| Provost's memo back in spotlight |
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| Written by Mark Runsvold - Argonaut | ||||||
| Thursday, 19 November 2009 | ||||||
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Provost Doug Baker’s Aug. 25 memo was again at issue Tuesday, as
faculty senators debated a provision calling for departments with fewer
than nine faculty members to be merged with other departments. Various sections of the memo have drawn controversy since it was issued, but this was the first time the senate had discussed departmental consolidation. At earlier meetings, senators addressed proposals from the memo regarding centralization of faculty Y-accounts and consolidation of small course sections. Baker, who was in Washington, D.C., during Tuesday’s meeting, is expected to formally respond to faculty concerns soon. Sen. Anne Marshall has opposed all of the provisions from the memo the senate has discussed, and department consolidation was no exception. “I just see this as one of the worst of a really bad set of statements in this egregious memo,” Marshall said. Marshall said consolidation would be devastating for her college, Art and Architecture, which is among the smallest at the University of Idaho. She said Baker’s proposal might end up eliminating departments altogether in the college or leave department chairs in charge of disciplines they’re unfamiliar with. “After we’ve all fought with each other, we’re going to have to deal with each other,” Marshall said. Sen. Patrick Wilson said the College of Natural Resources has been undergoing consolidation for years, and though he doesn’t necessarily oppose the memo’s merger rules, the process has been more trouble than anyone expected. “We’ve had a long time and lot of trouble trying to solve this,” Wilson said. Faculty chair Jack Miller and other senators said they worry the proposal is too arbitrary. Miller analogized the cut-off at nine faculty members with rules from his training in tax law, saying it’s designed to “create a bright line without having to think.” Sen. Jim Murphy agreed and said he questions the memo’s stated goal of creating economies of scale. “I wish someone could tell me what’s magic about the number nine,” Murphy said. “I’m not the sure about the economy of scale between nine and ten.” Miller suggested stepping back and approaching the problem — inefficient departments — from a different angle. “You look for departments, no matter what their size, that have enough common ground … that it makes sense to put them together,” Miller said. Written that way, the consolidation provision might help the university toward its goal of interdisciplinary collaboration. It would also avoid forcing the merger of a department like philosophy, which has less apparent commonality with other disciplines. Senators moved to adjourn before completing their discussion of department consolidation and will meet again Dec. 1.  Add as favorites (33) | Views: 809
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