September 24, 2004: Volume 62, Number 3

Dean urges enhancement of interdepartmental programs

Dean of Faculty Christina Sorum called on her colleagues to enhance interdepartmental programs through better coordination and focused hiring, and to reach a timely resolution for the reshaping of the General Education program.

Speaking at a general faculty meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 21, Sorum cited the 2000 Middle States review, which said, "With four divisions and a 200-year tradition of 'union' learning, the potential for cross-disciplinary work at this College is considerable."

Sorum said the College has a belief in the value of a broad education, as demonstrated by programs such as Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Bioengineering, East Asian Studies and GenEd. The prominence of Converging Technology (also known as Converging Thought) is an important step, she said.

"[Deans Charlotte Borst and Robert Balmer] and I will be working this year with departments and with the Academic Affairs Council to ensure that our various programs are taken into account in the hiring process and in curriculum development," she said. "The fact that we have 195 ID majors and 258 students doing minors indicates that a considerable number of our students are interested in a broad education."

On GenEd, Sorum asked her colleagues to rise above issues with departments, staffing and intellectual politics to "think of the students and what is essential to their education."

GenEd, she said, "is a curricular statement of what we think a liberal arts education must include. All types of schools have majors. We as a liberal arts college define ourselves not by our majors but by the broad learning we wish our students to gain."

Sorum also asked senior faculty to work closely with newer members to include them in the intellectual community, a recommendation from the Middle States report. The Minerva Houses and a nascent faculty lounge will provide venues, but they are not sufficient, she said. "We who have been here many years are the ones who must step forward and nurture the redevelopment of an inclusive community," she said. "We have much to offer the newer members, and they have much to offer us."

Admissions report
Ann Fleming Brown, associate dean of admissions, invited faculty to meet with prospective students during fall open houses on Oct. 11 and Nov. 11. "It is so special to these visiting students and it is what we do so well."

She reported that the College this fall welcomed 579 new students, including 25 transfers, after targeting 580. Applications were down 2 percent to 4,060 with an admit rate of 49 percent.

Academic indicators increased slightly with a typical student having a 90 GPA in rigorous secondary school programs. Fifty-nine percent were ranked in the top 10 percent of their class, and SATs average 1250.

The most frustrating result, she said, was a drop in students of color, from 16 to 14 percent of the class, with numbers dropped from 90 to 78.

Interviews and surveys show an increased overlap with esteemed competitor colleges has declined the yield. "We have worked hard to position ourselves in the premier liberal arts college cohort and … we find that the [blue chip schools] eventually win out in the majority of cases. Before one can compete and win, one must compete and lose, alas."

On Financial Aid, Brown reported that despite an unpredictable year, projections for the Class of 2008 were on target with just under $6.1 million supporting the enrollment of 625 students. Upperclass awards were nearly complete and projected slightly under budget, she said.

FEC business
Cliff Brown, chair of the Faculty Executive Committee, introduced the FEC and its mission to new faculty. He thanked colleagues who have agreed to serve on two committees, one on academic reputation chaired by Tom Werner, the other a compensation committee chaired by Dave Hayes. Prof. Brown said that the agenda for fall meetings will include the fundraising campaign, to be introduced by Tom Gutenberger, vice president for College Relations, at the Sept. 28 meeting; long-term budget issues; a discussion of the merit system; recommendations from the Spinelli committee on trimesters; and the Minerva House program.

 

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