The Faculty Assembly of Parks College submitted a formal proposal to Saint Louis University Provost Joseph Weixlmann, Ph.D., this week in the next step of the college’s reorganization process. Weixlmann and University President Lawrence Biondi, S.J., called on Parks faculty and administration in mid-October to eliminate the college’s $3.4 million deficit, which has increased steadily over the past few years.
Gary Bledsoe, chair of the Parks Faculty Assembly and a biomedical engineering professor, presented an overview of the proposal to Parks students in a town hall meeting on Monday. Each college at SLU has its own faculty assembly, an advisory body that has the right to discuss and make recommendations regarding issues that affect the welfare of faculty, students and the overall academic operation of their college.
The document contained general suggestions that affect the whole of Parks, as well as specific recommendations from individual departments within the college, Bledsoe said.
Among the recommendations was increasing enrollment in undergraduate programs, which could be done at a level where cost and quality would not be affected. Also proposed was a common set of core classes for all Parks students.
Bolstering the “research culture” of the college by creating new synergies with departments in Arts and Sciences remained a part of this continued discussion. The faculty recommended that teaching loads be reallocated to allow some professors more time for research, Bledsoe said. This would strengthen synergies that Parks faculty say already exist within the college.
Decisions regarding the flight training program within aviation sciences will be made the next week. Manoj Patankar, Ph.D., chair of the aviation sciences department, fielded questions from students at the town hall meeting, affirming that outsourcing the training program is still a possibility. He said that the outsourcing would likely be phased in, so as not to affect current students.
Patankar said that access to a newer and better-equipped aircraft fleet is among the pros of outsourcing the training program, but there is concern among students and faculty alike that the uniqueness of an aviation sciences degree from SLU would be lost.
The Faculty Assembly, along with Student Government Association senators Patrick Richards and Nick Varuso and Association of Parks College Students President Mike Farmer, met with Weixlmann Wednesday to get his feedback on the proposals. Bledsoe said that they were given some direction on which ideas were viable and which needed to be developed further, but that the reorganization remains in the planning stages.
Aside from aviation sciences, no deadlines for decisions have been set.
The Faculty Assembly will meet with the provost again at the beginning of December, Bledsoe said.
Students were assured at the town hall meeting that Parks would continue to inform them about the changes and solicit their feedback before decisions are finalized. When the computer science programs in Parks and the College of Arts and Sciences were consolidated in 2004, Parks students were informed of the changes without being solicited for their input, a precedent that has caused concern among Parks students.
The Computer Science Comparison
The computer science program in Parks, which offered a B.S. degree, was combined with the corresponding program in Arts and Sciences, which offered a B.A. degree, to form a new department of mathematics and computer science that offers B.S. and B.A. degree options.
The change would eliminate multiple program administrators and duplicate course offerings, according to the letter that Parks Dean Bjong “Wolf” Yeigh, Ph.D., and then-Interim Dean of Arts and Sciences Michael May, S.J., sent out to Parks students on Jan. 23, 2004. Now, May is the chair of the mathematics and computer science department in the College of Arts and Sciences.
In the letter, Yeigh and May said that the core and degree requirements would not change for the B.S. and B.A. tracks, and students in Parks at the time would remain in their current college.
Three faculty members-Drs. Asaithambi, Sukhodolsky and Valev-were moved to the new department in Arts and Sciences, while Drs. Bouvier and McNamara would remain in Parks as members of the electrical engineering department.
Maggie Leisner, a computer science student from Parks, said that students were aware that changes to the computer science department were being considered prior to receiving the January letter. One of her instructors discussed “possible changes,” and students wrote letters to Yeigh and the provost about their concerns.
“[We] were assured that nothing would change and, if anything, it would be better for us,” Leisner said.
Within a week of these discussions, she said that the formal letter was sent out detailing the definite changes. Based on the letter, she said that students expected that they would return in fall 2004 with the same professors as before, but with a new administration.
Kim Druschel, Ph.D., head of the consolidated CS program in Arts and Sciences, said that the transition of the program was successful. Enrollment of declared freshmen, as well as upperclassmen, has increased.
“Since we were also asked to move the B.S. to A&S, we have taken that opportunity to re-craft both the B.A. and B.S. in CS, and add new courses. Those programs were approved last fall,” Druschel said. “We did significant research to put those programs in alignment with national programs and accreditation.”
Sukhodolsky said that the move to Arts and Sciences has had positive results.
“At A&S, the number of CS faculty is larger than Parks ever had,” he said. “The department chair and faculty are very enthusiastic about developing CS programs.”
He said that other departments at Parks had never expressed interest in joint research or curriculum with CS.
“I will have more opportunities for research and course development that, I believe, will materialize very soon,” Sukhodolsky said.
