Volume 24 - Issue 4

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What does the future hold for Yale?

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'I heNewJournal Volwne 2.4, Nwnber 4

The magazffie about Yale and New Haven

February 7> 1992

S T A N D A R D $ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ __ 5 About This Issue 36 Afterthought: Reflections on the Fu ture

F E A T U R E $ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ 6 Who Governs N ow ?...by Erik Meers. A y~ar that b~gan with intmu hostility b~tw~m faculty and administration may md in th~ transformation ofunivn-sity pow" r~lations.

10 Children of Eli...by Sonya Joo. Why do~s kgacy status doubk an applicant's chnces to spmd th~ n~ four y~ars in N~ Havm?

12 Paying Science Hill's Bill... by Julie Freedman. Th~ univmity's budg~t tkflcit will doubk ifth~ fidnai gov~mmt slash~s its fundingfor scimtific m~arch at Yak. 14 Tenure: Excellence or Politics?...by Jennifer Pins. Yak's cumbn-som~ and oftm mymrious tmur~ process faus a n~ charg~: that politics and ideology have invaded the system.

18 Tough Trmes in the Ivory Tower... by Charlo tte Brooks. As r~cession swups th~ country, Yak is not th~ only univn-sity that faces financial dikmmas.

3 0 Cooperative Security...by Kathy Reich. Th~ univmity puts its money where its mouth is on ucurity as Yak joins N~ Havm poliu to prouct Mansfi~ld Strut.

3 2 Uneasy Alliance... by Joel Tesoro. Yak claims it's making n~ commitmmts to th~ community, but N~ Havm katkrs worry about th~ gap b~twun promis~s and pnformance.

D E PARTM E NT FOC U S 2 0 SOM: Back to Business... by Katherine McCarron. Afury~ars ofturmoil, SOMis trying to fit into th~ mold ofa traditional business school.

24 Forestry: A New Lea£ .. by Diana Montgomery. Th~ Forestry School turns out some of th~ nation's most influmtUil mvironmmta/ists. Can it cop~ with its own success?

2 7 Philosophy: An Existential Crisis... by Sara H eider. Whik th~ crumbling philosophy department attempts short-tam solutions, students andfaculty ftar for its fotu". t>OVn- art

by Paul SpiU/Qru; a1WT tksign by An~ Kirrhnn-.

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ARETHUSA

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Several months ago, one professor told a N~w ]our_nal writer that Yale had reached a turning point. As in the 50s, when a more diverse student body entered Yale as a result of the GI bill, and as in 1969, when Yale College admitted women for the first time, the university faces tough choices about how to adapt to a world in transition.

Some members of the Yale community take issue with the university's responses to recession , growing cultural diversity, and the ivory tower's changing relationship to the outside world.

"The restructuring report gives no sense that the world is any different today than it was 50 years ago," history professor Gaddis Smith told us.

"This is one of those moments when universities have to do more than restructure--they have to rethink their relationship to the world."

Who defines that relationship? At Yale, a number of constituencies have advocated visions for the future. The restructuring committee wants to eliminate weak departments and forge a smaller, stronger university.

Professors insist that academic excellence mwt take priority over financial needs. And the unions and GESO struggle to retain a voice for workers and graduate students. A university thrives on controversy and debate, but without some sort of consensus, nothing gets done.

As we interviewed students, professors, and administrators about Yale's identity crisis, we noticed that they frequently knew only what was hapFuau.uv 7â&#x20AC;˘ 1992.

pening in their own spheres of interest.

In this issue, Th~ N~ journal hopes to inform dispa ra te branches of Yale abo ut other parts in the whole . The loss o f government research funds o n Scie nce Hill could necessitate t rimming tenure slo ts in other d epa rtm ents.

And cutbacks tn e n g in ee r i n g may discour-

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Editor's Note Kelly Graham, a member of the AIDS Brigade who appeared in o ur December issue, died in January. Th~ N~ journal staff sends o ur regrets to his family and friends.

Organizational Meeting TN] will hold an organizational meeting on Tuesday, February ll , at 7:3 0 in the Berkeley Common Roo m .

We're looking for a few good writers, photographers, bwinesspeople, artists, and computer whizzes. See what surprises we have in store for you!

T H E NEW jOURNAL

5

Who Governs Now? Erik Meers '' T

he first time I heard of the possibility of sociology being cut was in the Yak Daily N~ws," said sociology professor Deborah Davis. "People kept calling me to ask, ' Is it true your department is being cut?' I thought, 'This is madness. They can't cut an up-andcoming discipline.' But the rumors kept coming."

When the Restructuring Committee's report appeared on January 15, the gossip D avis had heard for month~ proved only half true. Though the department had faced possible elimination, the committee recommended cutting the number of faculty positions in sociology by close to 50 percent. The sociology department's experience illustrates Yale's secretive and frequently autocratic decision-making process, which excludes most of the faculty from consultation and concentrates power in the hands of a few administrators.

At least a year ago, President Benno Schmidt, Provost Frank Turner, and Yale College Dean Donald Kagan determined that a cut of about 15 percent in the faculty budget,

along with deep reductions in other areas, was necessary to maintain the university's finan cial condition. By the time the Restructuring Committee first met in February 1991 , both Turner and Kagan had developed personal visions for the restructuring. They gave the committee the now-familiar list of departments -including sociology, linguistics, engineering, and operations research-which they believed fell beneath Yale's standards for excellence. They argued that the university should focus its resources and eliminate ics weaker departments instead of making an across-the-board cut that would devastate even strong disciplines. According to one committee member, the departments that the administration wanted to scrutinize were seen as "problematic by most of the Yale faculty as well."

The Restructuring Committee pressed the adminiscra¡ cion to demonstrate the necessity for budget reductions.

"The president and the provost had to compromise on the size of the cuts," said Gerald Jaynes, chairman of African¡ 6 THE NEw JouRNAL

FEBRUARY

7¡ 199Z

American studies. "Initially, they came in saying they wanted 15 percent cut from the budget. The committee decided that would be totally intolerable, and we said so." After considerable debate, the comm ittee convinced the administration to endorse a reduction of 10.7 percent.

Over months of meetings, the committee members underwent an intensive education on the condition ofYale's academic departments, conducting interviews with department chairs and outside experts. The meetings transformed their attitudes coward the issues involved with restructuring.

According co one committee member, "We arrived at conclusions that none of us would have anticipated at the outset."

The committee agreed co concentrate the cuts in the weaker departments, but differed strongly with Turner over which ones to axe. Although they carne to a consensus on cutting linguistics and operations research, several committee members said they would not want to teach at a university without sociology or engineering. While few who

served on the committee would speak on the record on this topic, Jaynes acknowledged, "There are departments still in existence as of this report that wouldn't have been if the initial viewpoint of che provost had gone through."

Faculty members worried that the committee, composed of professors hand-picked by the president and the provost, would rubber-stamp the administration's agenda.

Many of those tapped for che committee had served on Yale's Budget Committee and consequently might look on cuts more favorably. The committee's recommendations, however, assuaged the fears of most professors. Many seem to agree with the opinion of committee member Richard Brodhead: "The report does not represent anybody's parry line. This is the work of a lot of independent-minded people working in the face of unpleasant necessity."

Indeed, the committee included outspoken critics of university policy like Jaynes, who recently wrote an unfavorable report on Yale's minority hiring practices. "I did not fEBRUARY

7â&#x20AC;˘ 1992.

THÂŁ NEw JouRNAL 7

see ·the committee as puppets of the president or the provost, n said Jaynes.

"In fact, one of the reasons I agreed to serve on the committee was its composition. It was clear to me that they had chosen strong individuals."

The fact that the administration gave professors a limited but substantial role in the restructuring process represents a major victory for the faculty. According to Kagan, "There has never been a subject of this significance in which the faculty has had as much involvement." In the 70s, the two committees that considered proposals to reduce the number of Yale professors had no faculty representation at all. In 1978, a committee of four administrators proposed cutting Yale's faculty by ten percent-a reduction that was never fully implemented because of the booming economy of the 80s.

While the current restructuring committee may be Yale's most democratic yet, some professors believe that the fundamental problem was the committee's narrow agenda. As Yale cuts programs in response to deficits, it is adding new courses with recently acquired gifts. The administration handed the committee the axe to shape the cuts, but left discretion over new programs for itself. "There is a kind of de facto restructuring going on," said Michael Denning, American studies professor. "We no longer have linguistics; we have Bass Western civilization. It wasn't even part of the charge of the committee to think about. Can anyone with $20 million come in and decide what our educational priorities are?"

With no formal restructuring plan, the administration alone evaluates the needs of the university. The Development Office uses a list of priorities set by the Provost's Office when it solicits donors. This socalled "shopping list" serves as the university's academic blueprint.

"Very often what donors want to do 8

TH£ NEW JouRNAl.

when they come to talk to us doesn't line up with the priorities that the community has embraced. So it is our task to persuade people from whatever their original idea was to something that is a higher priority for us," said Terry Holcombe (SY '64), vice president for Development and Alumni Affairs.

T

he Committee issued its report at the midpoint of a year that began with intense hostility between the faculty and the administration, a year that may end in a transformation of university power relations. Many faculty members blame Dean Kagan in particular for their increasingly contentious relationship with the administration.

As dean, they say, Kagan has played the role of partisan rather than moderator.

Kagan damaged his standing with the faculty early on. Over faculty protests, the dean implemented the Kagan-Pollitt plan, which radically changed graduate education at Yale. The plan limited the time students could spend in graduate programs to six years and capped the number of positions for teaching assistants. "It is unfortunate that faculty suspicion and alienation, bred by certain administration actions in recent years, should have created the atmosphere in which the restructuring report is being received," said one department chair.

Yale's governing structure allowed the administration to impose the Kagan-Pollitt plan without faculty consent. The university invests almost complete authority over academic programs and spending priorities in the hands of four administrators-the president, the provost, the dean ofYale College, and the dean of the Graduate School. Faculty have relied on what can no longer be called their "good faith" relationship with the administration for the pro-

tection of their interests. "What is unprecedented is not the high-handedness of the provost and the dean," said Denning, "but that their vision is at such odds with the larger part of the faculty."

Faculty trust in the administration, and in Kagan especially, reached its nadir last fall when an article the dean wrote for the journal Academic Questiom circulated among professors. In the piece, Kagan characterized Yale's hum:tnities faculty as, among other things, "a bunch of funny guys." He seemed to disparage the faculty repeatedly with statements like: "Consider what a cor~ [curriculum} constructed by the current faculty would look like, and the consequence that would ensue if they also had the responsibility of teaching it." Kagan explained that he believed most Yale professors would not be qualified to teach his conception of a core curriculum because most of the faculty do not believe in the centrality of Western civilization.

The full Faculty of Arts and Sciences packed Linsly-Chittenden 1 0 1 to debate Kagan's article last fall.

Professors lined up to give speeches denouncing the dean's views while he responded to their criticism. The faculty seemed relieved to get Kagan's ear and aired their grievances w~th the administration's policies. By the estimate of one professor at the meeting, over 90 percent of the speakers criticized Kagan. Many who spoke accused him of violating the "good faith" relationship between the faculty and the administration.

During the course of the debate, many realized for the first time their powerlessness in the university's administrative structure.

Reflecting on the experience, Kagan defiantly stands by his state· ments. "I expressed some views which I think are correct and that offend some of my colleagues," said Kagan. "They proceeded to tell me fEBRUARY

7• 1991

what they thought of my views, which I think is a very fine exchange."

In the wake of the meeting, many participants formed a committee to investigate ways for the faculty to influence administrative decisions.

Some professors formed an exploratory committee that will nominate faculty members to a group called the Committee on Governance. They will study other universities for models of integrating faculty opinion into the decision-making process.

Even those professors who respect the work of the Restructuring Committee believe that the way the committee was selected exemplifies Yale's autocratic power structure.

Members of the committee and the administration counter that it would have been impossible for Yale's large and diverse faculty to reach a consensus on cutting any departments.

Faculty concerns are not diminished

by Kagan's response to their fears. "I could not imagine an effective way of

involving the faculty more than the one we did," said Kagan. "Shall we have an Athenian assembly where you put the citizenry up on a hill and have a debate on every point? That is madness!"

While few professors seek a vote by the full citizenry on every restructuring decision, many believe that the administration should have incorporated at least some democratic principles into the process. "There was no opportunity for dialogue," said sociology's Davis. "There should have been an open and far-reaching debate on the crisis of the university and our vision for the 21st century. The underlying intellectual and scholarly issues should have been addressed."

The restructuring report may soon provide a crucial test for the new faculty sentiment for self-governance.

Members of the restructuring committee believe that their report is merely a recommendation to the administration and that faculty debate will play

How bad is the deficit?

The -white Paper/ issued by Provost Frank Turner in December, projects that the deficit will grow to $101 .2 million by the year 2000 if earning and spending continue along their current paths.

Yale financed its $8.8 million deficit for the 1991 -92 academic year with money from the unrestricted reserves fund. Years of relying on this "'cushion" fund leave it with only $264,000.

Yale's Budget

an essential part in the process. "The restructuring committee sees this as a report which the faculty is to comment on," said Jaynes. "Our belief is that it is not set in stone."

While Kagan and Turner have scheduled faculty meetings on the committee's proposals, both men believe that the Yale Corporation will almost certainly adopt the committee's report in full. "We are very unlikely to undertake a policy that is different than what is recommended by this committee," said Kagan. Turner, in an interview with the Yal~ Daily N~ws, made similar comments. With a faculty debate scheduled for Febuary 13, the Yale community will know soon whether the university has begun to move toward the model of the Athenian assembly or that of its successor, the oligarchy.

I:.IJ

Erik Murs, a junior in Branford Co/kg~. is managing ~ditor ofiNJ.

Expenditures

Where is the deficit?

Yale's operating budget totals $799 million, but the deficit occurs only in the $265 million portion for generol appropriations. Funds allocated for specific PI'Oiects, programs, and facilities, such as research grants for the School of Medicine or the endowment for the ~sh Art Center, comprise the remainâ&#x20AC;˘ng $534 million of the budget. This part of the balance sheet is, in fact, bal-

anced.

Income

17.~)

Gnlnlaond

-corinn Columpor THÂŁ NEW jOURNAL 9

Children of Eli Sonya]oo Yale will admit "Yale sons of good character and reasonable good record ... regardless of the number of applicants and the superiority of outside competitors."

-Yale Admissions Commi~~. 1929 though Yale has opened its doors to a more diverse student ody since 1929, "legacies,"' those applicants whose parents attended Yale College o r any Yale graduate or professional school, still receive special preference in admissions. For Yale and other Ivy League schools, the high rate of legacy admissions provides a way to recognize alumni and court their donations. Although the legacy policy comes from an earlier time, it continues to influence the composition of today's student body.

Hopefuls who check the "Yale affiliation" box on their applications double their chances for acceptance.

In choosing the class of 1995, the Admissions Committee rejected over three quarters of all applicants, for a general admit rate of 22 percent, but opened the doors to 45 percent of legacy candidates.

The Yale Undergraduate Admissions Committee, like its counterparts at other Ivy League schools, classifies legacies, atheletes, and minorities as special preference groups.

In the first round of the admissions process, all candidates go through initial comparison on a regional basis.

Members of special preference groups notes for the Admission Committee who survive this test then go into a certain candidates whose parents' separate pool, in which they compete involvement in the school merits spefo r admissions against each other. cial acknowledgement. These appliMost also receive an extra third read- cants, termed "institutionally important," can only benefit from such a ing from the Admissions Committee.

As a special preference group, label. legacies fare better than minoriYale justifies admitting legaty candidates often targeted as ~ cies in high numbers because the beneficiaries of extensive l''• _,_.... they are an investment that affirmative action programs. pays off. Last year, the Yale Like the 45 percent of legacy "'\ Alumni Fund garnered $55.4 million from over candidates, 39 percent of Mrican-American applicants, 36 ·48,000 alumni donors to support Yale's operating budget and percent of Mexican-American applicants, 32 percent of Native financial aid programs. Larger gifts American applicants, 28 percent of have boosted Yale's endowment to over Puerto Rican applicants, and 20 per- $2.5 billion. In a special fund-raising cen t of Asian-American applicants program called Yale Revisited, Yale tarreceived acceptance letters. Legacies gets selected alums, often with chilalso enroll at higher rates than other dren, to reacquaint them with the acceptees, comprising 15 percent of University and ultimately to win a this year's freshman class. substantial donation. With contribuDean of Undergraduate tions to the rune of$ 55 million, alumAdm issions Margie Dahl acknowl- ni are the lifeline of private schools like edges the "positive weight" of Yale Yale. ni give time as well as affiliation, although she claims that ....,IITI,.v "The University depends on legacies must meet Yale's standards · loyal alumni to volunteer their sero rder to receive admission. "If dent is a competitive candt~lCD:M\ ts vices," said Holcombe. About 3,000 or her own right, a legacy alums spur Yale's fund raising drive by often tips -L~..-u..ro ce in his or soliciting annual donations from class· said Dahl. mates. A nationwide network of about For some legacy can- 4,000 alums interviews local applididates, preferential cants for the Admissions Office. treatment goes one Alums also defray administrative costs step further. The list by serving as Yale Club officers and of legacy applicants Association ofYale Alumni delegates.

University officials also argue that goes to Terry M. Holcombe (SY '64), the legacy statistic reflects the group's president of solid educational background. Dahl pment and notes that many Yale alums place 2 ~~f!i~~i Affairs, who high priority on education and paSS

10 THE NEW jOURNAL

- -~

this value on to their children. "Welleducated parents tend to g ive their children a good education," said Dahl.

Most alumni hold jobs that draw them to metropolitan areas, where they can live in neighborhoods with strong

standards and a work ethic in their children." Brett Mersereau (SM '95), a fifth-generation legacy, believes that academic excellence runs in his family.

"It's pretty valid to assume that if the father or mother succeeded here, there's a very strong chance that their kids will also," he said.

In 1925, Yale led the Ivy League in setting legacy preference as official policy. In order to restrict the number ofJewish students, who were enrolling at Yale in record numbers, the university ensured that so ns of its graduates would have first crack at admission. Yet today, other Ivy League schools have far higher levels of legacy enrollment. Dartmouth and the University of Pennsylvania accepted 57 percent and 66 percen t of legacy candidates respectively for the class of 1994. And at Harvard, affiliation triples a prospective student's chances for admission.

Statistics from Harvard cast doubt on the explanation that all legacies earn their acceptance solely on the basis of merit. In Two gmvations ofYa/i~s taiigau at th~ Harvard ga11U. the fall of 1990, the U.S. Department of Education's public school systems. Many also have Office for Civil Rights (OCR) the resources to send their children to opened Harvard University's private schools.

Legacy students themselves credit admissions files because they had received complaints ~heir parents with teaching them the about the school's admissions â&#x20AC;˘mponance of achievement. "I resent The OCR concluddecisions. ~e fact that people think legacies are ed that between 1981 and 1988, JUSt lucky," said Kirsten Greineder (PC the average legacy student had less '93), whose father attended Yale. impressive test scores, grades, and "Well-educated parents instill high FEBRUARY

7,

1992

extracurriculars than the average nonlegacy candidate, but it d etermi ned that no laws had been broken.

AJ

cording to administrators, Yale legacies' qualifications also o not always match those of other applicants. In the April 1985 issue of Th~ Nnu journaL, then Dean of Admissions Worth David said legacies were "about as qualified" as their classmates, but conceded that som e were not on par with other Yalies.

According to a former member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee, scores and grades factor less heavily into legacy applications than they do into those of other applicants.

From a practical standpoint, high rates for legacy admissions serve the best interests of the university. When their children come to Yale, alums often feel a stronger link to the school.

Their appreciation translates into donations of dollars and time. For a private university that depends on such resources to keep afloat, alumni carry a great deal of weight. Yet t he legacy policy also sends a message that the university values tradition, ties, and money over a commitment to pure achievement. For the large number of non-legacy candidates whom Yale rejects, the consequences of leaving the affiliations box blank on their application must leave a bitter taste.

1111

Sonya ]oo is a fr~shp~rson in Silliman Co/kg~.

THB Nnr jouRNAL u

Paying Science Hill's Bill julie Freedman t spring, a federal auditor investiating Stanford University wonered why the school included a 19th century fruitwood com mode, chauffeurs for the president's wife, and flowers for the presidential mansion on its bill for government-funded scientific research . His report exploded into a national scandal. In the weeks that followed, the government accused the university of overcharges amounting to more than $300 million over the last nine years, and Stanford president Donald Kennedy resigned in disgrace.

In the wake of these disclosures, the H ouse Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations conducted an exhaustive search into the fate of the l l billion federal dollars granted annually to scientific research. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) audited 14 research universities, including Yale, and fo und inappropriate charges at all of them.

At Yale, auditors questioned the school's use of research funds for items such as part of the cost of the memorial service for Kingman Brewster and flowers for the recipients of long-term service

li

awards. But compared to Stanford, Yale emerged nearly spotless. Some of the contested charges, such as a $56 bill for liquor at departmental gatherings for the entire year, seemed petty. "In the past no one would have wasted time over this," said Yale Comptroller Leonard Wesolowski. "But after what happened at Stanford, it was a whole new ball game."

The research money controversy hinges on "indirect costs," money that the federal government pays uruveJ'Sities to cover all the details that go into the cost of scientific research. Libraries, administrative salaries, utilities and custodial services all fall under this heading.

1

l ~!~~::~~5re:;:n~t:!Y-

-;> 12 THE NEw j ouRNAL

"The federal law is written so that the full cost of research is recoverable," explained biology professor Robert Wyman.

"Everything on Science Hill is overhead, including mowing the grass."

Yale negotiates annually with HHS to determine what percent of research funds the government will apply towards indirect costs. For the last four years, the university has recovered overhead costs at the rate of 68 percent--on top of every dollar granted to scientists, Yale receives 68 cents to cover the indirect support of research If a researcher needs $100,000 dollars for a project, for example, the federal government must come up with $168,000 to cover the total cost.

In reaction to the scandal at Stanford ~ and the federal budget crisis, the govern~ ment wants to pare down the money it .l! allocates to indirect costs. The Office of ~ Naval Research slashed Stanford's recov~ ery rate &om 78 to 55 percent, a net loss

versiry would lose more than $10 million a year. Since the current operating budget at Yale carries an $8.8 million deficit, such a forced reduction would more than double the univei'Siry's budget woes.

In the race for grant money, competition is fierce. According to Brown, the bleak climate in the scientific community imposes a stifling form of artificial selection upon researchers ...People are less likely to undertake risky proposals because they know they won't get funded, " said Brown. "The current atmosphere selects for pedestrian, safe projects, the sort of solid, short-term projects that get by reviewers, not the risky projects that might really be exciting."

F

rom the perspective of individual scientists, a drive to lower indirect cost rates would make grant money easier to obtain. The more a grant costs, the harder it is to get. Unlike state schools, which can use tax dollars to defray some of their indirect costs, private schools like Yale depend on funds from the federal government to finance their programs. '~t a private school with high rates, researchers are at a competitive disadvantage to state schools where the rates are lower," said biology professor Charles Brown. "If the same amount of money is available and less goes to indirect COSts, more research can be funded. " Still, if the government reduced recovery rates Yale could no longer afford to provide its current level of services.

"For my own research interests I'd like to favor lower rates," said physics professor Thomas Applequist. "But if I think institutionally, I share the concerns of the administration about the damage that a forced reduction would have."

Donald Crothers, professor of chemistry and molecular biology and biophysics, believes that universities not only spend more to support research than they receive from the government but also have suffered

unjustly in the aftermath of the scandal. " Our research universities are under completely unwarranted attack," said Crothers. "My overall feeling is that the universities are underpaid for the cost of research.

The disputed funds are somehow regarded as a tremendous expense when they support the finest research universities in the world."

Unfortunately, scientists may be pinched between Yale's budget crisis and pressures to downsize from the federal government. For science at Yale to flourish, it needs both firstclass research and the resources to support it. While lower indirect rates could make it easier for individual scientists to obtain grants, the quality of life on Science Hill would suffer.

With lower recovery rates, either services will deteriorate or Yale will have to draw funds from other areas of the budget to maintain them.

"Someone's got to cover the indirect costs of science," said Wyman.

"Someone's got to mow the grass."

Charles Brown b~liro~ lowu indir~ct cost raus wiLl m~an mor~ "uarr:h.

...

julie m~d1Nln, a sophomo" in Silli1Nln CJ/kg~. is on the stajfo.frNJ. THE NEW JouRNAL 13

Tenure at Yale: Excellence or Politics? j ennifer Pitts

( ( yale's tenure system itself is cumbersome," said Sara Suleri, associate professor of English. "It would be impossible to say whether it works or not. Is it changing? I think .it's changing considerably and that is a matter of concern to us all." Yale's procedures for appointing senior professors have long withstood attack from students and faculty. Unlike tenure at bureaucratic state universities, Yale's system relies on unwritten rules and flexible regulations. The process remains open to abuse by departments and the administration alike. And lately, in addition to their perennial charges against Yale's tenure system, many harbor fears that ideological agendas play an inordinate role in the allotment of Yale's precious permanent seats.

At most teaching colleges and large state universities, junior professors who publish and teach adequately can expect tenure within seven years. "It's an uneven systempeople may turn out not to be very productive or distin-

Many point to a pattern in rejections that they find too powerful to be written offas paranoia. guished scholars," said Robert Dallek, a history professor at University of California, Los Angeles. "But only a small group of elite schools can afford not to use a tenure-track system."

Yale is one of the lucky few. According to Yale's "ladder" system departments promote junior faculty only to the posicion of associate professor without tenure. Faculty without tenure can teach at Yale for no more than ten years. In theory, the university does not promote its own professors to tenure but rather reviews Yale faculty along with outside candidates whenever a tenure slot appears. A department compiles a list of the best candidates in the country by solic14

TKÂŁ NEW )OURN,U.

iting letters from experts in the field; these lists often include tenured professors from top universities. "What Yale engages in is a star search," said Jeffrey Sammons, chair of German. "We're looking for. Leonardo da Vinci if we can find him." Between 1960 and 1980, only 14 percent of associate professors won permanent posts, and Yale recruited nearly half of its tenure appointments from outside the university.

Undergraduates benefit from Yale's system, say professors, for it ensures a constantly changing pool of excellent teachers in addition to a star-studded permanent faculty.

Junior professors face the greatest problems at the hands of the ladder system. Because they are not "tracked" for tenure, young professors must expect to move on after a decade, while Yale replaces them with a new crop of young teachers.

Junior professors bear much of the burden of undergraduate teaching and often stint on their scholarship as a result, damaging their chances for tenure elsewhere. " People feel the pressure to teach as though they're in a small teaching college," said Mark Wollaeger, associate professor of English. "If it comes down to a crunch they' ll prepare for class rather than write a page of their article."

Much of the undergraduate uproar over junior professors' failure to win tenure may derive from inflated expectations. "Undergraduates are very generous," said John Morton Blum, professor emeritus of history. "Reading the course evaluations, you would believe that nearly every lecturer here is perfect." Because Yale depends on a large number of junior professors for teaching, however, the university boasts perhaps three qualified junior professors for every tenure slot that opens. "People here look with some envy at places like UCLA or Cornell, where the expectation is that the person will get tenure," said one professor. "We see that fEBRU ARY

7,

1992

system as more humane-the junior faculty aren't abused in the same way. But if Yale switched to a tenure-track system, it would probably be a loss for undergraduates."

With the loss through attrition of perhaps 30 tenured seats after Yale's restructuring, the ratio of qualified junior faculty to available permanent posts could skyrocket. "The loss of positions might really destroy morale among junior faculty," said Diana Wylie, DUS of history. "It's hard when you know you're as good as the people who have tenure and there are just no spots." But many professors believe that Yale's ladder system-similar to those at most Ivy League schools-succeeds at retaining the best teachers and scholars. "I think these institutions have a batting average of about .700; that is, seven out of ten people they choose to tenure turn out to be the right choice," said Blum. "And I would say that nine-tenths of those allowed to leave were correctly judged."

T

en years ago, so many professors distrusted Yale's tenure judgments that they demanded an overhaul of the process. Yale College Dean Howard Lamar established a committee chaired by economics professor James Tobin to investigate the situation. The Tobin report tried to standardize the tenure process so that appointments would no longer succumb to the unwritten rules of department politics that had governed Yale procedures for so long. ~r~fessors disagree on whether the Tobin report succeeded â&#x20AC;˘n Its mission. " Before the report procedures were too fEBRUARY

7,

1992

loose," said Claude Palisca, chair of music. 'Mer the report, tenure became standardized and fair; in general the tenure procedures now work well."

According to many, however, the process remains abstruse. "One of the problems is the murky relationship of the Tobin report to what's now done," said classics professor Victor Bers. The report made recommendations rather than hard-and-fast rules, and departments still can bypass steps in the process. Despite the report's plea that departments communicate regularly with nontenured faculty, junior professors claim they rarely know how Yale's tenure system works. They never learn ctte official rules, they sar, and they sense that unofficial rules play a disproportionate role in the process.

Tenure originally arose to protect professors' freedom of speech, but many at Yale fear that when Donald Kagan became dean ofYale College, ideology intruded on the process to prevent worthy candidates from gaining the academic freedom of a tenured spot. The once unconcroversial THÂŁ NEW Jou RNAL 15

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tenure committees lie at the heart of the current debate over Yale's system.

The four committees-for biological sciences, humanities, physical sciences, and social sciences-review candidates for tenure. In the past they generally approved a department's proposal, deferring to the expertise of scholars in the field.

Many professors claim ·that the co mposition and role of the tenure committees changed with Kagan's appointment. They charge that Kagan, who officially holds jurisdiction over undergraduate affairs, wrested undue control over the university through the committees. The chair of the tenure committees-a position that Kagan alternates annually with graduate school dean Judith Rodinappoints the members of each group.

Rodin chairs the committees this year, though many members remain from previous terms. "Any time a dean or a president can arbitrarily appoint a committee without any accountability to the faculty, then the dangers of autocracy are evident," said Suleri. In the past a relationship of trust between faculty and administration-what one professor called a "gentlemen's agreement" -prevented such autocracy.

Critics of the current process charge that the committees have overstepped their limits as they exercise their newfound power. "The committees should be there to watch out for procedural violations," said one professor. "Competent departments should be left to make their own decisions. If a department shows favoritism or is disintegrating into factions, then the committees can step in. " But religious studies professor Wayne Meeks , who served on the humanities committee for eight years, believes the recent changes allow the committees to perform effectively. " I welcome the changes that were made the year before last," he said. "We were abdicating our responsibility to people who had written letters from else-

where, and the unwieldy set of rules made Yale so slow that we would lose appointments."

In the eyes of many professors, however, the current administration has violated their trust. "When Kagan became dean , he saw potentials for getting control and did two extremely smart things," said David Rodowick, a film studies professor who left for the University of Rochester last year after ·he was denied tenure at Yale. " H e

stacked the senior appointments and the course of study committees with his a llies." The once unremarkable humanities tenure committee suddenly attracted attention from across the university as it overturned a number of departmental recommendations.

"Where the senior appointments committee should have been attending to procedural questions, they were overriding the experts," said one professor.

Others believe that people who charge the administration with an ideological agenda are crying wolf. Diana Wylie sees no evidence for the allegations and thinks Kagan has been unjustly accused. "Because of his con, servative rhetoric- notoriously provocative and inappropriate for a dean-Donald Kagan has become a bete noir for people who are worried about losing their jobs," she said.

FURUARY

7• I~

Some professors attribute inconsistencies in the appointment process to the inevitable departm ent politics and interpersonal relations. " Ideology is certainly not the whole story-sometimes it's the least important factor," said Victor J3ers. "The problem is more complicated than a nasty rightwing dean denying tenure to left-wing professors."

But many point to a pattern in rejections that they find too powerful to be written off as p aranoia. They cite the review of David Rodowick's candidacy for tenure as an example of an ideological process and an activist senior appointments committee. Last year, the comparative literature and American studies departments lobbied the administration to fund a tenured seat in film studies. After a national search the departments sponsored Yale's David Rodowick as a candidate and unanimously approved the recommendation. Respected in his field , Rodowick was a popular teacher and almost single-handedly shaped Yale's film studies program. "There was a fool-proof case for David, so much so that his friends didn't even worry," said Suleri. "Two books, excellent teacher, administrator, international reputation as a scholar-what more could he do?"

The humanities appointments committee denied Rodowick tenure.

The d ecision provoked su ch outrage among a number of senior professors that the committee sch eduled an unorthodox second hearing, claiming to have discovered material they had overlooked the first time. They denied Rodowick tenure at the second hearing as well.

Many faculty members familiar with Rodowick's work argue that ideology influenced his tenure procedure not because of Rodowick's political views, but rather because the administration saw his specialty, film studies, as undesirable. "It was clearly a decision made as a judgment on film theory itself and not on the merits of Rodowick's work FuauAilY 7 , 1 992

in film theory," French professor Peter Brooks told the magazine Lingua Franca. "I think the people on the committee didn't particularly know or appreciate his work." Rodowick himself agrees. "I think that the objective in turning down my position was to eliminate film studies," he said. "I felt absolutely nothing personal about the rejection."

Because many members of the tenure committee were unfamil iar with Rodowick's specialty, som e observers speculate that his case represents an aberration in the tenure process. Others fear a trend toward tenure decisions motivated by factors other than academic excellence. "We can't really refer to a case like David Rodowick's without asking ' how can this be unideological?'" said Suleri. "I think his case is symptomatic, and that is the danger." Many see the new tenure committees as tantamount to an ideologically active Supreme Court.

"If you have an activist senior appointm ents committee, people who aren't experts in the field decide who gets tenure," said Marshall.

Critics of the tenure p rocess say that Yale must establish a less cumbersome system, and they d emand a rerurn to less intrusive tenure committees. The university's decision to eliminate dozens of tenured slots through attrition has added urgency to the debate-fierce competition for seats will ensure the entire faculty's scrutiny of every appointment. Tenure slots will become scarcer than ever, and junior professors will find it even harder to climb Yale's ladder. In a time of budget cuts and job scarcity, some professors worry that Yale will tenure only the intellectual "safe hers." "We have an economic emergency and a nontenure-track system at Yale," said Bees.

"These decisions have to be made with the greatest care and consistency."

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Tough Times in the Ivory Tower Charlotte Brooks ' ' The student body is overwhelmed by the budget cuts," complained Martha Brockenbrough '92. "There have been protests regarding what has been axed, and people see the administration as a monolithic beast that remains unresponsive to their complaints."

Although Brockenbrough's observations accurately characterize the events of Yale's 1991 faU semester, they actually refer to her own experience at Stanford University. Like Yale, most colleges throughout the United States currently face budget deficits because of the country's weak economy. As financial aid requests and general costs rise, gift and investment income has shrunk.

Yale seems positively wealthy compared with Stanford. "The provost recently released a campus report in which he explained that we have a $95 million 'budget problem,"' explained Jake Veylupek, a Stanford senior who works at the Office of Public Affairs.

"While some of this resulted from the

18 THE NEW joullNAl.

1989 earthquake repair costs, much of it comes from previous deficits and the decreased rate and volume of government research." Stanford's problems with the federal government began when a 1990 audit revealed that the university had defrauded the government of 300 million federal research dollars (see story page 12). As a result of the inspection, the Office of Naval Research cancelled all of its agreements with the university. The loss of ONR revenues aggravated budget problems that had begun even before the 1989 Lorna Prieta earthquake forced building repair COSts sky-high.

Normally, Stanford derives about 12 percent of its operating income from endowment funds, so the remaining 88 percent must come from the same tuition, research, and unrestricted gift monies that have contracted in the recession. Even in a good year, the income derived from these sources would fail to remedy the acute budget deficit, so Stanford plans to cut programs and administrative costs and slow its building repairs.

While Stanford's extreme situation makes it stand out among prestigious universities, schools that are relatively healthy in comparison-like the University of Chicago-also face significant budget problems. " We planned to have a shortfall of about $2.5 million, and we're right on target," said University of Chicago

spokesperson Bill Murphy. "Still, we can't go on running a deficit forever, even if it's a planned one." After years of letting such small shortfalls accrue, many universities have found themselves forced to tighten their belts and cut budgets during the recession.

The size of a school's actual deficit often helps to determine what will be trimmed back or completely cut to save money.

Duke University faces cuts in every department. "We are looking at coming up $2 million short, so we're spreading cuts across the board and asking the individual departments to absorb certain percentages," said Duke spokesperson David Robertson. "Still, we're not in anything like the dire situation facing other schools. For instance, no sections, TAs, or faculty will be cut." While considering possible department mergers and removals, Stanford also pledged not to cut any of its teachers. fÂŁ11RU.UY

7â&#x20AC;˘

1991

While government and nature have devastated Stanford, Duke merely suffers from the recession. The university's adm inistration promises to keep an eye on the economy instead of taking action through cuts or layoffs.

"The administration has tried to keep its axe away from the academic aspects of the universiry," said Duke sophomore Michael Saul. "While each department has had to accept certain minor fund reductions, it's difficult to remember that we're running a deficit."

While at Yale restructuring has called into question the status of the Jaynes and Rodin Reports on affirmative action hiring, both Duke and Stanford pledge to continue their attempts to encourage diversity through faculry and other hiring. But just as Yale's Restructuring Committee has singled out certain departments to bear the greatest burden in the current crunch, "prioritizing" has become the key word at most universities. "We've appointed a committee of facu lty members and senior administrators to look at our priorities," noted Murphy. "They will decide where U. Chicago will be going in the next few years."

Stanford and Duke plan similar assessments.

Yale repeatedly has evoked the specter of budget crisis, while other schools merely take out a second mortgage on the farm.

"What's going on here is in some ways the opposite of Yale's policy,.. said Andrew Gross, a senior at the Universiry of Chicago.

"Our administration has almost

tried to hide our fiscal shortfall, hoping not to scare anyone.

They try to give no indication of .. , a CrtSlS. arvard especially shies from any inquiry into its budget problems.

"While the facu lty of arts and sciences is running a $10 million deficit, there are ways to control costs," said Harvard spokesperson Peter Costa. "No cuts are planned for the immediate future. The administration will take care of the problem."

Costa refused to explain how the "problem" could be resolved without curs.

Some students speculate that H arvard hired Neil Rudenstine as a fund-raising president who could mitigate their budget crisis. "Many people think that when the Harvard higherups were looking for a new president to replace Derek Bok, one of the weightiest factors in their decision was

H

mw char this person would immediately have to lead a new billion-dollar fundraising campaign," explained Dante Ramos, a Harvard jun ior. "That's about all students have heard about the deficit, although we know it's there."

Administrators at Yale and Stanford stand out in their determination to enact permanent budget reductions. Both believe that their universities cannot sustain their current sizes even in times of economic expansion.

But whiJe Yale gears up for the debate on the restrucruring plan in February, life at Stanford has returned to normal after the protests of the fall. According to Brockenbrough, senior editor of the Stanford Daily, "It's very difficult to be unhappy at a place where the weather is beautiful and the people are all extremely attractive and intelligent."

IIIJ

Charlotu Broolts, a junior in Pinson Co/kg~. is on th~ rtajJof TN].

THE NEW joullNAL 19

SOM: Back to Business Katherine McCarron

n 1988, President Benno Schmidt and the Yale Corporation initated a top to bottom reorganization of Yale's School of Organization and Management. Since then, the school has endured attacks from disgruntled professors, jilted alumni, and disenchanted students. SCM's Business ~ek ranking dropped from 19th to 26th in 1989, prospective recruiters shied away, and alumni giving plummeted from 70 percent participation to 10 percent in one year.

The furor began in 1988, when Schmidt approved a dramatic shift in SCM's emphasis from a participatory, humanistic approach to management to a more traditional, "numbers-oriented" philosophy. Schmidt appointed recently arrived professor Michael Levine {LAW '65) as Dean of SOM and gave him cane blanche to institute sweeping changes at the school. Professor David Berg recalls Provost Frank Turner's remark, "We are trying to make SOM a

I

ccwe see the value in history, but we want to look ahead.

n

more traditional business school."

When Levine took office, Schmidt granted him "emergency powers" and suspended the voting rights of tenured faculry on curriculum issues "indefinitely," a period of time that lasted for nine months. During this time, the Yale Corporation and Schmidt authorized Levine to dismantle 20

THE NEW jOURNAL

the Organizational Behavior depanment and move the Operations Research department to the graduate school.

Operations Research (OR) and Organizational Behavior (OB) existed at Yale before President IGngman Brewster founded SOM in 1976. The two departments greatly influenced the management school's curriculum.

OB became the most popular discipline, frequently overshadowing other areas such as finance. A survey conducted in 1989 reported that 70 percent of SOM alumni ranked OB as the most valuable aspect of the school.

The new administration felt that the focus on OB was taking SOM in the wrong direction. Before the changes, OB focused on a distinctly experiential approach to management. "A disproportionate number of faculty members in the school belonged to OB and OR," said Richard Silverman, dean of admissions. "It didn't make sense given all the other interests that we had as a school and a faculry.

It was like the tail wagging the dog."

Some faculty members complained that a narrow focus and infighting prevented OB from communicating with other departments. According to Berg, the administration said, "All future OB appointments need to be able to have conversations with economists, in economic terms, and with a small faculty it is important to have a common language." Using his emergency powers, Levine decided not to renew the contracts of any junior faculty in the Organizational Behavior department.

In a second sweeping move, the new administration decided to move Operations Research out of SOM and

establish it as a department in the graduate school. Many administrators believed the discipline addressed business issues from an academic rather than a managerial perspective. According to Levine, "The people who moved to the graduate school tended to be constructing logarithms or other problems that had evolved into a branch of applied mathematics." The OR department will be completely phased out in the next few years if the Yale Corporation adopts the recommendations from the committee on restructuring.

Continuing the effort to transform SOM, Levine assembled a core curriculum of classes in the first year. The core gives all students a common foundation in disciplines including accounting, finance, and marketing. "The first year is a kind of tool kit, a skill-building year," said Silverman. "In the second year applications are emphasized, through the use of cases and pragmatic uses of subjects you learn in the first year."

Levine sees the core as an attempt to improve the market value of SOM graduates. "A graduate of this school needs to be able to do the things the graduate of a tradition-

al business school does, because the market that hires them expects that of them," said Levine. Under the old program, students could graduate without basic business skills. "The old curriculum was very flexible," Levine said. "By stepping on stones, you could make it through the stream without getting your feet wet" in finance and accounting. "We make sure now that everybody has to do some wading."

SOM alumni feel that the changes were a slap in the face. They resented Levine for not consulting them during the reorganization. The adminstration's dismantling of the OB department changed the face of the school. Alumni donations and participation in recruiting dwindled to a fraction of their previous levels.

According to the SOM alumni p resident, Stewart Halpern (TO '78, SOM '82), Levine acts as though it is up to the alumni to decide if they want to rejoin the fold. "He hasn't done much to get alums back on board. He thinks, 'it is nor my problem,'" Halpern said. "People tell me that when they get mail from the school they just throw it away.

No one did anything to reach out, and they were angry-so they said 'to hell with them.'"

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Some students believe that President Schmidt has written off the SOM alumni who graduated before 1988. In private meetings with some SOM students he has said that he plans to build a new alumni base with students admitted after SOM's restructuring. For second-year students anxious to fi nd a job, cutting ties with SOM alums can hinder employment opportunities. "Building a new alumni base is very damaging," said John Boulet (SOM '92). "If you go to apply for a job with an alum who went to the school before the changes, they will tell you it is not the same school anymore."

In order to rebuild the alumni network with people who graduated after the changes, SOM enlarged the school from 160 per class in 1988 to 2 17 in 1992. "We have set a very ambitious task for ourselves," said Levine. "If you have a small student body, it is hard to teach courses in politics and accounting and interdiscipliary courses too. You need more folks."

According to the administration, SOM has managed to enlarge the size of the school without diminishing the quality of the students it accepts.

Levine cited GMAT scores in the 95th percentile. e changes in the SOM student body have progressed more gradually than those in the curriculum. Over the years, the number of women enrolled has steadily declined while the numbec of foreign students has increased (see graph). The number of women at SOM peaked in the mid1980s at 51 percent and has dropped off dramatically since then. Following the example of schools like Wharton and Harvard, SOM has recruited international Students, especially Asians, to double their enrollment since the mid-80s.

The classes of 1992 and 1993 express the flux of opinion surrounding the changes at SOM. Those who expected a participatory manageF£BRUAJt.Y 7· I99Z

Since his appointment as dean in 1988, Michael Levine has instituted sweeping changes at SOM. ment school feel disappointed in SOM 's shift in emphasis and their lack of voice in administrative decisions. "There are lots of ad hoc communication channels, but not a more formal way for students to express their concerns," said Adam Feerst (SOM '93).

c7 wanted to shake aU these people and say 'youre not in business school m For the most part, the admissions office has caught up with the administration's shift in philosophy.

Most current students knew what to expect when they applied and are more oriented towards SOM's new approach to teaching traditional business classes. "There was some

misunderstanding of what we were trying to do here and what was going on," Levine said. "People who come to the school now are attracted by what we are and have a pretty clear understanding of what we are doing. " Most SOM students want to leave the controversy behind them and maximize their experience at Yale. "The vast majority are extremely happy," said Sean McCaffrey (SOM '92). "We see the value in history but we want to look ahead. We want to get the most we can out of the courses and professors."

Some still long for a creative management school. Elizabeth Thompson (SOM '93) recalls that on the first day of class her professor, new from Wharton, responded to a request to study non-profit cases by asking, "Why would we want to do that?" Thompson sees herself as one of the last of a dying breed. "Many first-year students don't think the

changes are a bad thing. I know a lot of students who came to business school," said Thompson. "I wanted to shake all these people and say 'you're not in business school.' " When Kingman Brewster founded SOM, he intended to create a unique management school that would encourage its graduates to go out and change the world. Many of the students at SOM hold on to this vision. There are others, however, who believe that the changes instituted by the new administration have set SOM on the path to conformity rather than innovation. "A unique place like SOM doesn't come along very often," said Berg.

"Personally, I feel that another traditional business school is the last thing this world needs."

1111

Katherine McCarron, a senior in Calhoun Colkge, is managing editor of

TN] THE NEW jOURNAL 23

Forestry: A New Leaf Diana Montgomery

k

a meeting of the North American Forestry Commission of the United Nations in the 1970s, he delegates sang the national anthems of each of the countries represented. When it came to the United States, Yale graduates so dominated the delegation that they sang the Whiffenpoof song rather than the "Star Spangled Banner." "There is no doubt that the school is a leader," said Forestry Dean John Gordon. "For the most part students have chosen us over Duke and Michigan, our traditional competitors."

As concern for the environment takes center stage on the international agenda, Yale's expertise in the field could prove more valuable than ever. "Environmental issues have become increasingly important in certain sectors-especially government agencies, non-government organizations and industry," said professor Steve Kellen. "Now the academic sector has to grow. There is a need for the Forestry School because academics can mediate between the other sectors."

The increasing demand for environmental professionals means that the school cannot rest on its laurels. When Dean Gordon steps down in May after a ten-year tenure to concentrate on research and teaching, he will leave the school in transition. While applications to programs in forestry and environmental studies at other institutions have dropped, applications to Yale have risen from 132 to 375 since 1986. Class size has grown from 54 to 98. And in the same period, the school has lost six senior faculty members: four retired and two became deans at other institutions.

The changes are not limited to Yale-the environmental field as a whole has expanded and grown more complex.

"A degree in environmental studies can be too general to open doors," said Jackie Prince, (PC '84, SOM and FOR '88). "In the past five years, there has been a trend in the job market that calls for people with expertise in a particular area." The school has always prided itself on its interdisciplinary nature and close-knit atmosphere. But in an era of environmental crises, the school must adapt to both changes in environmentalism and its own growth.

24

THE NEW jOURNAL

In 1900, just before Teddy Roosevelt made conservation a national priority, Gifford Pinchot's family endowed the Yale Forest School. Pinchot (Yale 1889) was the first Chief Forester of the United States. The school originally trained professionals to work in the timber industry and in. the administration of federal and state forests. It also propounded a conservation ethic that Pinchot defined as "the wise use of the earth for the good of present and future generations." In the beginning, the curriculum focused solely on trees and how they grow. "Forestry is the management of forests for production of wood, water, wildlife, and recreational benefits," Smith explained.

As the environmental movement evolved, so did the Forestry School. By the 50s the school focused on long-term forest management. When students became increasingly interested in environmental management in the 60s and 70s, the school added Environmental Studies to its name and introduced the master's degree in that field to Yale.

Throughout its history the school's emphasis on an interdisciplinary approach to the ecosystem as a whole has set it apart from programs at other universities. Students examine the interactions among various parts of the ecosystem, like forest and marine systems, and between different academic disciplines, such as biology and economics. Anne Black (FOR '92) chose Yale because "the other schools 1

"The interdisciplinary approach is the intellectual underpinning ofthe school " looked at fundamentally didn't understand how the environment works as a system." Graduates of the ForestrY School apply their interdisciplinary training to jobs in government agencies, watchdog groups, academic institutions, and industry.

The school continues to evolve to match the demands from its students and from the environmental movemenr. f EBRUARY

7â&#x20AC;˘ 199:1.

Twenty percent of the students come from foreign countries. "Even among the Americans there is a lot of imernational experience--the Peace Corps, non-government organizations," said Black. "The diversity allows much more indepth discussion of what's happening elsewhere in the world." The Tropical Resources Institute (TRI), which the Forestry School established in 1983 to allow students to focus on the management of tropical resources, reflects the school's growing interest in international environmental issues. TRI offers courses that explore tropical issues and provides internships and research projects in the field.

The school also has turned irs attention to industrial environmental issues. Environmentalists can help companies reduce costs as they meet stricter government regulations and the growing consumer demand for environmentally safer products. Some specialises hope ro change harmful industrial practices such as pollution and deforestation by working within the industrial system. The school recently developed the Industrial Environmental Management Program to equip its students for the rask and to bring businesspeople to the school for short courses in environmental management.

W:

ile these programs allow students co focus rheir rudies on a particular issue or concentration, rudencs remain fairly free to design their own programs of study. The school offers three master's degrees: in Forestry, Forest Science, and Environmental Studies.

Most students pursue the most general of these, the degree in Environmental Studies. Many now obtain joint degrees with another Yale graduate school, especially the School of Organization and Management.

With so much flexibility, students run the risk of graduating without any area of expertise. "The level of sophistication is increasing in environmental jobs so rhat welldeveloped skills in areas such as engineering, economics, and science are becoming more valuable than a general degree," said Prince. Responding ro studem demand for gt'cater specialization, the school began to offer formal concentrations a few years ago. Now students may choose to Faaau.uv 7, 1991

Afostiv~ woodnnan stands watch tlWr th~ Fo~try School THÂŁ NEW joultNAL 25

concentrate in conservation biology or water resources policy, or they may design their own concentration, such as international development and conservation.

Some students fear that specialization will restrict the curriculum or narrow the disciplines at the school. "It's fine if someone wants to come in and elect to specialize, but if everyone was forced to do that it would do the school great harm," said Warren Byrne (FOR '92). "It's true that a special concentration looks good on a resume, but when it comes down to the work being done, an understanding of the environment as a whole and the ramifications for policy formation are essential. The great thing about Yale is that people are able to come here and be generalists."

Administrators want to preserve the school's interdisciplinary nature as well. "The school is resisting departmentalization," said assistant dean Gordon Geballe. "The interdisciplinary approach is the intellectual underpinning of the school.

Unfortunately, this means that the school cannot be sufficiently deep in every area." Born to train foresters, the school maintains its commitment to terrestrial studies. For example, only one professor teaches water resources.

w;

ile no graduate program an achieve sufficient epth in every department, some reorganization might cure the Forestry School's other headaches.

The faculty crunch and burgeoning student body, along with a disintegrating physical plant, have provoked grumbles from students and professors alike. Students complain about poor faculty-student contact, competition among students, and inadequate physical space. "Professors are making a serious effort to make the numbers work-that includes limiting participation in certain classes, a move students grudgingly accept," said Black.

26

THE NEW jOURNAL

D~an john

Gordon has kd th~ For~stry School through ten y~ars of~ansion.

"Still, there's a lot of frustration with the pace at which faculty positions are being filled. The searches may be going as fast as possible, but it's still slow."

Students and faculty hope that the choice of a new dean will solve the space problems and bring new life and direction to the school. "Long-range plans are on hold and waiting for the new dean," Black said.

Undoubtedly, long-range plans will have to address the school's growing pains and developments within the environmental field. "The greatest

challenge facing the school is how to grow with the increased interest in environmental issues without losing its cohesiveness and its abiliry to provide specific areas of study," said Leslee Sheeline (FOR '91). If it can build on its past successes and retain its ability to change with the times, the school I8J will prove equal to the task.

Diana Montgomny is a junior in jonathan Edwards Co/kg~. fÂŁBRUAAY

7â&#x20AC;˘

1991

Philosophy: An Existen tial Crisis Sara Heitler

rom the philosophy department offices at the top of SSS, Yale's towers look stable and majestic. But just as the disintegration ofYale's buildings demands the university's attention, the philosophy department desperately needs an overhaul. "It's a time of suspense in the philosophy department," said Patricia Blanchette, assistant professor of philosophy, who arrived at Yale last year. "Ch anges will occur, but it's not clear what form those changes will take." The department's greatest failing, its inability to retain a solid core of senior professors, has repercussions for everyone associated with philosophy at Yale.

For graduate students, the departmental crisis has reached a boiling point. Of the department's four tenured professors , the only one teaching this semescer, Ruth Marcus, will retire in May. Because of the lack of senior faculty members, Yale decided to suspend graduace admissions for 1992. "Right now, we cannot offer secure training at che graduate level," conceded professor Allan Wagner, the department's interim chair. For the 31 graduate students already here, few senior professors means a dearth of advisors and graduate-only courses. "If we let new grad students in, it would be under false pretenses," said David Schmidtt, director of undergraduace studies.

Compared to the flourishing department of the 1960s, Yale's current philosophy department offers a sparse crop of courses. Experts once ranked Yale among Berkeley, Princecon, and the University of Pinsburgh as che finest philosophy departments in che country. Yale had leaders in both analytic and continental philosophy, then the two major schools of thought. "Yale's suongest point was chat ic had representatives from more Wescern schools of philosophy than any other major university," said one junior professor.

Departmental decline began when senior professors buned heads over tenure appointments. Alchough the press trumpeted "philosophical differences" as the reason for disagreement, department insiders counter chat personality conflicts fueled the scruggle. As che tempesc raged, profesSOrs--including Harry Frankfurt and Sarah Broadie--fled the department. Yale's stringent tenure policy conrribuced to the high anrition rate-no junior faculty member has received and accepted tenure in philosophy ac Yale for over

F

FuauAJty 7â&#x20AC;˘ 1992

20 years. As other universities lured away Yale's biggest names with plum appointments, the d epartment began to unravel.

In 1990, the administration intervened to mend the damage. Provost Frank Turner asked Wagner, then psychology department chair, to ace as interim chair of philosophy.

"I h ave no technical expertise in the area of philosophy," said Wagner. "But I was persuaded that I could help to

THE NEW jOUJtNAL 27

rebuild the department."

Lase semester, the administration began an attempt to restore the department's prestige. In one grand gesture, it tried to recruit five nationally acclaimed professors from top universities. The list, compiled by a panel of 100 philosophers from around the country, included Peter Rail ton and Adam Coke from Michigan, Barry Stroud and Sam Scheffler from Berkeley, and Scott Soames from Princeton.

The move has sparked mixed reactions from faculty and students.

Because the group includes only analytic philosophers, some students complain that their appointment would make the department lopsided. "The administration has neglected the distinguishing trend of Yale's philosophy department: that it represents a variety of viewpoints," said one philosophy major.

Most professors and students support the administration's attempts to restore the department but criticize the snail-like pace of its efforts. Although Yale has sene out feelers to its recruits, none has received final offers. "The administration is moving much too slowly in the right direction," said Blanchette. In the meantime, the administration risks losing its recruits.

According to Wagner, Yale's success in wooing the recruits hinges on its promise to each that several of the others will accept as well. Already one professor has declined Yale's offer.

While big-name tenured professors may elude Yale's grasp, the department has successfully attracted topnotch junior faculry. This year, five new assistant professors, elected from a pool of over 100 applicants, joined the philosophy department: Lisa Downing, Michael Della Rocca, lrad Kimhi, Gyula Klima, and Paolo Mancosu. They hail from the nation's best programs at Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, Pittsburgh, and Princeton.

"The junior faculty are not just bright and engaged but also philosophically 28

TKE

New JouRNAL

diverse and broadminded," said one professor. "A group like that could really promote philosophy at Yale." unior faculty cite light teaching loads, good research conditions, and stellar undergraduates as Yale's greatest strengths. So far, departmental unrest has not kept people away.

"People are still coming, t<> the surprise of some," said assistant professor Randall Havas. But to junior faculty who have worked at Yale for a few years, the problems loom large. "No one is going to take the first bus out of town," said Havas. "But they might take the first bus to a decent alterna. , tlve.

Because of Yale's highly selective tenure process, junior professors know

J

that their days here are probably numbered. "We're here for a good time, not for a long time," said Schmidtz. To philosophy professors, the university's reluctance to tenure junior faculty and its insistence on published work seems particularly unfair. Because of the nature of the discipline, few philosophers publish substantial work until their later years. Yale, however, looks especially hard at a candidate's first book before it awards tenure. "None of the great philosophers, past or present, would be considered for tenure

FEBRUARY

7â&#x20AC;˘ I99 l

according to Yale's current policy," said one junior faculty member.

Despite the instability and tenure disputes, some undergraduates still have words of praise for their department.

'Tm more chan satisfied with the major," says Quin Smith (DC '9 3).

Undergradua-tes laud the department for its small seminar sizes, the high quality of visiting and junior faculty, and its accessible DUS. "It's easy to gee into seminars, which means chat you can make good, close concaccs with professors," said jeremy Fields (DC '93).

Still, undergraduates charge chat the lack of continuity shortchanges their philosophy education. Although the blue book lists 46 philosophy courses, their subject matter does not always cover a broad range of topics. "Courses appear for one term, never to appear again," said Isaac Wheeler (CC '93). "There's no natural follow-up, and no core of courses that are always taught." Majors cite a

-

paucity of course offerings in Eastern, African, feminist, and Medieval philosophy.

Philosophy students also sense departmental discord, and some feel caught in the cross fire. "When you go co professors, much of their talk seems to center around the plight of the department," said one student. "The department's deterioration has eaten away at the philosophical spirit of the faculty and students."

Until Yale either attracts outside professors or awards tenure to some of its junior faculty, the department wiJI remain in limbo. "We're all disappointed in some respects," said Wagner. "The rebuilding is a difficult process. We would like it to be quick and easy, but it takes hard work and time to rebuild a department."

In the meantime, philosophy students take what they can from the department. "I'll certainly be able to graduate with a decem degree in philosophy," said Wheeler. " But I'm jumping off a sinking ship."

-

Sara H~itln is a finhp~on in Pi~on :J Colkg~.

THE NEW jotaNAL 29

Cooperative Security Kathy Reich ost of the students who rent houses on Mansfield Street, a quiet, tree-lined avenue that runs opposite Ingalls Rink, chose the area because of its roomy old houses and its residential feel. "It's a little bit off the main drag," explained resident Jason Barbeau (TO '92).

"Walking or biking up the street during the daytime, it's just like you're living in a neighborhood. " Last September, however, Barbeau realized that his street wasn't as idyllic as he'd thought. After five guests left a party at his house, two men robbed them at knifepoint on Mansfield.

The multiple mugging was only one of a series of robberies that plagued Mansfield throughout September. By mid-semester, students who rented houses there referred to their neighborhood half-jokingly as "Manslaughter Street." "It was distinctly scary," recalled resident Perry de Valpine OE '93).

Fear lingers among Mansfield residents, but crime itself has declined significantly around the area in recent months, thanks to the efforts of both the Yale and New Haven Police Departments. Not only did each department take new measures to prevent crime on Mansfield, but in a promising step towards town-gown cooperation, the two departments have formed a joint task force to fight crime in and around Yale. These measures, combined with security improvements that the Yale Secretary's office has ordered, seek to make Yale an island of safety in a turbulent urban sea. "Crime is up everywhere in urban

M

)0 THE NEW jOURNAL

environments," said Marci Sternheim, assistant secretary of the university.

"Crime is down on the Yale campus, however. This is a much more secure place than people would lead you to believe."

Yale not only has tightened security for its on-campus students bur has intensified joint efforts with New Haven to ensure the safety of those who live off-campus. Mansfield Street proved an excellent setting for an exercise in cooperation, since it falls under the jurisdictions of both the Yale and New Haven police. Yale owns several houses on Mansfield, and Yale Police responds to calls at all buildings the university owns and manages. "If the house is owned by Yale but managed by someone else, the calls are handled by the New Haven Police," said Yale Police Commander James Perrotti. " But we listen to New Haven dispatch calls,

"Crime is d own on the Yale campus.

This is a much more secure place than people would lead you to believe. , and if there's a robbery on the street they' ll call Yale police and we'll respond together. Obviously we don't just cover what belongs to Yale."

The Yale and New Haven police departments formed a joint task force to cut down on crime around Yale on September 26, at the height of Mansfield's mini-crime wave. For rwo weeks, teams from each department patrolled the area &om Mansfield an4 Sachem streets to Wall and High streets. Tense Mansfield residents felt reassured by the undercover vehicle that conspicuously cruised their street.

"We felt very safe," recalled de Valpine. But in early October, when police nabbed a man suspected of several robberies around the Yale campus, the force disbanded.

According to Dean Esserman, assistant chief of the New Haven Police Department, such temporary Yale-New Haven police collaborations have long been common practice.

"When problems occurred, the forces came together on an incident-by-incident basis, staging joint stakeouts until we caught the guy," he said. In early October, just as the temporary task force finished up its work, Yale and New Haven took steps to make their cooperation both more formal and more regular. The two departments formed a permanent task force to synchronize law enforcement efforts around Yale and downtown.

"Basically, we said, 'Look, we're policing the same area; let's get together and talk about it,'" said Esserman. The departments now share the same radio frequency, so that each hears the other's calls as a matter of course. "The feedback I've been getting is that cooperation has never been better," said Esserman.

FEBRUARY 7¡ 1991

The Yale Police force has beefed '92), who has lived on Mansfield for sub-unit of campus now, with so up its own security efforts on two years. She complained of long many undergrads and graduate stuMansfield as well. And despite budget waits late at night for the shuttle ser- dents living here. It bugs me that I cuts throughout the university, the vice. And de Valpine pointed out that still have to think twice or three times department plans to add six new offi- while Mansfield is the first stop for about going out after dark."

But the risks of living on cers by 1992, making the force an shuttles coming from campus, if stuunprecedented 66 members strong. dents wish to take the shuttle to cam- Mansfield have decreased dramatical"The university is really moving ahead pus they must endure a ride through ly since September. The new emphaon police and security," said Perrotti. the outskirts of Yale that can fre- sis on cooperative crime-fighting has quently last over an hour. "It's possi- cut down on robberies and helped "They're not cutting back at all."

The Secretary's office also has put ble to be absolutely as safe off-campus transform the area into a safer place to money where its mouth is on security as on-campus," he said. "But it's a real live. Mansfield residents remain determined to stay on the street, citissues. In addition to the highly publi- pain." cized card-key access system in O ld Campus, security improvements include more lighting throughout campus and extended hours for the late-night student escort service and the minibus. While the escon service only serves the central campus after 12:30 a.m., Mansfield residents can now take the minibus home until 7:30 a.m. Off-campus students routinely complain about the lack of a late-night escort service to their neighborhoods, but Sternheim calls the minibus a safer, more popular mode of transportation, especially for men. "Men typically don't A crime wa~ last September shattered Mansfield S~et's idyllic image. take the escort service; they're Some residents charge that as ing its proximity to campus, its commore likely to take the minibus," she crime has dropped on Mansfield, so fortable houses, and its residential said. "I would like to make sure that has police presence. Although the Yale atmosphere. "I'm really h.appy here, men are using some form of security. police station stands jusr around the and if I had to do it over again I Statistics show that men are greater corner, students say they never see would definitely live here," de Val pine victims of street crime because they're uniformed cops from Yale or New said. "We just don't walk at night." more likely to be walking alone."

Haven patrolling the area on foot. "I Students on Mansfield appreciate think it would be good to have someYale's security efforts but remain disKathy &ich, a junior in Pier1on one walking the beat around here," satisfied. "The campus should be more Colkge, is managing editor ofTNJ said Barbeau.

"This is definitely a supportive," said Shala Erlich (TC

-

THE NEW JouRNAL 31

Uneasy Alliance joel Tesoro

T

raditionally, Yale and New Haven have quarreled rather than cooperated. Yet both the city and the university insist that tough times have forced them to forge a new partnership stronger than any in Yale's history. As joint development projects between town and gown p roliferate, however, New Haven demands more. Yale's hesitancy to commit its resources to the city irks community leaders. "In order to save neighborhoods at risk, you've got to risk something yourself," said Peter Gray, president of the Dixwell Community Development Corporation. Although Yale and New Haven have discovered similar aspirations of security and stability, they have yet to build a working relationship.

Yale views its involvement in New Haven as secondary to its educational mission. Concerned with training minds to recognize general truths, the university rarely p10vides

uYale just plunked this building down and damned be the neighborhood " practical solutions for the social and economic problems New Haven faces. Pursuing Yale's academic enterprise also necessitates financial caution. "One of the investment committee's duties is essentially not to waste the assets of the Corporation," said Susan Godshall, assistant secretary of the university. "We're looking for investments-we're not a cha.ritable institution. We need to ensure that we will have the funds to go on teaching."

Some community leaders feel that Yale's concern with its financial stability overrides its consideration for the city's welfare. The university made investments at regular market rates in its joint development projects with New Haven. "In essence, Yale's commitment to invest in New Haven is a commitment to do what it does anywhere else-make money," said James Farnam (TC '73), a partner at the New Haven-based consulting firm Holt, Wexler and Merchant.

A little-known component of the 1990 Yale-New Haven agreement, however, seeks to put the university's intellectual and financial capital to New Haven's direct benefit. Over the next five years, Yale will contribute a total of p. THI! Nsw JouRNAL

$250,000 to help establish a Center for the City. Drawing on the faculty and staff of Yale, City Hall, and other universities in the area, the Center aims to study problems of poverty, education, and developmem in New Haven. The Center not only will propose solutions but also will help raise funds to turn proposals imo active programs.

But the Center remains in its planning stages. In the meantime, policy makers have suggested that Yale help fEBRUARY

7â&#x20AC;˘ l99l

~

cases of orange juice from Minute Maid. "I don't know how New Haven wholesalers can give us goods at prices cheaper ~ than the manufacturers themselves," Godshall said. ~ Administrators argue that Yale's considerable nonE: financial contributions to New Haven go largely unnoticed. ~ "We don't publish a big, thick, glossy report saying 'My, ~ look at all the wonderfUl things Yale's doing for the commuj nity, "' Godshall said. "It's not Yale's way." In its publication ''Economic Impact: Yale and New Haven," the Secretary's Office did include pictures of the Yale-sponsored Special Olympics, the DEMOS science tutoring program and various initiatives that draw attention to Yale's commitment to New Haven welfare.

Some, however, sense a certain duplicity in Yale's assertions of wide community involvement. Although the university takes credit for student volunteers and their contributions to the life of the city, Yale provides almost no fmancial support to campus community-service organizations like Dwight Hall. Aside from one salaried position and maintenance and heating costs for the building, Dwight Hall receives no money from Yale.

"A great deal of Dwight Hall's time is devoted to fUndraising," said Josh Wallack (MC '93), former financial coordinator of the Dwight Hall cabinet. "Meanwhile Yale gets all the PR from student work." Many students feel that they volunteer in New Haven despite Yale, not because of it.

Without the burden of fUndraising, students could concentrate on developing and extending opportunities for community work. As Wallack suggested, "Community service is an incredible education. It's a pretty ridiculous and nearsighted vision of education not to support it."

Yale's wealth, size, and influence, some believe, allow it to ignore the needs of its neighbors. In the Hill neighborhood, for example, Yale's continual construction of new buildings irritates community leaders. " The boost the city economy by purchasing more goods and supHospital and the Medical School love to expand," said plies from local merchants. At present, Yale buys less than Angel Fernandez, assistant director of the Hill 10 percent of its goods from New Haven suppliers.

Development Corporation (HOC), a community group According to Godshall, the sheer volume of Yale's needs that oversees projects that affect Hill residents. "We're rnakes purchasing in New Haven impractical. Yale here to try to stop or try to control that expansion." Yale University Dining Halls, for example, buys more orange must get the approval of the HOC before constructing juice than all the wholesalers in New Haven combined. The buildings in the Hill. university spends nearly $1.5 million a year co buy 36,000 !::

~

FÂŁBRUAR.Y 7. 1992

THE NEW JOU RNAL 33

l

Haven's

urban

~ renewal efforts, Yale

and manage 29 units for low-income families in the Hill and Newhallville.

On Winchester Avenue, the Dixwell Community Development Corporation (DCDC) will build McCabe Manor, a 31-unit condominium partly financed by a $200,000 loan from Yale.

"We try to put out seed money, the kind that makes things go forward," said Joni Barnett, director of Yale's Office of Community Relations.

Godshall claimed that Yale's loans had provided the crucial construction financing that allowed DCDC's McCabe Manor to get off the ground.

At times, the university's investment even becomes a stamp of approval for a particular project, helping it to attract more investors. "Yale's involvement made Science Park possible," said Hogan.

But the most promising steps toward a better rapport occur at the level of community contact. Every day, Barnett's office fields caJls from New Haveners asking for Yale assistance in one way or another. When DCDC needed someone to teach a seminar ro train their members on community economic development, they called Yale's Office of Community relations and asked for Barnett. Since Yale does not regularly teach courses or maintain faculty in rhe field of urban renewal,

~ set aside $50 million ~ of its $2.5 billion ] endowment specifically for investments .~ in the city. So far, the .... :; investment program-dubbed the New Haven Initiative-has committed most of its funds to large-scale enterprises like Science Park, a venAng~l F~mantkz protuts th~ Hill from Ya/~ vpansion. ture designed to attract high-technolThe HOC's insistence on veto ogy firms to New Haven. Last spring, power stems from its experience with the university dedicated $10 million to the construction of the Yale Psychiatric Ninth Square, a planned restoration of Institute (YPI). In 1989, Yale bought city land in the Hill to build YPI. Taking property off the tax rolls caused tempers to flare across the town-gown divide. "Yale just plunked this building down and damned be the neighborhood," said Fernandez. After a bitter political battle among the HOC, some city officials, and Yale, the contenders negotiated an agreement. YPI would rent out a portion of the first floor to a the retail and residential area east of the taxable commercial establishment, and Green. "The key is job developmentthe university planned to develop a job- you've got to make sure that people in training program at YPI for Hill resi- the neighborhood have jobs," said John dents. To date, no one has occupied the W. Hogan, Jr. , chairman of the New commercial space and only two people Haven Development graduate from the training program Commission, a city board that monitors every year.

Some suspect that political down town developadvancement rather than neighborhood ment.

At the same time, development may have moved HOC to protest. "The community somehow felt Yale has put nearly they had to beat up Yale to get these $1.5 miUion (the same things at YPI," said Farnam. "Some amount it spends people saw it as pure extortion." annually on orange juice) into smaller n spite of its difficulties with the commun ity-based city, Yale slowly has increased com- affordable-housing munication and cooperation with projects. One group, New Haven, partly in response to the HOME, Inc., received dire situation in the streets. (See article over $1 million in page 30). In 1987, to support New loans from Yale co buy john W. Hogan Jr. critiques Yaks commitmmt to th~ city.

!

ccUJtlre looking for . , tnvestments-were not a charitable . . . , tnstttutton.

I H

THE NEW jouRNAL

FEBRUARY

7¡

1991

A WORLD OF MAGAZINES••• Barnett asked a contact at the University of New Haven for help.

UNH faculty ended up conducting DCDC's seminar.

"We have tried to put Yale people out in the communities where this kind of listeping can happen, " said

After a legacy of mistrust and competition, Yale and its neighbors have only begun to bridge the gulf Barnett. A Yale representative sits on the boards of the HDC, the DCDC, and the New Haven Development Commission. "If you're a big guy in the neighborhood," she added, "you have duties to the neighborhood."

But many in New Haven think th at Yale has shirked these duties for too long. Even with its present investments, Yale's involvement is not yet up to snuff. ·"Yale needs to be more aggressive in its investments," said Farnam. Although Yale contends that its investments help make things happen, only a handful of projects have received university support.

And Yale's own problems may cause the university administration ro devote less time to improving towngown cooperation. Many New Haven lead ers believe such a move may be a mistake. "It's now a friendly arm'slength relationship," said Hogan. "But a lot more should be done." After a legacy of mistrust and competition, Yale and its neighbors have only begun 10 bridge the gui£ 18)

Joel T~oro, a sophomore in jonathan Edwards, is on the staffofTNJ. fEBRUARY

7,

1992

in your own backyard.

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AFTERTHOUGHT -------------------~""'---'"--------

Reflections on the Future

n an atmosphere of academic anxiety, Th~ N~w journaL wanted to give professors and graduate students a chance to speak directly on the topic of Yale's future. We asked members of the Yale community what they thought about the restructuring committee's recommendations. We present their thoughts on the present and their concerns and hopes for the future.

I

My response after reading the report a couple of times was that it is confined to analyzing Yale within the little boxes of departments. Interdisciplinary programs are an after-thought. There isn't much of a spirit of an interdisciplinary approach.

It's hard to say what the implications will be for undergraduate education. The report discusses languages not in terms of their inherent importance, but in terms of savings that co'uld be made in the teaching staffs.

It's hard for me to understand why things as essential to undergraduate education as languages and expository writing get brushed off.

Emily Honig, History and Chair of

time not decreasing the number of students admitted. Undergraduates won't have the same kind of individual contact with professors.

Another concern I have relates to the basis on which departments will make d ecisions about which faculty positions to cut. Cutting faculty positions forces the departments and the university ro confront hard issues about what is essential and what is a luxury in a college curriculum. Will the French department or the English department give up the people who work on feminism? Departments may decide that they need the "basics," and therefore cut the not so-called basics.

What's going to prevent that from happening?

~mms Studi~s

"Th~r~

isn't much ofa spirit ofan disciplinary approach. "

in~­

Gaddis Smith, History and Dirutor of Cmtu for lnt~rnationaL Studi~s The restructu ring report gives no sense that the world is any different today than it was 50 years ago. I think that the world has changed very radically in the last few years-with the end of the Cold War and with a growing recognition of the complex environmental, sociological and economic problems that the human race faces on this planet. This is one of those moments when universities have to do more than restructure-they have to rethink their relationship to the world.

Contact between faculty and students has been an essential part of a Yale education. I don't see how that kind of education will be possible if the plan to restructure includes decreasing faculty while at the same

th~

36 THE NEW JouRNAl.

"Undngradwzus won't haw th~ Sllm~ ltind of individwzJ contact with profason. â&#x20AC;˘

jaroslav P~Likan, History No single university can do everything. There are too many planets and stars to teach about each of them.

There are too many languages to offer courses in all of them. There are too many periods of history for one university to encompass. A university has to decide if it is going to try to do everything, or if it is going to try to do fewer things well. The commitment of a research university is that the latter is where you start, and then you see how broad an encompassment you can gee.

It's very important for universities to engage in a much more self-critical review than they usually do. It's sad that they tend to do so only in times of financial constraint. You make a choice every time a professor leaves.

You have to decide whether you go on doing whatever that professor special-

"We'lL continue to do things that I<Jse money, mainly because they are imponant. "

ized in. If you say yes to that, then you say no to something else. In times of prosperity, you have to make these decisions as well. When you don't, that's part of how you get yourself into trouble.

I'm impressed that Yale's decisions are based on sound scholarly and intellectual considerations. We'll continue to do things that lose money, mainly because they are important. There are areas in which the university must be active or else it would re-define itself.

Yale has identified those areas and is committed to staying active in those areas, even if they lose money.

Sara Suleri, English If we have fewer faculty and fewer graduate students teaching, we run the risk of dispensing with what I regard as a luxury of undergraduate education at Yale-the seminars-where there is lllaximum contact between faculty and students. On the research level, if individual faculty members are going to teach one-third more students than

they do now, that will obviously affect the work they do themselves.

I feel that the report is going to pit departments against one another.

Departments will be fighting for their own turf. We're presented with a list of the various cuts, and it becomes almost humanly inevitable to say "x only lost three, why did we lose five?" I certainly feel that it is very divisive on a departmental l evel and does not address the critical question of interdisciplinary programs at this institution. In my department, we've always been generous in sending faculty out

and does not consider the university as a community that represents a whole.

Melvin Ely, History and AfricanAmerican Studies The cuts seem typical of things that are happening in a lot of places.

The cutbacks affect the way people who are here feel about their work, and how people outside look at Yale, and in that way, they can have an effect beyond what the pure numbers indicate. Yet these things are happening in so many places that it is hard to say whether the restructuring will affect Yale's competitiveness.

My understanding is that the faculty positions will be cut back while the student body remains at the same size or even grows a bit. That bothers me, partly because I see the precursor

"[Departments wiLL say] X only lost thru, why did we lou five?m to work in interdisciplinary programs.

If our faculty is cut and theTA assistance is cut, we won't be able to enact the interdisciplinary programs that we want to see on campus. These programs are important because they are part of the vibrancy with which the departments are in dialogue with one another. I know I'm speaking for many of the faculty in artS and sciences when I speak of my regret that the report compartmentalizes the departments

"The faculty wiO be cut back while the student body remains the same siu. â&#x20AC;˘

to that in the history department. We already have too many students to give each the time and energy that he or she deserves. Restructuring may make that problem more widespread. The THÂŁ NEW JouRNAL 37

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amount of teaching that graduate students do is being cue back, yet there is no decrease in the demand for TAs, and in theory the cutbacks in faculty will increase that demand. Either of chose trends would cause tensions.

The two of them in concert will cause even greater problems.

Donald Kagan, History, Classics, and ofYak College I believe that Yale ten years from now will not be very different from the Yale I've known over the last 23 years.

We have been up and down with good times and hard times, and through all that it still seems to me to be the same Yale.

I can't see how anyone who looks at the hard information could come away without the conclusion that we are in difficult budgetary times. It would be wise of us not to encourage false pessimism, however; we shouldn't be poisoning the well D~an

•1 think Yak isn i paying attention to critical problems in our worki tQday. •

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2M2 •1 believe that Yak ten pan from now wiU not be very diffn-mt from the Yak I've /mown over the last 23 yean. •

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38 THe New jouRNAL

On the foture ofmginuring: Engineering was studied very carefully by the 12 senior faculty members on the oommittee. The people who knew best on our committee judged that ifwe simply cur, then what was lefi: would not be tenable, so we had not only to rut but to reorganize. IfI had my way engineering would be a lot bigger. But we did what we had to do. My personal opinion is that we have a fighting chance to produa: a good engineering program of the kind we can sustain at Yale.

we are all going to live in. It is perfectly all right to criticize the planyou could even say the people chat proposed it are a bunch of fools. But I think it is h armful, unwise , and unjustified to say that chis plan will have disastrous results. Nobody knows that.

Robert Wyman, Biology In the biological sciences, the cutbacks will have little direct dfect. Since the medical school is so close to us, we'll be OK I do think che cutbacks will make us educationally more oonservative--cutbacks will airnp going out in new directions. We won't have the financial resources to renew ourselves by investing in new educational ventures, which are desperately needed. I think char Yale isn't paying attention to critical problems in our wodd today. World ovopopulation is the paramount issue, and basi· cally, Yale doesn't deal with it. Another issue is the destruction of the environ· menc. Given the explosion of biologi· cal knowledge, the biology and MB&B depaitments put their mont)' into molecular biology, which is where the big advances have been happening for the p3st twenty ycus. !bat lefi: no resowt:CS to be put coward researching the destn..tctioll of the environment. New money came ill for this from the Bass brothers to establish fEBRUARY

7• 1991

the biosphere insriruce, which may evmrually address this issue. That's a good example of how with new money you can gee involved in new vencures. Bur when you're rutting back you can't do that.

I'm sorry co see the recrenchmenc in engineering because it mortgages the longterm hope co rebuild New Haven. ledmology builds around big science and engineering universities. Yale scarced up Science Parle to ay co gee high-ccch employers into the city. It's been a struggle bur it's had some sucx:rsses. Ifwe lose the engineering faculty, we lose the actraaiveness for that kind ofindusay to move here.

H

•IfHarvard has 1.5 political scimtists for ~v~ry on~ at

Yak, thry will hav~ a high~r profik. "

Rog~rs

·&cmt administratiw tkcisions grav~/y thr~atm liN quaiity of~ducation at Yak. •

Holly Allm, graduau studmt tn Amnican Studi~s As a third-year graduate student, I view the recently proposed restructuring plan as part of a broader pattern of recent administrative decisions char gravely threaten the quality of education at Yale.

As a Yale-trained scholar, I am conscious of the fact char any lasting damage co Yale's academic reputation affoct:s me professionally. I am also aware that while other universities are considering faculty ~uaions, no institution ofYale's reputation and resources has attempted anything Like the cutbacks currently being proposed h~ Had I realized before coming to Yale with what ease the administration puts "bankbooks before textbooks," I might have chosen to attend another graduate school

y

Smith, Political Scimu

I think the restructuring wiU affect Yale's fate as a a:nter of research more dramatically than it will undergraduate teaching. We are cutting back faculty even though many of Yale's departments are already smaller than their counterparts at other major reseaoch universities. It will be difficult to attract top research scholars to Yale when we don't have the positions available, and it will be harder for the departments themselves to excel when they don't have the sheer number of excdJent research scholars chat our competitors have. For instance, if Harvard has 1.5 political scientists for every political scientist at Yale, then evm ifYales political scientists are very good.

Harv:mi will inevitably have a higher profile in the profession. It will be rough for every Yale political scientist to equal or excel every 1.5 Harv.ud political scientists.

The faa char sociology is being an so severely will have harmful repercussions for Yale's social sciences in general. People in other social science disciplines will think of Yale as not a very good place for them.

When we're cutting back a laxge number of places, that is one ofa number offactors thar raises the question of whedler Yale can cx>ncinue to compete ro be first. Yale isn't going ro dedine ow:might. but it will have diffia.dty attrac:cing excdlent: research scholars in the future.

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