Closing a Difficult Chapter and Looking Ahead

Dear colleagues,

Over the past several weeks, staff members across the FAS whose roles were affected by the transition to our new administrative services model have been notified. Those conversations are now complete. We recognize that this has been an extraordinarily difficult period and that this moment does not bring an immediate sense of closure. It follows many months of uncertainty and a series of painful decisions, the effects of which will continue to be felt across our community.

People are saying goodbye to longtime coworkers, trusted colleagues, mentors, and friends, and those losses are being felt deeply across the community. For many, that sense of loss exists alongside significant professional change—stepping into new or substantially changed roles, taking on new responsibilities, joining new teams, and building new working relationships. These changes are especially challenging because they are taking place shortly before the start of the academic year.

Although some staff members affected by the final round of notifications are still considering whether to accept new roles, we believe it is important to share a clear picture of the workforce impact and the scale of this transition. Across the units included in this process, 165 FAS staff positions were eliminated, equivalent to approximately 10% of roles in those units, while 24% of staff moved into new or restructured roles in the new model. As part of the planned implementation, a number of newly designed roles will become available before the start of the academic year. We hope that many of these opportunities will be filled by employees whose previous positions were eliminated in the transition.

As we have described in prior communications, implementation of the new administrative model will proceed gradually, with some functions transitioning earlier than others. We expect to be fully operating in the new model by mid-October. The next eight weeks will be a period of transition and adjustment, not only for those whose roles have changed, but also across every department, center, and administrative unit as individuals are onboarded into new roles and new functions come online.

As the organization settles into the new administrative structure, efforts are underway to ensure continuity of support and to identify and address gaps. Local leaders are already bringing their teams together to understand what these changes will mean in practice, and similar convenings will continue in the coming weeks. Finding our footing in this new way of working will take time. We will continue to provide the information you need to access support and carry out your work, both during this transition and as we begin operating fully in the new model in mid-October.

We know there will be challenges that cannot be resolved overnight, but we are committed to working collaboratively with the community to address emerging issues and continuously strengthen how we support faculty, students, and staff. At the start of the fall term, we will meet with department chairs, with department administrative leaders, and with the newly assembled teams in our core administrative functions. These meetings will provide opportunities to share information and answer questions. Just as importantly, we will listen carefully to your experiences. By working together, learning what is going well and addressing what needs attention, we will strengthen the model for the long term. During the fall semester, we will also share information about how the new model is performing and when new and enhanced capabilities become available.

This community has been through a profoundly difficult period. Thank you for all that you continue to do for the FAS. We are deeply grateful for your dedication and your continued commitment to the teaching and research mission that brings us together.

Sincerely,

Hopi and Warren

Hopi Hoekstra
Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
C. Y. Chan Professor of Arts and Science
Xiaomeng Tong and Yu Chen Professor of Life Sciences

Warren Petrofsky
Dean of Administration and Finance
Harvard University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences