The Path Ahead
May 14, 2020 |
As we walk forward together into our college's future, I find myself wishing that we could see clearly around the corners ahead. What exactly will we encounter over the next months and years?I can't answer that.
After last Friday's end-of-semester Chairs Retreat and Tuesday's CASCA meeting, however, I can at least now tell you more about the next few steps.
I know, first of all, that I need to listen to you and learn from you over the next four weeks as I prepare college budget scenarios for the Provost. Your ideas, your priorities, and your expertise are critical.
To that end, the dean's office has scheduled weekly Q&A and Coffee sessions. All of you are welcome. Details below.
Later today, you'll also receive a confidential survey through which I will invite you to provide me and CASCA a better sense of your priorities.
CASCA will meet weekly with me for the next month. Informing their counsel and my deliberations will be advice from CASDI, which I asked to meet yesterday. The Program Review Board also held an extraordinary meeting yesterday, and they will work with chairs and program directors in the weeks ahead to support and advocate for academic programs.
This afternoon, The Academic Leadership Group holds its May retreat. Together we will plan for the fall and consider what tools we might employ for the college's budget plans. I will also host an additional meeting of the Department Chairs next week.
Throughout we will communicate to you through the CAS Bulletin--which will continue weekly through June at least.
Our path ahead will include rocky steps. Already some have been painful. These include my recent recommendations to pause three academic program. Sadly, none will welcome new cohorts of students next year. After consulting with their program directors, I judged that the need to communicate with prospective students required a uniquely rapid timeline for them.
Each of these three programs deserves celebration as well as mourning; what we had hoped for them is now on hold. To that end, I encourage you to read the notices below about the programs and their committed faculty.
