Streamlining the Saint Louis University administration, the position of executive vice president and chief operating officer will be eliminated Sept. 1.

James Kimmey, Ph.D., M.P.H., who has held the position for two years will return to the faculty of the School of Public Health where he will direct a new initiative, the Institute for Urban Health Policy.

“Two years ago, we began a process of administrative simplification at the executive level of the University,” stated University President Lawrence Biondi, S.J. in a written statement.

At that time, the positions of executive vice president and provost and academic vice president were eliminated and restructured into the provost position and the executive vice president and chief operating officer positions, according to the statement.

“This summer, Dr. Jim Kimmey, the incumbent executive vice president, and I together examined the operations structure and concluded that there was an opportunity to further strealine lines of communications and assignment of responsiblities in the operations area,” Biondi stated.

Kimmey concurred that he was an “equal partner with the president” in this restructuring.

Under the new structure, the various vice presidents will report directly to the president. Other areas such as Audit Services and the Office of Diversity and Affirmative Action will be placed under the office of the General Counsel which will be expanded to be the University Compliance Officer.

“It takes a layer of reporting out of the way,” Kimmey added.

The newly established Institute for Urban Health Policy will focus on the growing crisis in urban public health and health services in St. Louis and throughout the country.

“Our main goal will be to provide realistic solutions to urban public health and indigent health problems,” Kimmey said.

He explained that too many decisions in public health are driven by politics. He pointed out that in St. Louis another major problem is the fragmentation of government evident in the lack of cooperation between the city and county.

“The people getting hurt are the people not getting health care,” Kimmey emphasized.

His plans for the semester include creating the institutes’ structure and defining the relationship to other parts of the University.

On an external level, Kimmey will look at the groups affected by this problem. He will also identify sources of funding such as the government, organizations and corporations.

Kimmey hopes to bring government officials to campus to facilitate a discussion on the topic of public health care.

With retirement in a few years, this institute may be his legacy. “I want to create something that’s going to last,” Kimmey concluded.