After a new Boston University president and provost took office earlier this fall – marking a new era in BU’s administration – The Daily Free Press is taking a look at the current and future state of each college within the university.
This is the first installment of the 10-part series.
President Robert Brown and Provost David Campbell have both pledged to institute major academic changes in all undergraduate colleges on campus, including the College of Arts and Sciences – Boston University’s largest undergraduate school.
According to CAS Dean Jeffrey Henderson, the college is the basic liberal arts resource for all of the university’s undergraduate schools.
“CAS also contains most of the traditional academic disciplines,” he said in an email. “BU must have a strong arts and sciences college if it is to improve in the rankings generally.”
A number of students, including CAS junior Sean Saval, said they chose to enroll in CAS because of its emphasis on liberal arts.
“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I got to BU,” he said. “CAS offered a lot of class options and a wide variety of majors. It gave me the opportunity to take a wide range of classes in my first two years of school.”
Henderson said he has spoken with Brown and Campbell, but no definitive plans have been made to change the school’s structure or curriculum.
“At this stage, both are in listening and learning mode, as the university moves to develop a strategic plan and a list of priorities,” he said.
Henderson arrived at BU in 1991 as Classics Department chair and became dean in 2002. He said there have been many positive changes within the college since his arrival, including the rising academic quality of CAS students, the expansion of the curriculum and adjustment of many departments and programs.
“Three major CAS-wide initiatives have been very successful – the Core Curriculum, the honors program and the writing program,” he said.
CAS junior Steve Kyriacou said the college should expand what the Core Curriculum program offers.
“I took the Core Curriculum my first two years and it was easily the most rewarding educational experience of my life,” he said. “I think the majority of freshmen and sophomores miss out because they don’t take it.”
Other students said they think the Core Curriculum is restrictive.
“I don’t like that Core has assigned classes,” Saval said. “I would like to see CAS adopt a schedule that is a little less strict and allows students to take more classes in other schools.”
Psychology Department Chair Howard Eichenbaum said although CAS has been changing, he has noticed little change within his department during his 10 years at BU.
“The Department of Psychology operates on a very level budget, which leaves no room for growth,” he said. “I’m optimistic about the possible upcoming changes because this department needs to grow.”
Henderson said CAS is subject to change in the near future, acknowledging that faculty numbers, the amount and quality of space and the operating budget have not kept pace with rising enrollments.
Kyriacou said the quality of classroom space and CAS building itself are also lacking, citing the extreme temperature differences in the rooms.
“I could have one class at CAS and it will be absolutely freezing,” he said. “But an hour later, I’ll go down the hall and my classroom will be 100 degrees. The building needs to be fixed.”
Eichenbaum noted that the psychology building is also in need of attention.
“Right now, psychology is spread across a mile and a half area,” he said. “That’s not the way to run a department. We definitely need our own building for classes as well as research.”
Other students said while the variety of courses CAS offers gives students more opportunities, the enrollment can thwart students’ odds at utilizing those opportunities.
“CAS has good class and faculty options,” CAS sophomore Katherine Sheeran said, “but it’s so big. I’m a psych major and I find it really difficult to get into my classes because there are so many people trying to take them. I’d like to see more teachers with more sections times so more people can get into the classes they want.”
Eichenbaum said the number of professors is one of the biggest issues within his department and the college in general.
“The psych department has the highest ratio of students to teachers and we are definitely understaffed,” he said. “We need to increase the number of full-time faculty. It’s the strongest thing we can do to provide students with a great education.”
CAS sophomore Jessica Taylor said few CAS professors understand the college’s advising system, and consequently cannot give students quality advice.
“It’s easy to get lost within the CAS system,” she said. “You have to be very proactive if you want to get the right help or the right advice about choosing a major or the right classes.”
For the future, Henderson said he plans to continue to deliver students what he says is an excellent liberal arts education.
“This means staying current with the latest knowledge and methods in over 70 different programs and providing the teaching and research infrastructure that each cadre of students needs,” he said.