In last Tuesday’s Seattle Times story “UW Names New Arts and Sciences Dean,” beat writer Nick Perry addresses the discussion of splitting the college of arts and sciences into four schools.
The college has about 25,000 students, which is more than any university in the state. It also makes up about 70 percent of UW student degrees.
I looked into the conversation for a Daily story idea when I was talking to Norm Arkans, the executive director of media relations and communications, about the new dean. He said Phyllis Wise, the provost and executive vice president, put together a committee on the topic spring 2006.
Kathy Woodward, director of the Simpson Center of Humanities, and Tom Daniel, biology professor and chair, lead the committee.
“She [Wise] asked the committee whether the university was optimally organized to do its work,” Arkans said. “The conclusion was it didn’t necessarily make sense to move the college around in different ways.”
He said the college was doing fine as a whole and went on to suggest that Cauce might want give the individual colleges more autonomy, but had no interest in splitting it up.
In a June 2006 press release, uweek.org quoted differing opinions on the matter.
One was from Sarah Nash Gates, the executive director of the Drama School, “I believe the college has done a good job for the programs in the arts, although I’m not sure all my colleagues would agree.”
The press release presented the issue as something professors were pretty split over. It’s interesting that the new dean brought a refreshed attention to the issue, as Wise already explored the idea.
OK. +++
It’s the Simpson Center for the Humanities; you’ve got the name wrong. I’d strongly encourage you to put yourself in this frame of mind: If you wouldn’t bet a paycheck on the accuracy of a name of a person, place or thing, look it up.
Led is the past tense of lead. Daniel and Woodward led the committee.