Re: Identity crisis

[csjhs@eiu.edu (Jeanne H. Simpson)]

Pam,

You and others mention appeals to get faculty status granted to various
positions. And as well, there has been some mention of tenure-track status.

With the purpose of assisting you in making a case (though my descriptions
will sound more negative than that), thought I'd offer the administrative
perspective on such requests.

First, creating a faculty position means that administration is granting
resources to a particular area. And big resources at that.  Salary lines
are by far the largest expense in any institution.  To use my own
institution as a model, our pool of dollars for doing something new,
including adding new positions, is $700,000.  If you figure a semi-decent
t-track salary at somewhere in the $30,000 range, that means you can
create about 23 new positions. That is if you don't do *anything* else. It
means you don't address sudden electrical or plumbing emergencies,
increase the library allocation, or replace any equipment. Suppose that
you choose not to be so draconian, and you designate only half of this
amount for new positions. So, now you have 11 or 12 new ones available. 

The cost of those new positions will increase annually, whether your
budget does or not, whether your enrollments go up or down.  The
commitment exists.  And if the position is tenure-track and the hire
ultimately achieves tenure, the institution is committing to a lot of
money for a long time. And not just salary money, but benefits money. 
Asking for a tenure-track, new position is asking for a very large
commitment of resources. 

And you also have, at my institution, 37 departments competing for those
12 positions.  Probably, 4 or 5 really don't want a new position, don't
need one. But the remaining 32 sure do.  And all feel their cases are
legitimate and strong. 

Further, committing to a faculty position means administration is
selecting a route governed by rules, policies, and restrictions. There is
little flexibility once such a choice is made. And eliminating a faculty
position is a political nightmare for any administration, so they approach
creating one with great caution, particularly in times of austere budgets.

So, in making a case for such a request, considerations of long-term
funding and of the institutional economics are important. What's the
pay-off? Will the institution's mission be met better? More economically?
Is the the most efficient and effective use of resources? 
It is not an issue of instrinsic merit. It is an issue of hard economics.

Jeanne Simpson
csjhs@eiu.edu