Regents to vote on new college and realignment plan

The Arizona Board of Regents is expected to vote on an organizational realignment at Northern Arizona University that would create a new College of Health and Human Services when the board meets April 26 in Tempe.

The regents are slated to take action on a proposal by President John Haeger and Provost Liz Grobsmith to establish the new college that would combine the current School of Nursing and School of Health Professions. The new college would help NAU respond to the need for more health-care professionals in the state and enhance the university’s participation in the developing academic medical complex in downtown Phoenix.

If approved, the realignment would disestablish the Consortium of Professional Schools, which currently houses the schools of Nursing and Health Professions, effective June 30. The remaining two schools in the consortium would change reporting structures. The School of Hotel and Restaurant Management would report to the College of Business Administration, and the School of Forestry would report to the Office of the Provost for an interim period.