Rumors about the university closing the School of Public Engagement have been circulating for roughly two months after multiple emails from the Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Renée T. White’s office, stated that changes were coming to the curriculum across the colleges.
These rumors have been confirmed true by The New School American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Leadership Council in a statement released yesterday, April 18, highlighting their concerns with the timeline given to professors and faculty to readjust their positions.
“On March 26, 2024, faculty were sent an unexpected email detailing an abrupt May 1 deadline for immediate university-wide restructuring and a realignment of the Schools of Public Engagement’s (SPE) programs,” the statement said.
The March 26 email was the first from the university that suggested the dissolution of SPE. The message stated, “In 2023, the Board of Trustees tasked President McBride and me with exploring key areas with the Executive Deans centered on the structure of academic units and reducing duplication of degree programs to improve student yield, retention, and degree completion.”
SPE faculty, students, and staff were not made aware of the abrupt changes until this message in late March, and AAUP-TNS stated that they also had no input in the new curriculum and could not weigh in on major decisions. “The unilateral approach jeopardizes the practices of care that all members of our New School community deserve,” said AAUP-TNS in yesterday’s statement.
They added, “While we recognize the university’s dire financial status, we ask to rebuild The New School together without unilateral decision-making.”
On April 4, White’s office released another email outlining a timeline of when the restructuring process will take place.
Members of SPE were given a May 1 deadline to come up with a proposal that shows how their current job at SPE could align with another school’s program. But with a month to prepare, faculty were apprehensive. “The deadline has produced extraordinary anxiety and discord amongst SPE faculty, staff, and students, undermined the governance process, jeopardized the academic core, and ignored important institutional histories and complexities. This rushed process is fracturing an already vulnerable institution,” AAUP-TNS wrote.
AAUP-TNS gave a list of demands on “what’s needed from President Donna Shalala,” stating that they need more transparency in decision-making with the Board of Trustees, clarity on what the restructuring will look like in the next year, guaranteed security for all jobs and degrees, and extra time to develop a “student-center and community-designed restructuring plan.”
This is management talking to labor.