Dear colleagues,
The Re-imagining Clarkson Task Force continues to work with great speed and is still in near-constant contact. This message contains an update on our work, and some FAQ below.
What has the Task Force been doing this week?
In the past week we have held both an evening and a weekend retreat, in addition to our regular meetings, to facilitate deeper discussions about possible reorganization options and the downstream consequences on faculty, students, staff, and administrators. We are also examining ways to right-size teaching capacity, including retaining sufficient faculty to meet the needs of the Common Experience and other courses required for degree programs across the university. We are looking carefully at ways that reduce faculty size where that can be done across the university, while minimizing any need for involuntary layoffs. We are looking at savings where we can, and some recommendations are quite painful. However, we are focused on a goal of fiscal sustainability while mitigating the need for involuntary layoffs and while conserving the quality of a Clarkson education. We continue to refine our possible recommendations through discussions with each School’s leadership and task force, as well as ongoing conversations with institutional leadership. We also welcomed Chris Towler from the Lewis School to the team and are glad to have his perspective as we move forward.
What can I do to help?
We appreciate all of the messages that have come in to suggestions@clarkson.edu – we continue to log and evaluate each suggestion for cost savings. We encourage you to also bring your suggestions for department- or school-level savings to your School’s task force.
We plan to send our next update in one week.
Best,
The Re-imagining Clarkson Task Force
Tom Langen (co-chair, A&S)
Alex Cohen (co-chair,A&S)
Allan Zebedee (Reh)
Amanda Pickering (Provost Office)
Amber Stephenson (Reh)
Brian Helenbrook (Coulter)
Goodarz Ahmadi (Coulter)
Laura Ettinger (A&S)
Laurel Kuxhaus (Coulter)
Christopher Towler (Lewis)
Stephanie Schuckers (Coulter)
FAQ: (new/updated questions are marked with an *)
Q: How can I reach the Task Force?
A: The best way is to use suggestions@clarkson.edu – we all have access to those messages.
Q: Will there be a way to send suggestions and comments anonymously?
A: Task Force members are happy to put forth suggestions on your behalf without revealing your identity.