Over the past two months, the University of Massachusetts has begun the massive undertaking of planning a major reorganization of schools and departments on campus.
On Feb. 4, Chancellor Robert Holub published a memorandum proposing the elimination of four schools and their integration into two new schools. Under his initial plan, the College of Humanities and Fine Arts (HFA) and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) would be merged into a ‘College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences,’ and the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM) and College of Natural Resources and the Environment (NRE) would be merged into the ‘College of Natural Sciences.’
Holub’s proposal also called for resource economics to be included in the School of Management and for the School of Nursing to move into the College of Public Health and Health Sciences.
Holub also appointed a Reorganization Task Force led by professor Jane Fountain, which aimed to give the faculty’s feedback to the administration.
‘Deliberation is critical,’ said Fountain. ‘[The faculty] have a certain perspective that needs to be taken into account. We are the ones in the trenches.’
While Fountain and the other members of the faculty task force agreed with Holub about the merger of NSM and NRE, they came to a different conclusion than the chancellor about what the University should do with HFA and SBS.
The Reorganization Task Force’s March 12 report recommended that the proposed mergers of NRE with NSM and of HFA with SBS ‘be considered as two separate plans. The considerations and logic of these proposed mergers are completely different and must be considered separately.’
‘We wanted to pull the life sciences [NRE and NSM] together ‘- that has grown out of the faculty’s wishes for more integration and partially out of need from the economic crisis,’ said Fountain. ‘Working out the details of such a merger is complicated … there’s a lot of careful planning and decision-making left.’
Such a move would be consistent with UMass’ goal of expanding its research, particularly in the life sciences, said Fountain. However, the Reorganization Task Force did not agree that merging HFA and SBS would be in the University’s best interests.
‘We strongly recommend against a merged college combining HFA and SBS,’ said the March 12 report. ‘This would entail two strategically different and labor-intensive transitions resulting in a loss of productivity. Further, a merger of HFA and SBS works against the strategic advancement of research, education and engagement for the campus.’
‘[We have] ample time to study the matter and provide a well-informed recommendation [to the chancellor],’ said Joel Martin, dean of HFA, who is tasked with deliberating what the best options are for HFA and presenting his findings in the 2009-10 academic year to Chancellor Holub.
The possible combination of HFA and SBS appears driven by more financial necessity than by a desire for increased collaboration, but it is still unclear what option, of the many at his disposal, Chancellor Holub will proceed with next year. The Reorganization Task Force ultimately suggested a few alternate plans, most notably the idea of forming a College of Arts and Sciences (CAS).
The March 12 report noted that the ‘administrative unity’ of a CAS ‘would break down bureaucratic stovepipes that impede collaboration across colleges for research, teaching, faculty activities, programs for students and a range of other core tasks.’
According to the findings of the task force, all of UMass’ peer schools, except for one, use the CAS model, which is the dominant national standard.
‘Common sense says that shared structures enhance some forms of collaboration and remove barriers, and indeed, that’s why many faculty argued for an arts and sciences type of structure,’ said Martin. ‘Regardless of the structure, we need to continue to improve the experience for our students and make sure they have access to excellent advising, good facilities and the best faculty.’
When asked whether he supported the formation of CAS, Martin suggested that he would if it ‘would enable us to advance our campus strategic goals.’
‘There are good models out there of how to do that and how not to do it,’ said Martin. ‘[These models show] what can go right if you invest adequately, and, unfortunately, what can go wrong even if you spend a lot of money.’
‘More and more you have intersections of technological topics and humanistic topics,’ said Fountain. ‘By having a College of Arts and Sciences, you make a very strong statement about interdisciplinary commitment. It would standardize and streamline ‘- we could reduce red tape and fragmentation.’
Nick Bush can be reached at [email protected].
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