CNAS Faculty and Staff:

President Nietzel and Provost McCarthy have requested the opportunity to meet with us on Tuesday, April 7 at noon in the Meyer Library Auditorium.  They are in fact meeting with each of the colleges regarding the topics of student recruitment, enrollment management and budget.  I urge you to attend this very important all-college meeting. 

Although I have tried to stay in communication with you through the department heads and this blog regarding budget, enrollment management and student recruitment issues Dr. Nietzel and Dr. McCarthy wanted an opportunity to communicate directly with us. 

Budget News – This changes on a daily basis in Jefferson City but last week one of the proposals was to lower the appropriations to higher education to FY06 levels for FY10 and FY11.  And then to keep the Governor’s promise they would use one-time stimulus money to hold our appropriations to the FY09 level.  Well that might work for FY10 and FY11 the stimulus money will be gone in FY12 and then we could be back at FY06 funding levels.  Once we know the budget and how it will be funded we will be able to respond in more detail but for now we need to watch our budgets and to be wise in our spending.

Enrollment Management – I have mentioned a number of actions that departments are taking to better manage enrollments.  We must meet the needs of our current students but we must be smart and efficent in our course offerings.  Some of you will be offering courses only once each year and some are considering offering upper division courses only once every other year.  Both of these options can work if we advise students well and communicate with them often.  One department in our college has taken a critical look at their curriculum with the help of their advisory board to not only increase academic rigor but actually streamline the curriculum.  That department deleted more classes than they added.  Over the past year we have looked more critically at the intersession and summer courses that we offer.  We want to offer courses that important for our programs and for our students.  There have been some courses that have not met those criteria either were not offered or will not be offered.

Student Recruitment – I had the opportunity to welcome about 50 high school students on Thursday as they attended Sonia Kovalesky Day.    Dr. Larry Campbell and others in the mathematics department directed this event to encourage young women to seek out careers in math and science.  Sonia Kovalesky was the first woman to earn a PhD in mathematics and I learned what a “perfect” number was at the event.  This event along with the many other events that we host on campus are great opportunities to recruit students.  We should always mention that they are most welcome to return and that we would be honored to have them as students on our campus in the future. 

Delaware Data and Departmental Profiles – Although there were some inaccuracies in the first draft of the departmental profiles published earlier this year, the corrections have been made and we even have some 2008 data.  I have shared this with the department heads and I will share it with the College Faculty Advisory Group on Tuesday.  That group meets once each month.  Our meeting this month is Tuesday, March 17 at 4:00 PM in Temple 120.  All faculty are welcome.  The data serves as a great tool although for some of our “grouped” departments like GGP and PAMS and FID the data is often difficult to interpret.  Although I do not have it yet we are now able to split these units (at least with data) and really look at geology separate from geography and planning.  I will share the data just as soon as I get it.

Hiring in CNAS – We have one new department head in the college who will start July 1 – Alan Shick, Chemistry.  We have hired one new tenure-track faculty member in FID – Cathy Starr and we are in the process of hiring a civil engineer, a geneticist for the biology department, and a physiologist for the biology department.  In addition we will be hiring four math instructors (replacement positions) and four other instructors to meet the needs of sabbaticals replacements and grant buyouts and late resignations/retirements.  There are some open lines that will not be filled immediately.  Some are waiting for program reviews to be completed and some are waiting until we have more certainty about the budget.  Each April the CNAS department heads bring me a list of wants/needs related to hiring.  We prioritize this list using Delaware data, departmental profiles, information from peer institutions, and information from program reviews.  I then defend this list to the provost so that we can begin our recruitment during the summer. 

Today is also the anniversary of the birth of Albert Einstein.  I can even find a website that tells me that today is “talk like a physicist day”.  Spring break is nearly here.  A wonderful break for all of us.  The Public Affairs Conference is April 21-24.  I have found a number of sessions that I plan to attend.  I hope to see you and your students at the conference. 

Yes, we have challenges but we also have much to celebrate and be thankful for.  I hope that will join me in learning about our challenges and then work with your department heads to make plans to face these challenges.

By the way, I understand that some of you may be in class at noon on April 7.  You are welcome to attend one of the other scheduled college meetings.  COBA – Wednesday, March 18 at 2:00 PM in Glass Hall 208.  CHPA – Thursday, March 19 at 4:00 PM in Strong Hall 004.   COAL – Tuesday, March 31at 11:00 AM in Ellis Hall 217B.  CHHS – Wednesday, April 1 at 4:00 PM in the Meyer Library Auditorium.  COE – Tuesday, April 7 at 10:00 AM in Hill Hall Lecture Room 2.

It is a joy to be your dean.

Tammy