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University considers eliminating USEM courses
by Jillian Wagner
News Editor
News | 11/18/08
Posted online at 5:16 AM EST on 11/18/08
The University is contemplating eliminating the University Seminar requirement from the undergraduate curriculum because of budget constraints, Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe said.
The idea was originally suggested by the Special Faculty Advisory Committee, which was appointed by the provost to address the projected gap in the University's fiscal year 2009 and fiscal year 2010 operating budgets. The University Curriculum Committee met last Thursday to discuss this matter but was forced to schedule another meeting for this Thursday to make a decision.
"The University, like everybody else in society, is in bad financial shape," Prof. Malcolm Watson (PSYC), chair of the USEM Committee, said. "The University is forced to make some cuts because [it has] to balance the budget."
"Nobody would have come up with the idea that we should eliminate the USEM program if it weren't for the financial pressure," he said.
Jaffe said, "One of the more general strategies for closing the budget gap for next year is to try to cut back on the hiring of adjunct faculty. The hope would be that if departments don't have to provide USEMs, they would be better able to staff the courses that they need to staff for their own curricula with the faculty that they have and wouldn't have to come to me for adjunct faculty."
Jaffe said that the goal is to "try to figure out whether there might be some other version of [the USEM program] that might not accomplish everything that the USEM now tries to accomplish but would still achieve the goal of having every first-year student have a small course with a faculty member and other first-year students. But maybe we could do that in some way that wouldn't require quite the same level of faculty resources."
University Studies Program Administrator Lisa Mills said that "the potential is there for [USEMs] to have a really positive impact on first-years. I know each USEM is different, and each instructor is different. But the program as a whole is a really positive first-year experience."
The idea was originally suggested by the Special Faculty Advisory Committee, which was appointed by the provost to address the projected gap in the University's fiscal year 2009 and fiscal year 2010 operating budgets. The University Curriculum Committee met last Thursday to discuss this matter but was forced to schedule another meeting for this Thursday to make a decision.
"The University, like everybody else in society, is in bad financial shape," Prof. Malcolm Watson (PSYC), chair of the USEM Committee, said. "The University is forced to make some cuts because [it has] to balance the budget."
"Nobody would have come up with the idea that we should eliminate the USEM program if it weren't for the financial pressure," he said.
Jaffe said, "One of the more general strategies for closing the budget gap for next year is to try to cut back on the hiring of adjunct faculty. The hope would be that if departments don't have to provide USEMs, they would be better able to staff the courses that they need to staff for their own curricula with the faculty that they have and wouldn't have to come to me for adjunct faculty."
Jaffe said that the goal is to "try to figure out whether there might be some other version of [the USEM program] that might not accomplish everything that the USEM now tries to accomplish but would still achieve the goal of having every first-year student have a small course with a faculty member and other first-year students. But maybe we could do that in some way that wouldn't require quite the same level of faculty resources."
University Studies Program Administrator Lisa Mills said that "the potential is there for [USEMs] to have a really positive impact on first-years. I know each USEM is different, and each instructor is different. But the program as a whole is a really positive first-year experience."
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
'11
posted 11/18/08 @ 6:35 PM EST
What ever happened to USEM plus W. Why don't they just combine the two seminars?
Devorah
posted 11/19/08 @ 7:30 AM EST
That wouldn't do any good unless they had grad students teach the USEMs--remember, right now UWS is taught by grad students and USEM is taught by regular professors. (Continued…)
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