9 responses to “How are Budget Problems Affecting Philosophy Departments?”

1. Alan Martin

   January 21, 2009 at 8:36 am

   I am a graduate student at the University of Florida (and, I should note, applying to transfer). We have been under a university wide hiring freeze since about 2007. We have had significant recent faculty losses. Murat Aydede took a senior offer in Canada shortly before I arrived in 2007. Richard Haynes retired at the end of the fall 2007 semester and Robert Baum retired a semester later. David Copp and Marina Oshana are returning to the University of California Davis, effective fall 2009. About a month after they announced their departure, we were told that the PhD program had been eliminated (no future admissions; current students could finish). That changed to a 3 year suspension of PhD admissions, but we will admit MA candidates. I was later told that admissions would continue as normal except that students who already have an MA need not apply. The University President sent out a recent e-mail projecting future budget cuts, though the effect on our department is unclear. At least no one in our department got laid off (yet). I am told that about 90% of the people laid off last year in the College of Arts and Sciences were women, and a disproportionate number were minority women, though the Dean responsible for that decision was on his way out. I hope our situation is exceptional, but I really don't know.

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2. Harry Brighouse

   January 21, 2009 at 8:55 am

   I don't have anything to report, but I'd just say that doing something like merging two departments in response to the current budget shortfalls makes no sense UNLESS there are independently good reasons for doing so, and the shortfall allows the dean space to act that otherwise is unavailable. My guess is that some such mergers do indeed make sense (I can't, for example, see any reason for the independent existence of Comp Lit departments; if you have two smallish Area Studies departments it can make sense to merge them; in Schools of Education the boundaries between departments are mostly artificial and mergers often make sense, but are strongly resisted by vested interests). I can see the desirability, from the Dean's point of view, of merging smaller Philosophy departments, but there are rarely natural partners (I'd have thought). I'd also guess that if you are faced with merger, it makes sense first to find out whether it is bound to happen and second, if so, to be pro-active in finding what, in your circumstances is the most suitable partner (at Knoxville it may be Religion, but it may not be, and a sensible Dean will listen to reason, and will prefer a merger between willing partners to a merger that has to be forced through).

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3. Jeremy Ginsburg

   January 21, 2009 at 11:38 am

   I noticed the following item reported in the Brandeis student paper. This would impact what has historically been a fairly strong undergrad-only philosophy department.

   Long-term academic changes proposed – News

   The proposal calls for replacing the current 43 majors and 47 minors offered to undergraduates with a much smaller number of interdisciplinary meta-majors, increasing the size of the undergraduate student body by 12 percent, requiring a summer semester to be completed before junior year and decreasing the number of Arts and Sciences faculty by 10 percent. The curriculum changes will begin with the students entering in the fall of 2010.

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4. V. Alan White

   January 21, 2009 at 9:52 pm

   David–as a graduate of your program and a 28-year veteran of the politics at the University of Wisconsin System as a tenured Professor, I must express my dismay at the prospect of the loss of the autonomy of the department, but some hope for a strengthening of the department by alliance with another department. My own institution–a 13-campus part of UW–was recently aligned with a larger part of UW (Extension) and profited thereby. But if Tennessee dispenses with the PhD program in philosophy (as they threatened to do some years ago) that would be a mistake–Tennessee is no powerhouse in the world of research philosophy but has produced a number of solid instructors who have had an under-recognized influence on the profession. (If readers think I mean me–FO–I don't need external stroking and couldn't care less about your dismissal or approval. The point is I know lots of UT grads who have produced good research and even better pedagogy.) If the PHI program can continue as is with great people like Richard Aquila, Glenn Graber, John Nolt, John Hardwig, you David, Douglas and Coffman e.g., it will produce grads who will contribute to the profession because they were mentored by caring and powerful intellects. If they dispense with the PhD ala Florida then–well f**k the state for embracing foolish economy mistaking it for progress. An alliance with another program may be a strengething factor if it is properly motivated–if it is not then UT may no longer count on my continuing financial support as an alum. Get explicit assurances from UT about this. And my best wishes.

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5. Matt Deaton

   January 22, 2009 at 10:05 pm

   Thanks for the support, V. Alan. UT indeed has a wonderful faculty (and staff). Thanks to the selfless dedication of the mentors and friends you mentioned, I've grown exponentially as both a thinker and teacher over the past four years. Countless meetings, email exchanges, pedagogical discussions, etc. with Reidy, Hardwig, Coffman and others have made all the difference.

   These guys know how to get it done, so I'm not too worried. However things turn out on the administrative side, the core will find a way to produce quality grads, be they PhDs or MAs, be it from an autonomous or a combined department. I'm not thrilled about the rumors, but I'm not overly worried either. Hopefully that'll inspire others out there to look on the bright side as well.

   Oh, and Alan in Gainesville—Go Vols 😉

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6. David Yamanishi

   January 22, 2009 at 11:53 pm

   I'm curious as to how much filthy lucre might be saved by merging departments. Are chairs that highly compensated for their extra duties? How many FTE of staff time might be saved, and is the university actually in a position to fire (rather than reassign) said employees? Are there facilities savings? I'm having trouble imagining how such moves will save much money.

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7. Tim O'Keefe

   January 23, 2009 at 11:18 am

   Following up on David Yamanishi's comment–at Georgia State, Philosophy and Religious Studies were a combined department until we split (quite amicably) several years ago. Academically the split made a lot of sense once the Religious Studies faculty had grown large enough to stand on their own, and one reason the administration was happy to go forward was that the cost was quite minimal. We split academically, but we continue to share administrative staff, office space (and copier), etc.–and sharing these things doesn't put us out at all.

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8. Kirsten Pickering

   January 30, 2009 at 3:27 pm

   There is another post on this blog regarding the steep cuts to education currently contemplated by the Arizona legislature – as an aside, this might actually hit K-12 education even harder than our university system. Before these statewide cuts were in the offing, however, the president's office at Arizona State University announced a planned merger of the Philosophy, History, and Religious Studies departments into one school. In the virtual world, the change is already made – the website banner reads "School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies." Other humanities departments have merged into schools – Political Science, for instance, has joined Global Studies to form the "School of Government, Politics, and Global Studies."

   A number of the fusions have occurred the name of lowering administrative costs, although I have no idea how such mergers have saved the university money, given that the departments usually remain in their physical locations.

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9. Professor Andreas Teuber

   February 1, 2009 at 12:25 pm

   Andreas Teuber, Chair of Philosophy at Brandeis University writes:

   A little over a week ago there was a series of posts on the Blog on "How Budget Problems [Are] Affecting Philosophy Departments" wherein Jeremy Ginsburg speculated whether possible changes at Brandeis University would affect the "strong under-grad only Philosophy Department" there.

   The short answer is "no."

   The administration has re-dedicated itself to strengthening the core disciplines for which Brandeis has earned its world-class reputation and Philosophy is right at the top of this renewed commitment.

   Noted for its strong undergraduate program due in large measure to its astonishing philosophy faculty, the Philosophy Department has hired four new junior faculty members in the last two years and is now starting a Master's Program in Philosophy to provide students further grounding in the discipline, improve their chances of gaining admission to a top-ranked Ph.D. program in Philosophy and offer other students from such disciplines as law, politics and economics the opportunity to enhance their credentials.

   The report in the student newspaper, "The Justice," upon which Jeremy Ginsburg based his speculations was misleading in regard to the future of Philosophy at Brandeis.

   Philosophy at Brandeis is thriving!

   Andreas Teuber, Chair
   Department of Philosophy
   http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/philosophy/

   Brandeis University
   http://www.brandeis.edu/

   Undergraduate Program
   http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/philosophy/undergrad/index.html

   Master's Program
   http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/philosophy/mastersprogram/index.html

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