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Academic changes in store for NU

By Mitch Przybocki

On November 19, 2011

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Norwich is in the process of restructuring its academic departments, according to the dean of humanities.

"Right now Norwich has eight academic schools, Arts & Architecture, Business & Management, Engineering, Math & Sciences, Humanities, Social Sciences, National Services (the ROTC department), and the school for graduate and continuing studies, but this is more online learning. The National Services is the military, so there are actually six schools that are true academic schools, with acting deans on campus," said the Acting Dean of Humanities Andrew ‘Bud' Knauf.

According to Knauf, Norwich's accrediting body, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NASC), visited the university about two years ago. "They were very praiseworthy of us in most senses but they said we had too many academic schools for our population," Knauf said.

"The senior administration of Norwich has been proposing different ways to restructure all the academic schools within the university. The small university should not have such a high number of schools," Knauf said.

"What senior administration would like to do is, beginning in fall 2012, next fall, they would like to take the schools of humanities and social sciences and combine them into one school, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences," Knauf said. "I don't know if this is possible but this is what the goal is."

Humanities includes the majors of communications, English and foreign languages. Social Sciences include history, criminal justice, political science, international studies and psychology.

Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Guiyou Huang was asked to comment on this story. His office responded in an email saying it appreciated the interest in the matter, but he is too busy for an interview.

The School of Social Sciences also declined to comment on this topic due to its "sensitive nature" and the fact that there are still significant unknown factors, including the job description of the new dean.

One social science staff member said, "The school of social sciences didn't want to have any public comments because they are still waiting to see how the new school will work, the new role of the dean, and want to stay out of conversation until the meetings (take place) over the next two weeks."

But some students and staff say that combining humanities and social sciences wouldn't be a smart mix.

Scott Hotvaen, a 21-year-old senior history major from West Haven, Conn., was surprised to learn about this proposed change. "To hear they would combine is kind of a shocker; English and foreign languages don't mix well with history or criminal justice, in my mind. It's difficult to wrap your head around," Hotvaen said.

Knauf said that, even though these majors are a broad spectrum, he thinks it can work depending upon the role of the new dean. "If the assessment is accurate and reducing the schools will be beneficial for the education here, Norwich may have to change the role of deans. Right now deans don't have much authority at all," Knauf said.

According to Knauf, deans are more like "glorified department chairs" for each major. The new dean should have a much different role. "These are just ideas, but this is what we've been talking about," said Knauf.

According to Knauf, the new job description for the dean may be as a traveler and fundraiser; an individual that goes out and promotes the school to the community at large, to the rest of America, and becomes a recruiter for the school.

Knauf explained that senior administration wants to eventually get the number of schools down to a reasonable number, such as four schools, as recommended by NASC. By combining humanities and social sciences, there would be five. Another possibility would be to combine arts and architecture with engineering because the schools are similar.

The Dean of Arts & Architecture, Aron Temkin, stated that Arts & Architecture was part of the engineering school years ago; "Architecture was in the school of engineering initially. I think it was good logic to let the schools develop unique identities. I think the programs are both very strong as individual units. But nobody has talked of combining them into one school so far," said Temkin.

Stephanie Ulrich, a 21-year-old junior architecture major from Dillsburg, Pa., says there are already some bridge students between architecture and engineering: "We already have construction management majors which are basically half architects, half engineers. So they take half engineering courses, and half architecture courses with us, so half the time they're with all engineers, and half the time they're with us," Ulrich said.

"Occasionally engineers have to take architecturally related courses just so they have an understanding of it, and vice versa," Ulrich said.

There is also a slight rift amongst the architecture and engineering students, but it is more of friendly competition than anything else, according to Ulrich: "I could definitely see a combination being possible. If we get along, it will be a totally different thing."

"They think the way we design is impractical, and too farfetched. They would rather design a rectangular building, as we are into more modern and interesting things. We push the boundaries. As architects, when we present a complex design, we are just helping them push their own boundaries," Ulrich said.

According to Temkin, the faculty gets along well, and this rift does not cross over into their work at all. "Things like the solar house we do collaboratively," Temkin said.

Temkin said restructuring is being discussed among faculty.

"There is a lot of discussion about possible changes. Everything I've heard is that these things are still being discussed," Temkin said. "The most recent proposal is to subdivide the university into a few different organizations, that would break the university down into colleges, which are subdivided by schools and departments."

The most current proposal would create a College of Arts and Sciences, which would bring together the school of Math and Science, Social Sciences and Humanities all into one college. Another college would include the schools of Business and Management, Engineering, Architecture, Art, and Nursing into one college, according to Temkin.

Some students express recommend removing computer-related majors from the Business and Management School.

"The computer security and computer science majors should not be within the business department," said Steve Resto, a 19-year-old sophomore computer security and information assurance major from Montgomery, N.Y.

"The concentration that I'm doing within computer security and information assurance is digital forensics. That is pretty much being able to go into a computer, being able to retrieve any files, retrieve anything that was lost, or detect if it's been hacked into. As you can tell, it is science related, and to call it a business would not be fully accurate. I would create its own separate department," Resto said.

According to the dean of business and management, Frank Vanecek, computer classes are part of business because he came to Norwich to teach this back in the 1970's.

"When I came here in '76, I was the first computer science professor, the only office that people could find was in the basement of Dewey Hall. So the shoved me in the basement of Dewey Hall because they did not know where to put me," Vanecek said.

"It happened to be in the business building. The division head at that time said, since I happened to be in the business building, why don't you just report to the School of Business. From that point on, I reported to the School of Business, and that's how computer science ended up in the school of business," Vanecek said.

Many students say academics should be reorganized. But according to Knauf and Temkin, it was the NASC that really got the process underway.

"Some of this is inspired by comments from the recent NASC visit. I think this big anniversary that is coming up is prompting a lot of question about who do we want to be, when we're 200 years old," Temkin said. "I think some of the energy to restructure is coming from that."

Restructuring options being considered by Norwich:

Option A: A School of Humanities & Social Sciences (combine Schools of Humanities and Social Sciences).

Option B: A College of Arts and Sciences (combine Schools of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Mathematics & Sciences).

Option C: A School of Professional Studies (combine Schools of Architecture & Art, Business & Management, Engineering, with departments from Schools of Mathematics & Sciences and Social Sciences).

Option D: A School of Professional Studies and a College of Arts and Sciences (combine Plans B and C).

Option E: A College of Professional Studies (consolidate three professional schools and nursing), a College of Sciences (change the name of the School of Mathematics and Sciences), and a College of Liberal Arts (combine Schools of Humanities and Social Sciences).