At 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 15, Dean of the Faculty Jon Chenette sent an all-campus e-mail with an update on changes to the 2010-2011 curriculum. According to Chenette, fewer than 14 current faculty contracts will not be renewed as his Nov. 15 e-mail on the curriculum estimated, and the curriculum for next year will likely be the same size or slightly larger than this year’s curriculum.
“The larger-than-expected curriculum for 2010-11 results from two factors,” wrote Chenette, “restoration of courses to the curriculum through a reduction in course releases associated with department, program, committee, and administrative service; and an unexpectedly low number of faculty leaves compared to this year.”
According to Chenette, some departments were able to revise their staffing plans after initial responses from the Office of the Dean of the Faculty. “The smaller number of non-renewed faculty contracts results from specific decisions departments are making within the parameters outlined in response to staffing requests,” he wrote. “Some of these decisions are still pending, as departments continue to plan for next year.”
Chenette will share more specific information about the curriculum with faculty at the faculty meeting on Dec. 16 and will share information with students at an information session on Dec. 17 at 4 p.m. in Rockefeller Hall 200 as well as in information sessions planned for next semester. In the e-mail, he also encouraged students to contact the administrative assistants of departments and programs for more up-t0-date and particular information about course offerings.
The full text of the e-mail is below:
December 15, 2009
I write with an update on the status of planning for our academic offerings in 2010-11. Since early October, when departments and programs submitted staffing plan requests, my office has worked carefully with chairs and directors to develop balanced curricula that meet students’ needs for variety and depth in their studies. At the same time, we have tried to preserve for faculty the excitement of teaching in their current areas of research and creative interest as well as the energizing challenge of working with students at every level of the curriculum.
As our planning for 2010-11 proceeds, we improve our understanding of next year’s curriculum and staffing. We are now able to project that next year’s curriculum is likely to be about the same size or perhaps even slightly larger than this year, and the number of non-renewed faculty contracts is likely to be slightly smaller than the previous estimate of 14 that I provided in a campus email last month.
The larger-than-expected curriculum for 2010-11 results from two factors: restoration of courses to the curriculum through a reduction in course releases associated with department, program, committee, and administrative service; and an unexpectedly low number of faculty leaves compared to this year.
The smaller number of non-renewed faculty contracts results from specific decisions departments are making within the parameters outlined in response to staffing requests. Some of these decisions are still pending, as departments continue to plan for next year.
As we limit the number of replacement faculty, year-to-year fluctuations in faculty leaves can have a large impact on the size of some department curricula. In order to even out these fluctuations as much as possible, the staffing plan process this year included multi-year leave plans for each department.
Information on the number of course sections offered by each department and program next year compared to recent years will be shared at the December 16 faculty meeting, on the faculty Moodle site, and for students and others who attend information sessions this Thursday, December 17 (4 p.m., Rocky 200) or early next semester. To find out which specific courses are likely to be offered next year, contact departments or programs directly through their administrative assistants, who will have the latest information or can obtain it for you.
We have managed to achieve substantial savings in our projected faculty salary budget for 2010-11 while maintaining a varied curriculum that will continue to serve our students’ interests and needs effectively. Thanks to all whose input has contributed to our planning.
Best wishes for a restorative and fruitful winter break,
Jon Chenette
Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Music
