The president of the University at Albany warned on Friday that the institution, which is part of the State University of New York, will have to take some difficult “next steps” over the next two years to meet its budget challenges, trimming the equivalent of 160 full-time positions and probably phasing out five programs. The president, George M. Philip, ordered the suspension of new admissions to the five programs—classics, French, Italian, Russian, and theater. “I think it’s fair to say they are planning on closing these programs,” Phillip Smith, president of the union that represents SUNY professors and other employees, told the Times Union, a newspaper in Albany. This summer, the State Legislature rejected a package sought by SUNY’s chancellor, Nancy L. Zimpher, that would have allowed public universities more autonomy to raise tuition and earn money in other ways.
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14 Responses to U. at Albany Will Lose More Jobs and Probably Close 5 Programs
huguesmarchal - October 3, 2010 at 8:43 pm
The official page for SUNY-Albany on Facebook pictures an “an internationally recognized public research institution”, host to “more than 18,000 students”. Well, to put it very bluntly, there is no chance that an institution of that size may still be acknowledged by the international academic circles, if its students do not have opportunities to learn and master a significant spectrum of foreign languages. For centuries, this ability has been a part of the definition of academic excellence, and, at least from an European point of view, no sane parents would send their children in such a poor learning environment. This decision shows some uncanny disregard for what may have been created and still is supposed to appear in other cultures. If one of the primary goal and function of a university consists in nurturing an interest in ways of thinking that are alien to the students and that challenge their habits, in order to prepare a generation to inhabit the world, I think that many foreign universities will also think twice before sending exchange students to SUNY-Albany.Hugues MarchalUniversité de la Sorbonne nouvelle – Paris 3
ametaxas - October 4, 2010 at 8:06 am
It is hard to believe that a University that has been providing an outreach program to hundreds of New York State high schools may leave them all in the lurch. What will happen to the respective French, Italian and Russian programs in the high schools if only Spanish continues to be offered in the University in the High Schools Programs? Even though, nationwide, there tends to be seven or eight times as many Spanish students as French and Italian, who will looking out for the academic needs of this remaining 20%? Not to mention that the rest of the countries in the world study two foreign languages while U.S. students are still struggling to learn just one language other than their native one. Where will they be able to get the opportunity if we are narrowed down the spectrum to just Spanish?To me this is unthinkable. Especially in the case of French, a language spoken in some 45 countries on nearly every continent and a culture with whom we share many bonds historically, not to mention the great respect we hold for SUNY Albany professors and their academic accomplishments. This feels quite like a new “Dark Ages” to me.Anne MetaxasSuffern High SchoolWorld Languages Department ChairpersonSuffern, New York
janesdaughter - October 4, 2010 at 8:24 am
If the comment from M. Marchal does not fill the university with alarm, I don’t imagine a similar sentiment from an alumna would make any difference. But after reading the proposed “solution” to their cuts in funding, I’m embarrassed to say that Albany was my alma mater.
jffoster - October 4, 2010 at 9:00 am
Messieus et Folks, One might want to approach this with a measure of calm. Read a couple of the local Albany news releases and stories I have, and it appears to me that SUNY Albany is simply closing the MAJORS in Classics, French, Italian, and Russian. They are not necessarily suspending all instruction in these. In general, and excepting places like Northern Maine and South Lousiana, Spanish is most likely to be of more utility to most Americans than most other languages other than English. No university or college can offer instruction in every language, let alone offer enough advanced courses to justify a major, especially when the demand for that major is small to tiny. I wonder, for instance, how many of the world’s roughly 6000 languages are actually taught in the “World Languages Department” at Suffern High School (2). If your students want to continue with Italian they may yet be able to do so at Albany, If they want to study Welsh, they’ll need to go to someplace like Prifysgol Afon Fawr ~ Rio Grande University in Ohio, or Wales. Or Argentina. Have the statistics on foreign students at SUNY Albany I don’t but I’ll bet most of them are not from Yurp, particularly not from Western Yurp. They’re more apt to be from Asia, Latin America, or Subsaharan Africa. And while the language of instruction at Albany is of course English, I note that the Linguistics major is for the moment intact so that if they really want to find out how languages work, there remains a good opportunity. But a student who wants to study Geological Engineering is not very likely to fail to apply to the Colorado, or South Dakota, School of Mines or the Missouri University of Science and Technology on the basis of whether those colleges offer a major in French. Or Breton, or Occitan.
jffoster - October 4, 2010 at 9:02 am
Pardon, s’il vous plaît — “Messieurs”.
22162971 - October 4, 2010 at 9:27 am
It is unfortunate that the language MAJORS will be closed, but the MINORS will still be available. Although these foreign languages are necessary for students to compete globally, it actually is not such a bad thing for NYS. Most of the skills required to remain and work in the state of NY (a huge problem since many leave the state for opportunities elsewhere)are still offered, and the more students who stick around and find jobs in NY, the better for the state economy.
tatanka - October 4, 2010 at 10:13 am
To argue that “only” majors are affected is to ignore the fact that, absent their major programs, these disciplines will become “service” disciplines, offering at best nuts and bolts introductory and intermediate courses. Over time it will become virtually impossible to attract talented new faculty (assuming there will be any new hiring in these fields), since the one carrot larger public institutions can offer their faculty–to offset heavy teaching loads and large classes–is the ability to teach upper-level courses in their specialty. Am I the only one troubled by the fact that all four of these imperiled programs are in the humanities?
22011344 - October 4, 2010 at 10:19 am
Communications that I have read from faculty affected at SUNY-Albany state clearly that the entire programs in the languages are being closed, not just the majors. French, Russian, and Italian offered degrees through the Ph.D. Everyone got pink slips except for a skeleton crew of the most senior faculty who will be “allowed” to remain until the current majors at BA, MA and Ph.D. finish. Then, they, too, will be out of work. The Chronicle should do a more thorough job of reporting. Maybe it would if it worried less about its advertising income??
22258596 - October 4, 2010 at 10:34 am
There is no money in NYS. The NYS Assembly (read “Sheldon Silver”) holds SUNY captive because it is an “upstate institution” (read “not in his district”). Carl Paldino may be wrong on almost everything, b ut he is correct when he speaks of a dictator who damages upstate. It’s a shame. SUNY’s vision and mission and current chancellor are all magnificent.
22258596 - October 4, 2010 at 10:35 am
that’s Carl Paladino…
krumkill - October 4, 2010 at 12:47 pm
The closings do mean that in 2 years the faculties of those programs will be terminated. To tatanka, yes many of us are very upset that all of the positions were in the arts and humanities. I suspect the availability of grant money had something to do with it. Dreading whatever happens next.
enadler - October 4, 2010 at 1:27 pm
I, too, am fearful that this may be the wave of the future. It is too terrible to think that the arts and humanities may be on the chopping block in the so-called “relevant, enterpreneurial university of the 21st century.”Elsa Nadler
enrollment_vp - October 6, 2010 at 7:51 pm
Some facts for you all. Their are currently about 2000 8th grade through 12th grade students in all of NYS that have expressed an interest in studying foreign language in college. That is not sustainable. Colleges are at a crossroads and cannot cut faculty so staff take the burden. The only way to cut faculty at most institutions is to eliminate the major. Cut 10 faculty jobs, save a million dollars a year. How much revenue do language students bring anyway. As for the fears of the humanities, what have you all done to make yourselves relevant in the 21st century. Have you all been out recruiting future students for your majors and educating high school students on the value of the broad based education. I am a firm believer in the liberal arts but the reality is that we do a terrible job of explaining what that means to potential students and parents. The job a student may have in 20 years probably has not even been invented yet and nothing will prepare them better than the ability to think and solve problems. That said, if you fear for your programs, get off your duff and do something about it unless of course your union won’t allow you to.
concernedhumanist - October 7, 2010 at 8:18 am
In this increasingly “global” world, competence with languages is seen as an advantage in almost any area. While it may be true that the number of students who wish to major in and focus on the study and teaching of languages has declined, it does not logically follow that the study of languages is therefore irrelevant. In some 10 or 20 years, white non-Hispanics will be a minority population in the U.S. (suggesting the increasing importance of Spanish) and–more significant, I think–the economic center of importance will have shifted more towards the pacific rim (which is suggestive of the need to apply more resources towards the study of languages), not less. And with regards to revenue, languages programs ARE revenue streams. Again, perhaps this is not when you calculate the figure with the number of faculty, but if you do so with the number of enrolled students, especially when you consider the following 1) language professors (tenured or otherwise) tend to be among a university’s lowest paid faculty; 2) a significant percentage of language classes are taught by adjuncts, lecturers, TAs, or other non-tenurable faculty. 3) what are the start-up costs for a language faculty? –almost nothing: in this day and age, a language lab is hardly even necessary, as long as the university licenses the relevant software. I argue that the job market for LANGUAGE majors (minors, concentrators) is perhaps better than that of English majors. Are people calling for the elimination of the now almost universal “Composition” classes? No. Because they rightly recognize that writing is a skill that is needed across disciplines.