Constancy Amidst Chaos

During times of organizational upheaval, it is easy to think that everything about the organization is in flux, that the predictability about environment humans need to not be emotionally and physiologically on alert around the clock will never be restored. Those are times when it is difficult to focus on constants, but in fact that sort of focus is often calming and reassuring. More than being restorative, such a focus can create a realization of a community of care and competence that seems to be hard to achieve at UVM these days.
What I would like to address are the few things that I know are still true in the College of Arts and Sciences. First, through the waves of disturbing news, most faculty continue to teach at a level of excellence I’ve never experienced in an academic institution before, students continue to be engaged actively in learning and the CAS staff support us efficiently and with good humor despite the very real fear they were and are experiencing about job loss.
This signals to me a real commitment to quality at every level. Recruitment committees continue to produce unbelievably accomplished pools of diverse applicants and we have, thus far, hired our first choice in every search. The BA is Global Studies has been approved by the Board of Trustees and the proposal being made by CAS and CEMS for a BA in Engineering is moving through the approval process. Accepted students have begun to arrive on our doorstep and we have continued to woo them with great success.
It is true that our large classes will be larger in fall than in the past, but we very deliberately tried to reach our student/faculty ratio without increasing class size across the board and we are moving forward with systematic efforts to help faculty learn how best to teach these classes by arranging for a series of pedagogical workshops that, for example, will offer instruction on how to use the latest technology to increase intimacy and engagement and efficiently assess learning the first is this Friday). In addition to quality, we are doing our best to preserve another College value, in fact, I would go so far as to say that it’s our hallmark, the value of learning in relationship.
By “learning in relationship” I refer to the strong belief within the College in the efficacy of human connection as a value in itself, but also as a context for the deep and durable learning that the faculty in CAS aspire to for their students and themselves.
Commitment to quality learning in relationship is really what I think the college in all about. It is an almost sacred identity. We mean to preserve it no matter what. Many feel that it is also the unique niche we claim in the market, but the commitment here is not primarily market-driven. It is what I think CAS stands for at its core.
To this end, the College has proposed to central administration the creation of a fund to support a cohort of CAS Undergraduate Teaching Fellows each year who would be integrated into the teaching of large classes as peer mentors, teaching assistants and graders as appropriate. Fellowship would be available only to the most motivated and academically accomplished students, particularly those who wished to demonstrate to graduate schools that they have not only been part of research teams, but part of pedagogical teams as well.
There are other cultural markers of CAS culture. A high value is placed by most on issues of social justice, equity, transparency, accountability and faculty governance.
I would like to leave the deanship knowing that in each of these areas, CAS has moved closer to its goals. The College has a long commitment to faculty governance in its vibrant, if sometimes messy, committee structure. Recent changes to the By-Laws have allowed the establishment of a new Academic Program and Budget Committee that will advise me henceforth on new programs and the allocation of tenure-track positions. We now have posted to the College website a detailed statement about how merit pay decisions are made. Shortly, expect to see posted guidelines for chair and program director compensation. And we are moving to try to standardize course releases for service. I think that these are all moves in the right direction. They valorize faculty governance and force administrative accountability through permanent organizational and procedural change. They insure equal treatment in the governing and administration of the College, just as we emphasize the importance of equal treatment in our dealings with students.
It is these values that tell us who we are. They are the constants of College culture and they are very much still in play.

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