Administration confirmed that new departments will be created across campus by merging existing ones. The redefinition of these academic areas will go in effect July 1, 2016.

This includes combining the Marketing and the Management departments to create the Department of Management and Marketing, and combining the Finance and the Accounting departments to create the Department of Accounting and Finance.

The Department of Humanities, Philosophy, and Foreign Language will join the English Department to create the Department of English, Philosophy, Spanish, and Humanities.

The Department of Culinology and Hospitality Management will join the Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics. According to the Proposed Redefinition of Departments document handed out at the Jan. 19 Meet and Confer, this new department should consider a name “that reflects the conceptual linkages among these areas (e.g. food).”

“We, as a department, are collecting ideas for the name and possible impacts including staffs,” Dr. Sang Jung, Agriculture and Applied Economics Department Chair said.

Additionally, the Political Science program will return to the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences to join the Social Science Department.

Overall, the redefinition is expected to save SMSU $40,000.

“This was suggested as a cost savings measure, but it was also looked at both for concept and utility,” Vice President for Finance and Administration Deb Kerkaert said. “Administration also looked at what would be best for the students.”

The way other universities align their departments was examined in making the redefinitions. For example, Kerkaert said Political Science is typically in the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences. English Department Chair Dr. Neil Smith said English and Philosophy departments are often together at other universities.

On Mar. 22, the English Department met with the Humanities, Philosophy, and Foreign Language Department to discuss their new name and vote on a Department Chair. It was decided the name would be the Department of English, Philosophy, Spanish, and Humanities. Smith will act as the Chair.

Instead of including Foreign Language in the new name, it was decided that Spanish would take its place. This is because Spanish is the only foreign language being offered on campus. Including Spanish in the department name would also give the area an identity boost.

“As soon as we offer more languages, we will change the name,” Smith said.

Current Humanities, Philosophy, and Foreign Language Chair Brett Gaul will continue to direct the Honors Program. Though Philosophy is now joined with the English Department, Smith says that program would still have autonomy.

Smith and Gaul agreed that within a day of the redefinition announcement, they were looking forward to merging.

“I think you’re going to see more input and points of view,” Smith said. “Sometimes you want to stay with what you know. But this will help strengthen each other. I think we are going to be a good, well-functioning department.”

While this may change the duties of the departments’ administrative assistants, this should not affect classes.