to save a percentage of dollars; our goal is to create an organization that responds to student success.”

Positions being restructured will have new job descriptions and salary ranges. Some people may choose to leave, Holland acknowledged. “There’s not a whole lot I can do about that,” he said. “This time may be tough personally with people, but we have to focus on the students.”

The people in student services include a mix of career or administrative professionals, managers and others, who earn from the low $20,000’s to six figures. They handle everything from admissions, financial aid, academic and career counseling (which will be combined), student leadership and civic engagement.

Those who stay will be trained to broaden their roles, Holland said. Some academic advisors, for instance, will be generalists and others will be trained to speak about specific programs or course offerings in a field.

Recruitment and retention will be revamped so prospective students will be contacted by FSCJ within 24 hours of showing an interest, said Jill Johnson, spokeswoman. The changes should result in more in-person academic advising and career counseling, she added.

There will likely be more people with education and business backgrounds helping students connect with professional mentors, internships and other out-of-classroom experiences, said Barbara Darby, president of the north campus. This may help FSCJ retain disadvantaged students whose parents never attended collage and who need those links to the real world to complete their education, she said.

Harvey Slentz, a labor lawyer who teaches business law at FSCJ and advises the teacher’s union, said FSCJ is being fair by having people interview for their jobs. He said the practice is not new or unusual any more.

When FSCJ President Cynthia Bioteau took over, she reorganized her cabinet and outsourced the financial aid department, which had mishandled funds and student records in prior years.

Denise Amos: (904) 359-4083