Plans to distance the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs from the College of Arts and Sciences sparked heated discussion at Wednesday’s University Senate meeting.

“Clearly make Maxwell its own school and separate the professional from arts and science, that would be my thought,” said Mark Brown, a senator on the Curricula Committee. “But there will be lots of disagreement about this.”

Debate erupted after Larry Elin, a professor of public communications, was asked to speak briefly on the “Whitepaper” after his report. The Whitepaper is a preliminary outline of the changes to the relationship between Arts and Science and Maxwell. The changes are meant to make Maxwell a more autonomous school within the university, which is currently associated with Arts and Sciences. Changes include creating an undergraduate program exclusively in Maxwell and drafting bylaws for Maxwell that will give its faculty more decision-making powers.

At the USen meeting, faculty members from various colleges raised concerns about several issues, primarily that disentangling the two schools was being rushed by the administration. Others were concerned the discussion was even taking place when only Maxwell and Arts and Sciences faculty know about the Whitepaper and the plans.

“The cumulative effect of these changes is to affect the relationship between the two schools irreversibly and without there being an opportunity to take a leisurely and appropriate look at what this all means,” Brown said.

Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the social sciences, Maxwell and Arts and Sciences have a unique relationship, according to the Whitepaper. Currently, all of the social science undergraduate programs are housed in Arts and Sciences, although many Maxwell faculty members teach them. Arts and Sciences also plays a large role in the governance of Maxwell.

The Whitepaper, which was written by Vice Chancellor and Provost Eric Spina and distributed to the two schools on March 26, called for several structural changes to Maxwell that would affect students.

One of the changes would be the creation of a professional undergraduate program in the Maxwell School similar to international relations or public policy that could capitalize on Maxwell’s reputation, according to the paper.

The potential program would accept a small number of freshmen, estimated in the Whitepaper to be no more than 100 students. Some space will be available for students already enrolled in Arts and Sciences or other schools who want to transfer to the Maxwell program when it begins, according to the paper.

In addition to the new program, the Whitepaper affirmed the importance of a strong relationship between the two colleges for undergraduate students majoring in interdisciplinary areas and the social sciences. Students would have to take classes in both schools to fill requirements, so the Whitepaper predicted the continuation of giving a degree bearing the names of both schools.

In an updated version of the plans, Spina wrote that a “signature undergraduate program task force,” which will assess the rationale, feasibility and cost of the program, should spearhead the new undergraduate Maxwell program.

These task forces also prompted debate at the USen meeting. Faculty members were concerned with how the task forces would be created and who would be on them. Most of the professors who spoke said they supported many of the decisions in the Whitepaper pertaining to the changes to Maxwell but had reservations about the process by which the task forces would be implemented.

“The process has been taken away from the faculty in both schools,” said Robert Van Gulick, a senator on the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee. “This should start with the colleges and with the committees in the colleges. It should not come from task forces from the central administration. This is not about distrust. These are issues at the core of the faculty.”

Chancellor Nancy Cantor said she agreed with concerned faculty and would bring the idea of having elected task forces to Spina’s attention.

“I’m in full agreement that issues of promotion are completely faculty issues,” Cantor said. “It’s something he would entertain. I’m sure he would be willing to do that.”
Spina is currently out of the country and was not present at the USen meeting.

Many of the issues addressed in the Whitepaper related to curriculum and faculty issues, namely giving professors in Maxwell a greater role in hiring faculty, tenure, promotion and curricular decisions, according to the paper.

Maxwell is the only school of the 11 schools and colleges within SU without a structure of self-governance. Rather, committees in Arts and Sciences oversee many procedures, such as tenure or curricular changes.

In order to strengthen the school and widen faculty inclusion, the Whitepaper outlines a process for drafting Maxwell bylaws, which would create committees to handle actions such as granting tenure, appointments, promotions and curricular changes.

In Spina’s revisions to the Whitepaper, he also called for a ‘Governance Task Force’ to proceed with drafting bylaws and creating councils within Maxwell.

In regard to the distribution of the Whitepaper and quick revisions, Brown, the senator on the Curricula Committee, and other faculty voiced concerns that the process was being rushed by the administration without thorough input from faculty in both colleges.

Brown motioned to delay the administration from any more action in order for the campus community, particularly the two schools, to have more time to discuss the proposed changes to the relationship between Maxwell and Arts and Sciences.

Additionally, several faculty members were suspicious about what they perceived to be a rush to decide on the future of the two colleges. Several professors pointed to the upcoming search for a new Maxwell dean. A few professors expressed concern that the ambiguous relationship with Arts and Sciences would deter potential candidates and said they believe that was the reason for the administration’s rush.

Other professors were simply suspicious of the entire process. Horace Campbell, a university senator, questioned the democratic process of distancing the two colleges.
“Faculty as a whole need to rethink the question of openness and inclusion,” he said. “We need to revisit discussion of openness.”

Ultimately, Bruce Carter, a dean in the College of Human Ecology, motioned to table, or discontinue, discussion about the issue.

Until properly and thoroughly informing all the faculty and USen members outside Arts and Sciences and Maxwell about the Whitepaper plans, Bruce said, “I think it would be fundamentally foolish that the chancellor and vice chancellor proceed.”

Published on April 21, 2010 at 12:00 pm