Ashley consolidates executives under a VP

Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2006 | 7:20 a.m.

In his first sweeping management change since becoming UNLV's president, David Ashley is consolidating under one senior vice president the jobs of nearly 100 executives who have community contact.

The move - aimed at improving communications and better promoting UNLV - will save the university money. But insiders also say it is a chance for Ashley to recruit a community point person to his liking while letting the people in charge now bow out gracefully.

Ashley said he wants to create "one coherent unit" comprised of the divisions of public affairs, university and community relations, government relations, alumni relations, marketing and public relations, and development, the university's fundraising arm. Two vice presidents and several senior level directors manage those areas now, the result being that there are multiple fiefdoms promoting the university but reporting to different bosses.

"It's not coordinated very well at the moment," Ashley said. "We want to make sure we have an understanding about what the left hand and the right hand are doing."

Ashley said the move was not a reaction to a Sun investigation, published Sunday, into how UNLV fundraisers were reporting donations. But the new organizational structure, he said, will improve the university's ability to inform regents of campus issues, including a handful of scandals that have caught the governing board unaware.

Among those directly affected by the reorganization will be chief fundraiser John Gallagher, vice president of development and executive director of the UNLV Foundation, whose division will come under the leadership of the new senior vice president.

Ashley decided to consolidate the departments in August, soon after Hilarie Grey, former director for public affairs, left to work on UNLV professor and Democrat state Sen. Dina Titus' campaign for governor. He announced the decision to his Cabinet Sept. 14.

With Grey's open position, and with retirement being considered by Fred Albrecht, vice president for university and community relations, Ashley said it was a good time to adjust the organization to better fit his administrative style without "traumatizing people in the process."

Both Albrecht and Gallagher will keep their current titles as long as they are in the positions. But by July 1, their positions will be reporting to a new senior vice president, and their positions will be restructured to associate vice president positions.

Both vice presidents may apply for the senior position, but Ashley said he plans to conduct a national search to fill it. He is also conducting a national search to fill Grey's public affairs job, currently being filled by Assistant Director Dave Tonelli.

Ashley said there will be no layoffs, but that some open positions will not be filled as the offices are merged together.

Albrecht and Gallagher did not return calls for comment, but Tonelli said staff appeared supportive of the consolidation efforts.

"I think anytime you are looking to bring people together and communicate together that is a good thing," Tonelli said. "It is an opportunity to improve and do what we do better, and what's not to like about that?"

The one external relations unit likely to escape the consolidation effort is in athletics, Tonelli said. In addition to the centralized offices, there are also external relations people in nine colleges or divisions at the university.

Albrecht's office has been busy working on plans for the university's 50th anniversary, which will require coordination among fundraisers, alumni relations and public affairs.