What happened
CU is transitioning from its current college structure to a six-college model beginning in Fall 2026. As part of that shift, several longtime deans, including Dean Shawver of the Zeigler College of Business, and Drs. Ann Larson and Latha Ramakrishnan, were replaced by newly appointed interim leadership.
Why it matters
The restructuring is not just an administrative reshuffling. It is a direct response to the financial pressures CU faces as a three-campus university still finding its footing after consolidation. Under the new model, CU will be organized into six colleges: a College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities; a College of Education; a College of Health Professions; a College of Sciences and Technology; the Eileen G. Jones Honors College; and the Zeigler College of Business.
“We are moving from four colleges to six not in spite of our financial challenges, but because of them,” Interim President Osgood wrote in an email in December. “When resources are tight, structure matters even more.”
No new positions will be added to the budget. Instead, the university plans to redirect resources currently supporting existing management roles, framing the shift as a reorganization rather than an expansion.
New faces at the top of the transition brought immediate leadership changes across the colleges. Dr. Peter Campbell, Assistant Chair of Management, was appointed interim dean of the Zeigler College of Business, replacing Dean Shawver in that role. Dr. Vanessa Kahen, a professor from West Chester University, will serve as interim dean of the College of Health, Science, and Technology. Dr. Angela Boswell stepped into the interim dean role for the College of Arts, Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences.
Drs. Ann Larson and Latha Ramakrishnan, who previously held dean-level roles, are transitioning into special assignment positions within the Office of the Provost.
All three interim deans are expected to serve through at least the spring 2026 semester. National searches for permanent deans are planned for the ‘26-’27 academic year, with a target start date of July 1, 2027.
A professor perspective
For Mike Huben, a marketing
and sales professor at the Zeigler College of Business, the transition has felt manageable, at least from where he sits.
“The support I’ve had from both the previous dean and the current dean has been phenomenal,” Huben said. “I’ve never felt I lacked support from a dean perspective.”
He noted that incoming interim Dean Peter Campbell made a point to personally introduce himself to faculty after his appointment.
“Dr. Campbell made a point to come around and introduce himself, “ Huben said. He added that the university’s strategic planning process gives him confidence in the direction ahead.
The big picture
The six-college restructuring is one piece of a sweeping set of organizational changes Osgood announced in December.
Osgood’a email also introduced a new CFO, Lisa Sharpe. A shared IT leadership arrangement with West Chester University; and a new Senior Vice Prsident for Student Affairs, all designed to deliver executive-level capacity at reduced cost.
Osgood has been direct about the stakes.
“Keeping a structure that no longer fits does not save money,” he wrote. “It costs us: in enrollment, in retention, in missed opportunity.”
Departmental conversations about
how programs will be arranged within the new colleges are set to begin this spring, with faculty input guiding the process.
Osgood described the pace as intentional: “thoughtful and not overwhelming.”
Whether the restructuring delivers on its promise of clarity and focus will depend heavily on how that implementation unfolds, and whether students and faculty across Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield feel the change working for them.