DeKALB — The Division of Student Affairs has continued to move forward after facing a semester of leadership changes and program realignment.

Kelly Wesener-Michael, associate vice president of Division of Student Affairs, has been acting as the leader of the division since Eric Weldy, former vice president of the Division of Student Affairs, left NIU to pursue a position at Purdue University Jan. 1.

The program has faced restructuring as a result of the Program Prioritization process with recommendations from Program Prioritization task forces including the outsourcing of Health Services support and office operations, the outsourcing of food services, the hotel and the bookstore in the Holmes Student Center and reassessment of student fees.

Wesener-Michael has aligned student services to work under her. Mike Stang, assistance vice president of Student Affairs, will focus on leading the auxiliaries in the division.

Auxiliaries are areas on campus that not only provide for the students but also generate revenue such as housing, dining, the Holmes Student Center and the Recreation Center, Wesener-Michael said.

“When the decision was made institutionally that we wouldn’t be hiring a vice president for Student Affairs, Mike Stang and I reorganized the student affairs division and realigned the department in a way that is efficient and effective in meeting students’ needs,” Wesener-Michael said.

Student Affairs has stayed true to its mission in providing student-centered service, Wesener-Michael said. The reorganization across the university due to Program Prioritization has allowed the division the opportunity to step back and collaborate differently with their partners.

“We are really going to look to partner with our colleagues across the campus, particularly those in academic affairs so that we can have a cohesive student experience and help develop that in a really [rich] way,” Wesener-Michael said.

The program has managed to run consistently, but there are challenges the division faces. Managing change on campus is a challenge officials have faced this semester. Working with staff as the threat of a lack of state appropriations looms over the university is hard, Wesener-Michael said.

“There have been challenges, but I believe that we have been really successful in really serving our students in optimal ways despite [what’s] in front of us,” Wesener-Michael said.

The division also saw Program Prioritization as an opportunity to receive feedback from the university community about areas in need of improvement. Programs are in the process of being realigned in the areas in which Program Prioritization has suggested.

“We are taking that feedback seriously,” Wesener-Michael said. “Lots of the things that were suggested in that report we are moving forward on.”

Morgan Fink is a staff writer. She can be reached at [email protected].