<p>Things looking pretty grim at middlebury. Are other LACS facing similar challenges?</p>
<p>10/14/2009: A memo from the president on voluntary separation and retirement programs</p>
<p>10/14/2009:</a> A memo from the president on voluntary separation and retirement programs</p>
<p>This is a continuation of budget cuts that began last year as I understand it. I was a little surprised about voluntary retirement for professors when I first saw this, but they also hired several tenured track professors as well. As for other LACs. Many are similarly challenged.</p>
<p>This isn’t really anything new. Middlebury has been much more open about their cost cutting measures than most other LACs. Most colleges are trimming staff to help meet reduced budget targets. The whole purpose of these voluntary plans is to avoid layoffs. </p>
<p>This point is important:
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<p>While I think I get it, isn’t what this is saying along the lines of, if we get younger, less experienced teachers we won’t have to pay them as much?</p>
<p>This is not necessarily a bad thing as I have long seen teachers who have more or less gone the distance and it’s time to move on. New blood, energy and investment can be a really good move to increase interest and enhance programs. On the other hand, this doesn’t really guarantee that the best professors, regardless of their age, won’t be the ones choosing to leave.</p>
<p>I understand from converations with faculty and administrators that the faculty plan is restricted to a slice of the senior faculty – those not covered bythe traditional, ongoing, always-in-place program that has existed for faculty for a long time. The expected number to take this is small and somewhat targeted and it is not intended to change the student-facutly ratio. Middlebury hired 11 tenure-track faculty and is committed, for now, to retain its 9:1 ratio, which allows for small classes and close student-faculty collaborative learning experiences. There just might be more younger faculty next year as a result of this program.</p>