The need for an A&S strategic self-assessment

It was considerate of Provost Haggett to send us today her timetable for an external “Strategic Assessment of the College of Arts and Sciences,” along with a reminder of the rationale behind it. We also received the resumes of Dr. Robert Girgus and Dr. Joan Zemsky, our tentative external evaluators. I can see nothing in these several documents to indicate our venerable liberal arts at UT will be given a fair shake by this external assessment in the hands of these two individuals. I see instead that Drs. Girgus and Zemsky are already enamored of Governor Strickland’s STEMM emphases and his shameless use of the business model in Ohio public higher education. Their report will be justifying agendas already set by the Jacob's Administration with selective STEMM-type “hard data.” Any self-described “pooh-bah” like Dr. Girgus who is paid $80,000 to evaluate the importance of the Liberal Arts component of our university and its role in the future of our university, and who has already (2005) written a book titled “Remaking the University: Mission-Centered and Market-Smart” will only waste our time and give us grief while our Administration continues to make mischief. I therefore suggest that A&S concerned students, faculty and staff along with MWM begin to compile our own expert and comprehensive A&S “Strategic Self-Assessment” for free, and then present it to the Provost, President and Board of Trustees in February of 2009 as an alternative (and more cost-effective) superior study, making sure to include the appropriate qualitative and quantitative measures of what constitutes an excellent public university education in the best interest of preserving and protecting America’s proudest and priceless democratic traditions. In our Self-Assessment Dr. Girgus' “Market-smart” recommendations will for reasons most obvious and understandable be found foolish.