As administrators, faculty and staff discuss the proposals of the Reimagining Cornell initiative, the first signs of major change were evident in President David Skorton’s announcement last week of the pending upper-level administrative rearrangement.

“My main goal and responsibility is not just to balance the budget, but to maintain and improve the quality of Cornell,” Skorton told The Sun last Tuesday. “No decisions have been made by Bain [Consulting Co.], the [Board of] Trustees, people outside of the University, and, with the exception of Provost Fuchs, people inside the University. The responsibility of making these decisions rests with me.”

The reduction of Cornell’s bureaucracy will go into effect on Sunday, and is expected to decrease the University’s $135 million budget deficit by $2 million annually. Among the changes is the creation of the new position of vice president for university relations, which will be filled by Prof. Glenn Altschuler, American studies and dean of the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions.

“First, I’m really adding some responsibilities to my portfolio as dean,” Altschuler said. “[I’ll develop] strategies that reach the many, many individuals and groups that are interested in learning about what’s going on at Cornell.”

Altschuler also holds the titles of Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies and Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow, and joked that his new position “establishes me as the person with the longest title at Cornell.” Altschuler’s responsibilities will include communicating the University’s initiatives and goals to relevant interest groups. He will work closely with Tommy Bruce, vice president for communications and media relations, Stephen Johnson, vice president of government and community relations, and vice president Ron Seeber to create effective communication strategies

“I’ve been at Cornell my entire adult life,” Altschuler said. “It’s one of the greatest universities in the world, and we believe what’s going on here is relevant to everyone. I will never leave, and when the President asked me to help, I felt this was a moment in our history where everyone who cares about the place should pitch in.”

Bruce, who was named to his position in 2004, noted the numerous advantages of Altschuler’s position, in terms of its economic efficiency and its potential to form a “University relations team approach.”

“By streamlining the operation, we will start making real savings,” Bruce said. “Any time you can have such a team approach, we can be more effective in our duties, which is a good thing.”

Bruce explained that his cooperation with Altschuler, Johnson and Seeber will allow the University to expedite “programs we’ve been working on feverishly for the past couple months.” Among these programs is a new approach to using online video that will allow Cornellians all over the world to stay involved with the University, through the use of web seminars and web casts.

Altschuler is not the only administrator “pitching in” under the reorganization. Vice President for Human Resources Mary Opperman will add to her duties the supervision of the Cornell University Police Department, the Office of Environmental Health and Safety and the Office of Emergency Planning and Recovery.

“They are all well-led, well-run groups,” Opperman said. “They don’t need me to oversee them on a day-to-day basis.”

According to Opperman, the police department and environmental health and safety office will be her two biggest time commitments amongst her new responsibilities. The Office of Emergency Planning and Recovery has a staff of two, and Opperman notes that its main functions are coordinating responses to any kind of emergency, and also establishing business continuity of the University in the face of emergency.

Though Opperman will also oversee the Office of Risk Management Strategic Initiatives, this office will become non-existent on Dec. 31, when interim Vice President Curtis Ostrander retires. Ostrander has worked at the University since 1996 and is also Director of the CUPD.

“My duties and responsibilities are significantly expanded from those of the Chief of Police,” said Ostrander. “I now have the leadership responsibilities for the police, Environmental Health and Safety, Risk Management and Insurance, Emergency Planning and Recovery, Strategic Initiatives, and Environmental Compliance and Sustainability.”

Retirements like Ostrander’s are one of the ways administration has been able to save money without firing personnel.

“My position will be eliminated and the individual departments will be divided up between other vice presidents,” Ostrander said. “It’s been a great ride but I’m really looking forward to the next chapter in my life.”