Continuing the Development of the Academic Program
Whitman College (2005-2009)
The following report summarizes a review of the curriculum conducted by the Committee of Division Chairs during the Fall Semester of 2004. It builds upon earlier planning documents, most notably “Ideas and Opportunities for Strengthening Whitman’s Academic Program,” which was written in the Spring Semester of 2000. As in this earlier document, the present report will emphasize general principles, as opposed to specific budgetary requests, though each general principle will be illustrated with particular examples of desirable investments. The exercise was also intended to be useful to the institution as it looks forward to its next full-scale accreditation review in the fall of 2007 and to a possible major capital campaign.
The first stage of this review was the development of a survey instrument that was sent to departments during the Spring Semester of 2004. The Committee of Division Chairs then reviewed the departmental responses during the Fall Semester of 2004 and wrote an initial draft of this document. The Committee then received feedback on the contents of this initial draft at a Faculty Forum, at meetings with each of the three academic divisions and at a session at Baker Faculty Center focused on disciplinary programs. The following document is a consequence of these discussions and was submitted to the faculty for its consideration at the end of the Spring Semester of 2005.
Though this document attempts to offer a broad look at the curriculum, several areas were omitted. Varsity athletics, for example, were not considered, though academic classes in SSRA were a part of the Committee’s deliberations. Neither does this document include a discussion of General Studies, since Antiquity and Modernity and Critical and Alternative Voices will be the subjects of a more in-depth study during the 2005-06 academic year. A few areas were considered that are not formally a part of the academic program and do not fall under the budgetary responsibility of the Dean of the Faculty. These include upgrades to the physical plant and to the information technology support provided to the academic program.
The Division Chairs Committee understands that such planning documents can be criticized as “wish lists” that are not necessarily tied to budgetary realities. In particular, the Committee did not estimate the cost of the proposals contained in this document. Clearly, not every item mentioned will be funded in the next five years. The purpose of the paper is to guide planning by presenting themes and options. It is meant to influence decision making, not prescribe it. Similarly, the planning document of 2000 recommended several areas for investments and impressive progress was made in each of these areas. Finally, the small size of the institution and the “leanness” of our programs and budgets imply that few of these initiatives can be financed by budgetary reallocations. There is little fat anywhere at the College that can be trimmed to create muscle elsewhere.
The following are general observations regarding the academic program:
Conclusion 1: Changes to the academic program should concentrate on developing existing programs and building on traditional institutional strengths.
The academic program has many impressive features, but it also faces notable challenges. There was little support for creating significant new programs until these challenges are addressed. There are, for example, areas with enrollments that far exceed desirable levels. There are major programs supported by only two tenure-track positions. Note that some of the recommendations of this document are in tension with this conclusion, since they advocate expansions in a few areas not currently found in the curriculum (e.g., a new major in Race and Ethnic Studies). It is unlikely that this tension between conflicting priorities will be reconciled in the near future, and the Committee does not believe it should preempt ongoing discussions of this issue by forcing a premature resolution.
Conclusion 2: Faculty opinion is divided on the question of whether it is advisable to add approximately 100 students, even assuming the student-faculty ratio is kept at approximately ten to one.
Adding these students will depend upon the construction of a new residence hall, which is at least several years in the future. It will also necessitate an increase in the available classroom and office space. If and when this occurs, there should be the opportunity to add ten new tenure-track appointments supported by additional tuition revenues. Enhancing the curriculum is the main justification for increased enrollments. The list of desirable and justifiable additions discussed in this document is quite long, and expanding the size of the student body, and hence the size of the faculty, is a straightforward way to realize many of them.
In meetings with the three academic divisions, it became clear that a significant number of faculty members are concerned about the impact of expanding the size of the institution in this manner. The tone of these discussions differed significantly from the result of the departmental surveys. Though not a unanimous opinion, a strong majority of departmental surveys seemed to support such an expansion.
Conclusion 3: The “fifth-year” sabbatical program enjoys wide support and should be continued.
Again, though not unanimous, a strong majority of departments expressed appreciation for the professional development opportunities provided by the sabbatical program. The Committee noted little pressure for a reduction in the standard “three-three” teaching load. A few expressed the desire for a reduced teaching load for those individuals with particularly active research agendas. The preponderance of opinion on the Committee, however, was that it was important to maintain a uniform set of expectations for all tenure-track faculty members.
Conclusion 4: The current organization of interdisciplinary programs should be retained.
In particular, the faculty clearly believes that tenure-track faculty appointments should continue to be in traditional departments, though certain faculty members may have dual appointments in inter-disciplinary programs (e.g., Geology-Environmental Studies). The requirements of such programs should continue to be based upon a gateway class or classes, frequently taught by someone with such a dual appointment, a range of offerings cross-listed with traditional departments, and a capstone seminar/senior thesis class.
The remainder of this document presents four general principles designed to help guide the development of the academic program over the next few years. Each recommendation is followed by a discussion of some of the ways in which it might be advanced. Some of these proposals are not specific budgetary requests, but suggestions that certain issues need further study so that an appropriate course of action can be determined. Once again, it will be impossible to fund all of these proposals in the next five years.
Recommendation 1: Academic support programs should be upgraded by (a) increasing key budgets and (b) adding important staff appointments.
Academic planning exercises at the College have typically concentrated on tenure-track additions to the faculty. The Division Chairs Committee has specifically chosen to emphasize issues of academic support because it wants to make sure they are not neglected.
(a) Increasing Key Budgets
The following areas stand out as deserving special attention:
(i) Professional Development.
The institution has been generous in providing funding for professional development (e.g., travel to professional meetings). This generosity is particularly important in light of the geographic isolation of the College. Demand for these funds has increased due to a more professionally active faculty and the increased cost of travel. The Aid to Scholarship and Instructional Development budget needs to be reviewed regularly to ensure that it continues to serve the interests of the academic program.
(ii) Student-Faculty Research.
Funding for summer research projects has come from two sources: the Perry Endowment and temporary “soft money” funds. To continue to provide the current level of opportunities for our students, we will need to replace these temporary sources. The current level of funding, however, is insufficient and should be increased.
(iii) Equipment.
The fine and performing arts and the natural sciences both have ongoing equipment needs that are not being addressed.
In the sciences, the Science Equipment Replacement Fund is barely adequate to keep our current instructional equipment functioning and up-to-date. We provide generous startup budgets to new faculty members, but after the initial hire, we primarily rely on faculty members to obtain external funds. If we expect our scientists to remain professionally active and to include students in meaningful ways in their research, we will need to pay greater attention to their equipment needs.
The arts also have ongoing equipment acquisition needs. As in the sciences, some funding is available, but if the college wants its programs to continue to flourish, additional support will be necessary. The Studio Art Department will benefit from the purchase of new equipment as part of its new building, but Theatre, Music, Rhetoric and Film Studies, and Dance have significant unmet needs.
(iv) The “information environment.”
In this category we include items that are in the domain of Technology Services and Penrose Library. As with professional travel, our relatively isolated location makes it particularly important for the College to maintain a high quality information environment.
Spending on information technology has not kept pace with inflation, with the growing size of the institution or with advances in technology. For example, we need more “smart” classrooms. Increasing these investments will be important to the further development of the academic program.
The cost of library material continues to increase at rates which greatly exceed the overall rate of inflation. This is especially true of journal subscriptions and databases, which are essential if the faculty is to remain professionally engaged. In addition, every year desirable new resources become available (e.g., ArtStor).
(v) Post-graduate fellowships.
For the first time in many years, a Whitman student has received a Rhodes Scholarship. To enhance our students’ performances in these competitions, we should increase our investment in the Office of Post-Graduate Fellowships and Scholarships.
(b) Adding Important Staff Appointments
In comparison with other liberal arts colleges of similar size and resources, Whitman College has significantly fewer staff members supporting all aspects of operations. We have made progress in this area recently, with new appointments such as the technicians for the Physics Department and the BBMB program. Additional staff appointments will permit the academic program to provide increased services and will free faculty members to spend more time with students.
(i) The information environment.
The ability of Technology Services to support the academic program depends upon having sufficient staff to respond in a timely manner to the many demands of the institution. The new technical support position for the Science Building will be a welcome addition. An IT support position for Maxey Hall could assist with the many computer applications used by the departments in the social sciences. The development of a digital and time-based media position in studio art will put further pressure on staff, as will the further development of the film studies program.
Geographic information systems (GIS) are increasingly important tools for many departments, such as Geology, Environmental Studies, Economics and Religion. We trail many institutions in the application of this emerging technology and upgrading this area will be difficult without increased staff support.
Two aspects of our library support staff need attention. There has been a long-standing request for a visual resource curator. We currently have tens of thousands of slides and our collection is expanding every year. Student labor has been used to help organize and maintain the collection, but there is a need for ongoing professional expertise.
The information environment is rapidly evolving. Recent funding from the Mellon Foundation was useful in experimenting with a program to train faculty and students in “information literacy.” Continuing this program will require the use of institutional funds and, in particular, will be difficult without adding to the library staff. Two positions have been proposed: an Information Literacy/Reference Librarian and an Electronic Resource/Metadata Coordinator.
(ii) Technical support position for the Psychology Department.
Several technical support positions in the sciences have been added. In recent years, the Psychology Department has increasingly operated as a laboratory science. The department has a long-standing request for a technical support position similar to those which serve the Chemistry, Physics and Biology Departments.
(iii) Part-time piano technician.
The College owns many instruments that need professional attention. There is no one locally who has the necessary expertise. Such an appointment might be shared with the other institutions of higher education in the area.
(iv) Intern positions in the arts.
The Theatre, Studio Art and Music Departments have expressed interest in hiring recent graduates for limited periods (one to two years) at wage scales resembling graduate assistantships. This would be a cost-effective way of providing technical assistance to these departments and would assist our graduates in building their resumes.
(v) Community-based learning coordinator.
Several departments in the social sciences use experiential learning in their pedagogy, and such an appointment would enhance the effectiveness of these efforts and minimize the amount of faculty time spent on administrative tasks.
Recommendation 2: Three curricular areas should receive particular attention: (a) multiculturalism and international studies, (b) the life sciences and (c) the fine and performing arts.
(a) Multiculturalism and International Studies
This area was prominently mentioned in the planning document of 2000. It continues to be a priority of the institution to expand the breadth of voices and perspectives on the campus and in the academic program. This includes creating a faculty that more closely reflects the range of ethnicities and cultures that our students will encounter after they leave the institution. New strategies may need to be employed to bring this about. For example, the institution might consider targeted hires of highly qualified individuals from underrepresented populations. Such individuals might be identified using the Consortium for a Strong Minority Presence in Liberal Arts Colleges.
A sizable group of faculty members have been discussing the creation of a new program in Race and Ethnic Studies. The results of their deliberations are being formulated into a specific proposal that will soon be disseminated to the full faculty. Such a major would be broadly interdisciplinary and would add to the richness of the curriculum.
The possibility of making Critical and Alternative Voices a graduation requirement should be studied. In 2005-06, the General Studies Committee will examine this question.
The faculty recently created a new major in Gender Studies. A position was reallocated to create a position in Religion/Gender Studies. This will help solidify staffing of the gateway class and the senior seminar in the program. Additional strengthening of the program is desirable.
The Anthropology Department has a special claim regarding the study of cultural diversity. An addition in this area would create a department with three FTE faculty members, which is generally acknowledged to be the minimum level of staffing necessary to offer a strong major program.
Many institutions offer a major in International Studies. Whitman has internationalized its curriculum and the development of such a major is a logical next step in this evolution. Departments that might contribute to such a program include Politics, History, Foreign Languages and Literatures, Religion, and Art History and Visual Culture Studies. A position in international political economy and development would fill a critical gap in our offerings.
The majors in Race and Ethnic Studies and International Studies mentioned above would be complementary, and many curricular offerings, faculty appointments, and other resources might be shared between them. Both programs should be designed in accordance with Conclusion 4.
The study of Asia has long been a particularly important part of international education at the College. Our offerings have centered on the study of China, and there has been a long-standing proposal for a second position in Japanese that would help solidify an already strong program.
(b) The Life Sciences
This area was also emphasized in the planning document of 2000.
A revolution in the life sciences is underway, and no area of human thought is expanding more rapidly. Students at Whitman want to participate in these developments, and tenure-track additions in Chemistry and Biology are high priorities. Biology has more majors than any other department on campus. Chemistry provides support not only for the life sciences, but also for programs such as Geology and Environmental Studies.
In recent years, the disciplines of psychology and biology have been converging. A position in cognitive science would help solidify this relationship. Such a position could be in a number of specializations (e.g., computer science or philosophy).
(c) The Fine and Performing Arts
This area was not prominently mentioned in the planning document of 2000. We have invested in our arts facilities, so it is surprising that it has been more than twenty years since a new tenure-track position has been created in the arts. There are arguments supporting four such additions.
The new Visual Arts Building will contain space for a faculty member in digital media. The Music Department has had a long-standing request for someone in woodwinds. In the Theatre Department, an addition will be necessary to maintain the current range of specialties. A tenure-track position in Dance would provide a bridge between the Theatre and Music Departments, and would add stability to this increasingly popular program. It will be important for any upgrade in Dance to be accompanied by a corresponding upgrade in budgetary and staff support for the program. In particular, such support should not come from resources presently allocated to Harper Joy Theatre.
Recommendation 3: Tenure-track faculty appointments should be added to (a) internally replace sabbaticals, (b) upgrade long-standing temporary appointments and (c) strengthen key programs.
There are important advantages to minimizing our reliance on temporary appointments. Though many of the individuals in these positions are highly qualified, they typically do not assist with either advising or faculty governance.
There are two ways to minimize this reliance: “internal replacement of sabbaticals,” whereby departments agree not to seek sabbatical replacements after being granted a new tenure line, and the upgrade of positions, typically justified by enrollment pressures, which have been filled for a number of years by temporary appointments.
(a) Internal Replacement of Sabbaticals
Most departments supported the idea in principle, but found it difficult to implement, given the nature of specialization in academic fields. Departments expressing interest included Anthropology, Economics, Politics, Psychology, Sociology, Art History and Visual Culture Studies, Chemistry and Physics.
(b) Upgrading Temporary Appointments
Departments which expressed an interest in upgrading long-standing temporary appointments included History, Art (Studio), Theatre, Chemistry and Biology.
(c) Strengthening Key Programs
Besides those mentioned above, there were other solid proposals for tenure-track additions to the faculty. These included positions in Psychology, Politics, Rhetoric and Film Studies, Astronomy and Geology.
Recommendation 4: The College should evaluate and, where appropriate, upgrade the following facilities: (a) Harper Joy Theatre, (b) Maxey Hall, (c) the current Studio Art wing of Olin Hall and (d) Hunter Conservatory.
The physical plant of the College is in excellent condition. The faculty looks forward to the construction of the Baker Ferguson Fitness and Aquatics center and the Visual Arts Building, and to the proposed renovation of Sherwood Center. These projects will clearly be the highest priority capital projects for the next few years.
(a) Harper Joy Theatre (HJT)
The present HJT has many strengths and is fondly remembered by generations of Theatre majors and patrons. However, the facility is inadequate in several respects. Although renovating and expanding the building may be the best solution to these problems, there are several reasons to consider constructing a totally new theatre. First, it is logical to associate a new Dance program with the Theatre Department and the present space is too small to accommodate both. A new theatre would have separate performance and rehearsal spaces for dance and theatre.Second, HJT’s location makes it difficult to expand. Third, moving HJT will free up space for a future expansion of some other building, such as the Library. Fourth, locating HJT closer to the Music Department would enhance the natural connection between these programs. And finally, Theatre is one of the institution’s signature programs and its facilities should reflect that stature.
(b) Maxey Hall
The Psychology Department has seen extensive faculty turnover in the last few years. It will soon be highly desirable to renovate and reconfigure the third floor of Maxey Hall to accommodate the interests of a new generation of faculty members.
More generally, departmental reports contained many complaints about the overall quality of Maxey Hall. The HVAC system, in particular, does not meet the expectations of many faculty members. An extensive renovation of the entire building that would address a number of its perceived inadequacies should be considered.
(c) Current Studio Art Facility
When the studio art faculty moves to the new Visual Arts Building in a few years, there will be an opportunity to alleviate the space pressures in Olin Hall. There are two options: first, renovate the existing space to create one floor of new space for offices and classrooms, and second, construct a new three-story academic building on the site. These discussions should also involve the space currently occupied by Olin 130 and the Sheehan Gallery.
(d) Hunter Conservatory
This beautiful building is not being used efficiently. The imminent relocation of the Writing Center and its Director to Olin Hall will further decrease this efficiency. A discussion of the future uses of the building needs to take place involving the Rhetoric and Film Studies Department, the Chair of the Humanities Division and the Chief Technology Officer.
The Division Chairs Committee identified eight principles to help influence academic planning over the next five years. The purpose of this document has been to describe those principles and to illustrate ways in which they might be advanced. Once again, it will be impossible to implement every suggestion contained in this document. The eight principles we have identified are as follows:
Conclusion 1: Changes to the academic program should concentrate on developing existing programs and building on traditional institutional strengths.
Conclusion 2: Faculty opinion is divided on the question of whether it is advisable to add approximately 100 students, even assuming the student-faculty ratio is kept at approximately ten to one.
Conclusion 3: The “fifth-year” sabbatical program enjoys wide support and should be continued.
Conclusion 4: The current organization of interdisciplinary programs should be retained.
Recommendation 1: Academic support programs should be upgraded by (a) increasing key budgets and (b) adding important staff appointments.
Recommendation 2: Three curricular areas should receive particular attention: (a) multiculturalism and international studies, (b) the life sciences and (c) the fine and performing arts.
Recommendation 3: Tenure-track faculty appointments should be added to (a) internally replace sabbaticals, (b) upgrade long-standing temporary appointments and (c) strengthen key programs.
Recommendation 4: The College should evaluate and, where appropriate, upgrade the following facilities: (a) Harper Joy Theatre, (b) Maxey Hall, (c) the current Studio Art wing of Olin Hall and (d) Hunter Conservatory.
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