Now that I’ve read countless retrospectives on the year that was 2014, I’m prompted to reflect on Georgetown’s year. It seems like a lot happened in 12 months at the provost’s office.
There were several things that were completed in 2014, and several that were launched.
In response to concerns raised by several students, especially those active in the Black House, we began a series of meetings of students, faculty, and staff organized with three different aims: a) to enhance the education of Georgetown undergraduates regarding race/ethnicity and intergroup relations, b) to discover ways to form stronger ties between alumni and students of color, and c) to increase the transparency of data on minority students and to form a lasting advisory committee to the provost. We worked throughout the year, developed a proposal for a set of courses that would fulfill requirements of the curriculum, made some progress on constructing a list of alumni of color, and designed a new provost advisory committee to be launched in the spring semester. The events of Ferguson, Staten Island, Cleveland, etc., have heightened attention on campus to issues of intergroup relations and the US legacy of race relations. The formal support of education and dialogue on these issues seem ever more important.
Vice-Provost Adriana Kugler, working with a faculty group, completed a new framework for non-tenure-line faculty on the main campus. This removed one of the oddities of Georgetown — the existence of faculty with “visiting professor” titles held continuously for decades. It also established review, salary setting, and promotion procedures that are explicit and permanent. At the same time, the provost office assisted, through Cynthia Chance, in a process that led to a successful first union contract with the adjunct faculty on the main campus. Both of these recognize what an important role is played by faculty outside the traditional tenure track.
We completed a new set of policies, with faculty support, that give faculty greater options for retirement. One is a phased retirement procedure that allows a faculty member to reduce their workload to 50% time for the last two years of their tenure. Another, a one-time offer for this year, is a buyout plan that offers an incentive package to retire next summer, 2015. These are new tools to manage the refreshment of the faculty over time.
The year 2014 saw real progress on Designing the Future(s) of Georgetown, led by Vice-Provost Randall Bass and Director Catherine Armour. This program was the next step after the Initiative on Technology-Enhanced Learning (ITEL), in which faculty launched new uses of technology in their existing courses. While ITEL focused on courses, Designing the Future(s) focused on complete degree programs. For Designing the Future(s), we had external speakers to alert us to the external challenges to US universities. We distributed a set of “pump-priming” ideas, sought faculty input on new experimental educational programs, and set-up an incubator, “the Red House,” where faculty, students, and staff work on designing the experimental programs. The Main Campus Executive Faculty are reviewing proposals over the coming weeks, and 2015 will see the implementation of some of these experimental programs. I’m happy to note that philanthropy from parents and alumni are funding these activities.
We implemented the reorganization of the Graduate School, refocusing it solely on graduate education and asking it to lead the development of new interdisciplinary graduate programs. Simultaneously, we established a new heightened focus on support for external research, located under the Vice-Provost for Research, Janet Mann. Deborah Marshall, Senior Director of Research, has begun the reorganization, has moved the support offices to Reiss (to be closer to the faculty), and has begun the outreach to associated offices to improve services of the faculty.
On the bad side, we faced real budget problems, forcing some painful belt-tightening. Our solution going forward is to increase revenues through new graduate programs, for which we could add as many as 2,000 students under the current campus plan agreement with the city. Our new dean of the Graduate School, Norberto Grzywacz, will join us on January 5 and begin that effort with the support of the other deans.
Much of my personal time involved assisting Dean Montgomery and his faculty in building the new McCourt School of Public Policy. This involves new faculty recruiting, identifying partners for the new Massive Data Institute, and designing the Institute for Politics and Public Service.
There were many “firsts” this year. The Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation is a new source of high energy; the McDonough School of Business launched an online MS in Finance; there were new MPS programs at School for Continuing Studies; there is a new joint program between the School of Foreign Service and McDonough.
We had a rough start of the fall term, with a death from meningitis, the memorial service for Dean Carol Lancaster, the impact of the Ferguson tragedy, renewed concerns regarding sexual assault, and preparation for a possible Ebola outbreak. As we worked through these issues, one by one, I learned again about what wonderful colleagues I have. But I’m hoping for a quieter spring on those fronts.
It is unlikely to be quieter on other fronts. Last year’s faculty survey taught us that we need to have more clarity on tenure and promotion procedures, more effective mentoring of faculty, more support for faculty research, more effective use of space, and more support for interdisciplinary work. Undergraduate students want more freedom to take courses across different schools without bureaucratic impediments. Graduate students seek university-supported housing options. Balancing the need to control tuition growth while increasing Georgetown’s educational prowess is a never-ending challenge.
The provost’s office has work to do in 2015.