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[dr_pi]

I’m interested in some advice from those affiliated with interdisciplinary programs. My program at a SLAC, as with many such programs, relies primarily on faculty members “borrowed” from the related departments around campus, who teach courses required for our students but offered by the other departments.

We face a structural problem to which I can’t see a solution. Each of the related departments, of course, has control over hiring for its faculty. As the founding faculty members who teach in the interdisciplinary program move toward retirement, their home departments are under no obligation to hire replacements who can teach the particular specialty courses required for my students. I have talked with a few colleagues from other institutions who have faced similar problems, and their programs have folded under the pressure.

Has anyone had successful experience with such an interdisciplinary program, and if so, how was its long-term survival managed? Any other advice about how to help this kind of department flourish?

[mtnlover]

Start small - we had had some minor successes with it but as each program has it's own accreditation criteria it creates a bit of work.  I involved the Dean, then my faculty couldn't just look at it as more work I was asking of them.  We started with 2 shared courses and built from that.

[notaprof]

Dr Pi,

I think you need to post this in another thread.  In my experience, this thread is not as active as others and some faculty may ignore it all together so you would be more likely to get responses elsewhere.  I think this is an important question, we have a similar situation at my school so I would like to see more helpful people responding.

[britjane]

Dr. Pi,

I work for an honors-level interdisciplinary program in a larger setting and we suffer the same problems. 300 students, 19-20 courses per AY and "borrowed" faculty from all across the College. Our Dean was instrumental in persuading Chairs that teaching for our program was equivalent to teaching in the home department (as faculty would likely be teaching some of their own majors). Several departments have embraced the philosophy (sophistry?) and jumped on board. It is a constant struggle, though.

[sirkdn]

Get the Dean or Provost to clearly state that the allocation of faculty lines to departments will depend upon their ability to mention (and support) "interdisciplinary program A" in the 'required skills' in their faculty searches.  While this will not guarantee compliance, most depts will go along.

Also, you would need to build teaching/research in these areas into the faculty reward structure... also a Dean/Provost issue...

[dr_pi]

Dr Pi,

I think you need to post this in another thread.  In my experience, this thread is not as active as others and some faculty may ignore it all together so you would be more likely to get responses elsewhere.  I think this is an important question, we have a similar situation at my school so I would like to see more helpful people responding.

Notaprof,
   Thanks very much for the suggestion. I'd wondered at the relative lack of response, since interdisciplinary programs seem pretty widespread - fortunately, the responses that have come in have been helpful, and I appreciate your thoughts, sirkdn, britjane, and dlevine13. I'll take Notaprof's advice and try reposting, I guess in "Mid-Career" since the others seem even further off. Wish us luck!

Dr. Pi

[francie_]

Pr. Pi,
You might ask the Moderator to move this thread for you, rather than re-posting it.  The Mod Squad has awesome powers!  I would actually like to see it posted on In the Classroom, however. 

I'm interested in this topic too, as I participated in a pilot freshman-year interdisciplinary program way back when.  The fate of such programs has always concerned me.  The administrative hurdles, not to mention "territorial" issues of faculty hiring, usually seems to kill the programs before they have a chance to grow.

Good luck!

[prof_d]

It might help if you have Centers to house the faculty or orient them, anyway.  This probably works better for schools with sponsored research, because you can award collaboration better by higher overhead returns to faculty who partcipate in the center/institute.

It can be useful if your dean/vpaa will allow faculty to hold dual appointments in departments. I wouldn't recommend it for new professors, but it might do well for those with tenure.  Even if the new ones, it can work if the contract is very clear on how tenure evaluation will take place.  Dicey, however.

You could combine departments into one.

If you are accredited by SACS, you could have things interdisciplinary as a QEP. If you are accredited by HLC/NCA and in AQIP, you can build it into the Systems Portfolio or the problem into an Action Project. That way you have to report to an external entity.

What was once interdisciplinary can always become a new department.  I mean, if it is attracting students regularly and demand is up, why not?

Last, you can let the course and maybe even program die and move on to new interdisciplinary things based on the enthusiasms of new faculty. 

Whatever you do, it's important to find out if this is a program that can attract students or improve the teaching/scholarship of the faculty. Is it one that with more $$ and people could be stellar? Then prove it to your dean/provost/enrollment management/alumni. Are faculty publishing in it or at least showing the school flag at conferences?  That's good.