The Justice

As the parent of a Brandeis junior, I am disturbed by the budgetary problems that Brandeis is facing. The administration should begin a more inclusive and more public conversation about the nature and magnitude of the budget difficulties. All of the members of the Brandeis family-faculty, students, staff, alumni, parents and administrators-should be part of the conversation about how to save this wonderful institution, instead of having the administration adopt policies that may save Brandeis but will result in a different University-one that may be less enticing to the nation's finest students.

Before Brandeis resorts to drastic measures, it seems to me that there should be more conversation and reflection from all involved. Some short-term solutions I have heard may not be in the best interests of the long-term reputation of Brandeis.

Each member of the Brandeis community should ask himself, "What am I prepared to do to help reduce costs or raise revenues?" The faculty might consider gathering to discuss bold ways they could lead the effort to save the institution. Brandeis-like most universities-hires many adjunct faculty to cover its classes. What if the senior faculty offered to teach an additional course each term over the next two years with untenured faculty teaching an additional course each year over this period? This would allow the school to reduce spending dramatically on non-tenure-track faculty. The money that this would save needs to calculated and and the total made available to the community. This would be a major sacrifice on the part of the faculty and would affect their scholarship, but if they believe in the mission and approach to education at Brandeis, they may find this to be a rational course of action during this difficult period. In return, they could stipulate that the need for their sacrifice should be re-evaluated after three terms. Of course they would want to know that other stakeholders are partnering with them on the road to recovery.

Students should also actively participate in the solution. To do so, they could engage in dialogue about the many ways they can chip in and save Brandeis. They could take such measures as agreeing to shower for three minutes or less to save on the energy cost of hot water and lowering the thermostat in their dorms during the cold months. If students eliminated waste in dining halls by only taking food they will eat, there would be substantial savings. In addition, students could volunteer to perform many of the tasks around campus that are completed by hired labor. Brandeis students have been blessed with the opportunity to regularly be exposed to the thoughts of leading intellectuals from outside the ranks of the Brandeis faculty. They could write to the many wonderful universities and colleges in the Boston area and ask their faculty to offer to give guest lectures free of charge over the next two years so that costs associated with visiting speakers are reduced while maintaining the excitement that comes from exposure to leading minds from outside the walls of the institution.

Administrators at Brandeis should consider matching in principle any sacrifices pledged by the faculty. For instance, if the faculty agrees to teach more for the same pay, administrators could offer to take less pay for the same responsibilities-and the wage sacrifice should be meaningful in magnitude. Of course, less-senior administrators might reasonably offer a smaller wage concession. Acts of this nature would signal the administration's concern for the institution and would show solidarity with the students and faculty. Parents and alumni should be asked to contribute to an emergency fund aimed at helping Brandeis in its time of need, and all members of these constituencies should be encourage to contribute. The goal should be 100-percent participation; the symbolic nature of reaching this goal would not be lost on the academic world or the community at large. During these difficult times, many contributions will be modest-that is fine. The key element is for the community to signal that the existing Brandeis is simply too valued and loved to be allowed to either die or morph into something less than the world-class institution it is.

An open, transparent process in which each of the stakeholders in the success of Brandeis takes responsibility for doing what it can to help the institution address the budgetary challenges it faces offers the greatest hope that Brandeis will continue to be a leader in higher education. I have always been impressed by the high-quality education Brandeis students receive. Brandeis is known as a research-oriented private university where a large faculty of active, accomplished and creative scholars works directly with a talented study body. I look forward to the prospects of such a conversation taking place and to a day in the future when Brandeis emerges from these difficult times with a stronger community and a renewed commitment to the mission of this great University.


The writer is the Jackson T. Stephens professor of Economics at Washington and Lee University.

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