CBU reorganizing academic departments
Riverside, Calif. (Dec. 7, 2022) – California Baptist University is reorganizing two academic departments, effective Jan. 1.
The Department of Aviation Science will move from the College of Arts and Sciences into the Gordon and Jill Bourns College of Engineering. The Dr. Paul and Annie Kienel Leadership Institute, a standalone entity, will move into the Dr. Robert K. Jabs School of Business.
“These structural changes will enhance the opportunity to provide quality education to our students,” said Dr. Charles Sands, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “It will also make us more effective and efficient as we combine resources and streamline some of the administrative and operational processes.”
With aviation science part of the College of Engineering, students and faculty will have daily interactions and collaborations said Dr. Phil van Haaster, dean of the College of Engineering. There are more than 175 students in the aviation science program.
“Aviation science is a field in the aerospace industry that regularly collaborates with developmental engineers. Combining the student cohorts within the same overarching college nurtures this natural partnership, enhancing the ability of both cohorts to innovate after their academic career,” van Haaster said.
Engineers pursuing an aerospace minor may take additional courses from the Department of Aviation Science, combining aspiring engineers and aviators in the classroom. Additionally, Aviation’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) club works with the College of Engineering on outreach programs and community activities to develop an interest in STEM and aviation.
“It is very common for aviators to be engineers and engineers to be aviators,” van Haaster said. “The combination of the disciplines is a natural progression that exemplifies the maturity of these two programs at CBU.”
The Leadership Institute, which has 75 students, offers the Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership Studies. This program will join a new division in the School of Business that includes the Doctor of Business Administration and Doctor of Organizational Change and Administration, along with the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership.
The move will combine resources, with several Leadership Institute fellows among the School of Business faculty, said Dr. Tim Gramling, dean of the School of Business. It also will bring all the leadership students together.
In 2021, the School of Business launched the Center for Business Excellence to provide seminars and certifications for the local community.
“The mission of the center aligns closely with the Dr. Paul and Annie Kienel Leadership Institute and its emphasis on seminars, mentoring networks and forums,” Gramling said.
CBU has made other organizational changes in the past year. All academics were brought under one umbrella by consolidating Online and Professional Studies with the university’s other academic programs in the Division of Academic Affairs, effective Jan. 1, 2022. The restructuring helped standardize programs and allowed greater flexibility in delivery mode.
Additionally, the music and theatre programs at CBU joined together to create the Shelby and Ferne Collinsworth School of Performing Arts, effective July 1, 2022.
