Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 29, 1995 TAG: 9511290089
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Senators agreed that the problem is not so much the actual closing of the college, but that Torgersen acted alone, without input from those most affected.
"I think everybody here should look over their shoulder," said education professor Mike Moore.
A web of committees throughout the university governs much policy-making at Tech. Senators questioned whether they're wasting their time if administrators are going to make unilateral decisions without going through the governance system.
However, one senator from the College of Engineering - the lone "nay" vote - defended Torgersen, former dean of that college.
"I think you hire presidents and provosts to make tough decisions," said James Armstrong.
The resolution - which two senators said was worded too weakly - said senators "regret that faculty were not involved in the decision to close" the education college, and called on both the president and provost to "express commitment to the principle of shared decision-making" and "to make every effort" to include the faculty in curriculum-related matters.
The vote came after a morning strategy session by key members of the College of Education faculty, where some professors went so far as to suggest the college sit out discussions on its future.
"Don't dignify this sham," said Carl McDaniels, education professor.
A Jan. 15 deadline looms for a committee to decide whether the college should merge with the College of Arts and Sciences or the College of Human Resources, become a school within a college, or take some other form.
Professors pointed out to Provost Peggy Meszaros, who attended a portion of the meeting, that the deadline comes not only amid the winter break, but during the busy closing of one semester and the opening of the next.
They decided to move quickly to try to establish a position.
The faculty's executive committee voted to favor a merger with the College of Human Resources, and to remain together as a unit.
The vote came after Meszaros agreed to consider putting the search for that college's new dean on hold.
"I think there's precedent for putting on hold a search committee," said education professor Larny Cross, referring dryly to Torgersen's halt to the education dean search, which triggered news of the end of the college.
But Meszaros stopped short of saying she'd advocate renaming a college to include the word "education."
Education professors, stung by Torgersen's decision, did not hide their skepticism as they quizzed Meszaros, trying to determine if their work on any committee would really count.
"Do you think there's some further agenda we've got to guess at and guess right by Jan. 15?" said professor Terry Wildman.
Meszaros said no, and pledged to stand behind the new form of the college "150 percent, with every bit of integrity that I have."
On Nov. 8, Torgersen announced that he had suspended the search for a new education dean, and wanted the college to consider merging with another college, or become a school. The announcement set off a furor inside the college, which has spent the past 18 months reorganizing to contend with a previous directive to cut $1.6 million, or 20 percent, of its budget.
In an interview since then, Torgersen said he should have consulted with some faculty before making his decision. The state's colleges and universities are under intense political pressure to streamline by merging or closing programs.
Memo: NOTE: Shorter version ran in Metro edition.