Central Michigan University establishes University Transformation Office

Central Michigan University has a new University Transformation Office, as announced by university president Neil MacKinnon during his First 100 Days event. The University Transformation Office will be led by Darcie Wilson, who will serve as the university’s first Chief Transformation Officer. Under the guidance of Wilson, the Office will support the university’s ability to complete large campus initiatives in accordance with the university’s five-year strategic plan.

According to an article on Central Michigan University’s website, MacKinnon is quoted as saying, “Strategic Priority Four challenges us to adopt a culture of continuous improvement and to adopt best practices that ensure our institutional health and sustainability. The University Transformation Office will provide guidance, direction and support services for major projects and undertakings to help us better steward our limited resources as we work toward achieving all our strategic goals.”

Speaking about Wilson and the expertise she will bring to the new office, MacKinnon went on to say, “Darcie Wilson brings vast corporate and academic project and portfolio management experience to this role. In her prior role as deputy chief information officer at CMU, she worked with senior leaders campus-wide on numerous initiatives; those relationships will be vital to the success of this new unit.”

The University Transformation Office will assist with project management and execution, portfolio management, and process improvement, among other support services. The office will begin to work with leadership to identify the priority initiatives and projects that will receive the new office’s support immediately.

Wilson said of the new office’s abilities, “We can help campus partners align their initiatives with university priorities to ensure they receive the right resources, and we can help them identify solutions for workflow and operations that help them complete projects on time and within budget. As a team, our goal is to help every division and department work with greater speed, efficiency and impact. One of our first priorities as a team will be to assess our current landscape and identify the tools and frameworks needed to make an immediate impact on some of our most important projects.”

Wilson added that the office will, in the next few months, begin to build its team, bringing in project managers, business process analysts, and change management analysts, to better assist the university.

For more information about Central Michigan University, visit the school’s website.