Faculty Driven vs Administration Driven

In 2017, VIP Programs were driven by administrations at two institutions. Programs were PI driven at seven institutions. And at four institutions, programs were driven by both.
Organizational embeddedness of VIP Programs in the VIP Consortium, circa 2017. Adapted from a graphic created by Gordon Kingsley.

VIP Programs can be established by faculty who pilot a few teams under temporary course number, or by college deans and university presidents.  In his evaluation of the VIP Consortium, Gordon Kingsley found three models of organizational embeddedness across the Consortium:

    • Strong administrative support (Dean level and above)
    • Faculty driven, with the VIP Director leading a VIP team
    • Both strong administrative support (Dean level and above), with the VIP-Director leading a VIP team.

We have seen success under all three models, with programs expanding to multiple departments and serving students from many majors.