October 24, 2010

Fitting In: U. of Scranton Revamps One-Third of Its Faculty

Orienting many new faces, and preventing a culture clash, was a major challenge

New Faculty 1

Adam Richins for The Chronicle

Ann Pang-White, chair of the philosophy department at the U. of Scranton, moderates a Thursday-night “Philosophy Cafe,” open to all, where professors talk about their work.

By Audrey Williams June

In 2005, the University of Scranton was poised to go down a path that the Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, its president, described as filled with "risk and opportunity."

A wave of early retirements and the creation of new positions for fast-growing programs had, in large part, given Scranton the chance to revamp a major proportion of its faculty.

But hiring what turned out to be 82 professors in a five-year period—about one-third of the institution's tenured or tenure-track