EDITORIAL: Stevensonomics

The School of Arts of Sciences'The School of Arts of Sciences'plan for the next seven yearsThe School of Arts of Sciences'plan for the next seven yearshas set noble goals, but theThe School of Arts of Sciences'plan for the next seven yearshas set noble goals, but thenumbers just don't add up.The School of Arts of Sciences'plan for the next seven yearshas set noble goals, but thenumbers just don't add up.____________________________ A high-ranking official hands down a bold, new vision for the future. It entails the accomplishment of everything we ever hoped for. Life will be better, even perfect when this plan is implemented. And the budget deficit? Don't mind that, we're told. In 1980, we all met Reaganomics. Now meet Stevensonomics, its academic counterpart. Last week, School of Arts and Sciences Dean Rosemary Stevens released a 57-page plan mapping out the College's course for the next seven years. Spelling out the College's mission of providing the best undergraduate education in the world, ensuring top-notch research opportunities, and tying a sense of civic-mindedness to the whole endeavor is an effort which should be applauded. Organizational introspection provides a focus that cannot be found within the daily routine. These goals seem too good to be true, and unfortunately, they probably are. Like Reagan, Stevens is telling us that we can have our cake and eat it too. To ensure a quality faculty and education, Stevens said that the University must provide competitive salaries. Because of the budget crunch, though, the number of standing faculty will remain steady at around 480. Now, presumably to increase revenue, the number of students in the College will increase from 5,830 today to 6,000 in five years. The Stevens vision for quality education seems to include larger class size. Huh? This creative accounting continues with the plan for graduate students. The College wants to increase the number of multi-year graduate fellowships while keeping the stipend amount adequate. With a $4.28 million budget deficit next year, we are eager to find out where Stevens finds the graduate students' money. The plan also ambitiously calls for an "SAS Precint," a physical hub for the College at the center of campus. If the new student center is any indication of how fast buildings are built around here, don't hold your breath. Finally, the quality of the liberal arts education at the University will be improved through re-organization of the College's bureaucracy. As Vice-President Gore will tell Stevens, it's easier said than done. We do not want our skepticism to totally mask our total support for long-range planning to improve education. But we don't see how the promises add up. The College needs to re-commit itself to excellence in education, and the plan addresses areas – teaching and studying abroad, for example – that need to be dealt with. But, re-organizing, increasing class size, and streamlining are not the only answers. Resources have to stay committed to the College's and the University's central goal: education. Stevens may now regret cutting the Religious Studies Department because for her plan to work, it may take a little faith and a lot of prayer.