Word on the street is that everyone who directly reports to the SIUC Chancellor has been asked to submit a resignation letter. I guess the big shots are going to interview for their jobs again. It would be a good start, to put several of those guys on the curb.
Fall enrollment is projected to be off 5%, according to a well place source. Kind of scary.
The budget cuts in the departments are translating to lecturing staff being let go. Since they teach 4 classes each semester, there will be a whole lot of sections being canceled in the Fall. Because of union contracts and other agreements, only the dedicated teaching staff can be cut, everyone else is protected.
Pretty juicy for intersessional gossip.
14 comments:
I hear that a new policy has prevented students from registering if they have any debts on their bursar bill, so many continuing students have been prevented from registering. Hard to know if this accounts for the 5%, but it was a particularly stupid "reform" at a time when enrollment is paramount!
Peter,
At some point, if this continues, SIUC needs to consider shifting faculty to booming SIUE campus. We're the same system, right?
What do you think?
I see SIUE shirts everywhere in St. Louis area (both sides of the river). Judging from the "hipness" and ubiquity of the SIUE apparel and billboards, there is a real sense of a place on the move.
It might be time for SIUC to get it stuff together is what I think. Transferring professors to a different campus as part of a normal policy? Sounds like a scary political move.
given my big-city wife (and other reasons), I'd volunteer in a minute!
Transferring would not be a "normal policy," but a crisis move. IF, that is IF, we keep dropping at this rate, management will have to plan for crisis contingencies. Let's hope it doesn't happen.
I think it is the library that is the problem (or a big part). Right or wrong, you don't know how much badmouthing the students do about it. besides, what an incredible eye sore for those who visit campus -- "don't worry, it will be done in four years" isn't a very good answer. The best we can do is muddle through.
Jon Bean (from Cleveland)
The latest:
President Poshard has authorized the Bursar's office to offer dispensations to all students who owe $500 or less to the University, debts that would keep them from registering, so that they can enroll for the autumn semester. He has also told Financial Aid to contact 300 freshman applicants with high ACT scores and/or rank in class and offer them discounts on their housing and fees if they will commit to SIUC.
Go Poshard! Thanks to Anonymous for the update.
The resignation letter rumor is just that, a rumor. Trust me, I know. Ask anyone who reports to the chancellor, they'll tell you the same thing.
Two problems with anonymous' complaining about the letter rumor, first they are just anonymous and we all know that in this space their words don't equal truth and if I ask something of a chancellor's report at SIU, they will twist my question or just plain lie. Their words mean less than anonymous commenter's.
Should be interesting to see if heads are rolling, I have some hope they will.
Peter,
I believe straight forward trend analysis will reveal the primary variable regarding SIUC enrollment. At the height of the Halloween and Springfest celebrations between 20,000 to 30,000 college age people descended on our city annually. A graph could be drawn that shows how these "campus visits" translated into enrollees. I challenge someone to perform a simple correlation analysis and substantiate or refute my theory. You can get an estimate of the number of Halloween and Sprintfest visistors versus enrollment for each year from the DE or Southern Illinois archives. I think a time frame from 1980 to 2005 would provide the answer.
I think that Halloween was important too. People traveled to the area and got a look at how nice it was. But the primary reason? I find that hard to believe.
In 1980, the students dressed up and partied, no one got hurt and no private property was damaged. In 2000, no student dresses up, people don't party, they get stupid drunk and massive property damage happens. The happy place that America was, that allowed that party, has been replaced with a country where the young people think Ultimate Fighting is worth watching.
The city leaders of Carbondale have tried to let the Halloween party happen again, but it has been proven to be a mistake.
Anyway, like many statistics, I don't think that Halloween is directly related to SIU failures. I think the students are going down because there is less value in an SIU degree today, then there was in 1980. You can't decide to give away high grades like candy and expect the university to get better.
SIU needs to quit their lowest common denominator education and put the rigor back in.
Peter,
SIUC on campus enrollmnet will settle in at about 15,000 within a decade. Make your plans accordingly.
If SIU will have 15,000 students may be true, my suggestion is you decide which 15,000 students you want. The best 15,000 students or the worst. At the moment, SIU seems to be run to capture the worst and reject the best.
As you know, I have made my plans and I am acting.
You discount the annoymous poster who told you that resignations aren't in the works. Guess that doesn't fit with your position that SIU is a bad place. I give you credit Peter, you are consistent. Enlighten us please...who, in your great wisdom, needs to go? Will you respond to that?
Go back and read the blog, I have published a list of who should go. Poshard has made a solid dent in that list already.
Post a Comment