Departments centralize under university life

NYU launched a new division and council for student life, centralizing over a dozen offices and departments in an effort to enhance communication on universitywide issues and improve student support. 

The Division of University Life and its corresponding University Life Council were formed ahead of this academic year. Senior vice president for university life Jason Pina said in an August memo that the division combines NYU’s Office of Global Inclusion and Division of Student Affairs — two departments with overlapping responsibilities. Pina told WSN that the council has met twice thus far and will continue to communicate cross-school ideas, as it expands on what structural changes will mean for current employees. 

“We don’t have to make every decision in the first month,” Pina said in an interview. “People have the same job, the departments still exist. We are continuing to work as we’ve done for years — we have this other thing we have to make real over time, and we’re going to do that collectively.”

The council — made up of administrators from NYU’s student life departments and across its three degree-granting campuses — creates a forum for leadership to stay up-to-date with cross-school initiatives they otherwise may not have known about. The group meets every few weeks to workshop effective projects and policies based on successes across different campuses and departments. 

Pina said that the merger has been a “seamless” process between the departments’ offices — such as the LGBTQ+ Center, the Center for Student Life and the Wasserman Center for Career Development — which house over 500 employees. He added that it does not affect the responsibilities and number of staff in the respective offices, but aims to “ensure equal access, reduce barriers to engagement and sustain an environment in which all members of NYU can thrive.” 

“We’re trying to create a learning community where we can help each other out to serve students in a more holistic and comprehensive way,” Pina said. “Creating that collaborative space where we can ask those fundamental questions improves student lives.” 

Eva Mundo contributed reporting.

Contact Sabrina Roach at news@nyunews.com.

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NYU launched a new division and council for student life, centralizing over a dozen offices and departments in an effort to enhance communication on universitywide issues and improve student support.  The Division of University Life and its corresponding University Life Council were formed ahead of this academic year. Senior vice president for university life Jason…