Duke currently has 645 regular rank faculty members, but administrators are working to ensure that number soon begins to shrink. The advent of a reduced faculty is concerning, as it may affect the student experience.
In an effort to combat its deficit, University administrators have adopted a variety of approaches to decreasing the size of the faculty. For the next few years the University will add fewer new professors than the number who depart, according to Alvin Crumbliss, dean of the faculty of Arts and Sciences and dean of Trinity College. The administration has also begun to hire younger faculty, preferably those who are rising in their respective fields or are qualified to teach across multiple disciplines. Duke will also prioritize assistant professor searches over senior searches, Crumbliss said.
While we commend the administration for its commitment to continued hiring, we are still concerned that the student experience could diminish amid the saving strategies. One of the hallmarks of a Duke education is the engaging experience that many students share with their professors. The relatively low student-faculty ratio is undoubtedly one of the major attractors for students who choose Duke. With every incoming class increasing in size and a reduction in faculty numbers, this student-faculty relationship may suffer.
Typically, it is in the smaller, more intensive classes in which students tend to be the most engaged, and with such a large undergraduate population the percentage of classes with small student-faculty ratios is likely to dwindle.
Further, faculty members are of utmost importance in maintaining the quality of academic departments. They anchor programs and provide continuity for the courses of study upon which students embark. Relatively large faculty numbers also provide program diversity, ensuring that a wide and interesting variety of scholars represent the true scope of a field to their students.
Duke’s regular rank faculty membership is larger now than at any time in the school’s history, Crumbliss noted at the Arts and Sciences Council meeting last week. The Class of 2014 is also the largest ever enrolled. Clearly the University is on an unsustainable track.
This is not to say that all cuts are to be discouraged. Certainly the administration should discontinue programs or positions that are not pertinent to the strength of the departments, and the 10 percent cut in budgets should allow departments to identify those areas. It is praiseworthy that initiatives that broaden the student experience are being continued, such as the humanities laboratories.
However, many questions still remain unanswered. The administration has, unfortunately, not fully disclosed its criteria for hiring and letting go of faculty.
Since last October, when Provost Peter Lange announced the faculty retirement incentive, the Duke administration has not revealed what the packages look like or who has agreed to accept the deal.
Duke media releases and public statements continue to promote the fact that the school is still hiring new professors. But it seems unlikely that natural attrition alone will be sufficient to reduce the size of the faculty. University stakeholders deserve to know more about what Crumbliss means by a strategy of “encouraging retirement of faculty who may have retirement in mind.”
The faculty reduction is undoubtedly necessary, however the University must sustain its academic excellence and commitment to undergraduate scholarship in the process. The best way to preserve and improve the undergraduate experience is to maintain quality faculty and ensure engagement with professors.
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