Government and economics have merged into one academic department as part of a cost-cutting move at this college, administrators say.
One of the reasons smaller departments merged with bigger ones was to cut expenses, said Dr. Jessica Howard, vice president of academic affairs.
“Government and economics can share unit assistants and also can share costs,” said Dr. Conrad D. Krueger Sr., dean of arts and sciences.
When academic departments merge, one chairperson represents two departments while the other chairperson steps down and teaches more classes; this reduces the cost of hiring more adjuncts, administrators said. Economics, the smaller department, has six full-time faculty and four adjuncts, so it was merged with government, the larger department, with 11 full-time faculty and 14 adjuncts.
“It’s more work for the same pay. Now I have to teach four classes instead of one or two,” said Dr. Bruce Norton, economics program coordinator. “Also I do scheduling, take care of the Web site and work on book orders.”
Administration combined government and economics into one department not only for economic reasons, but also to spur programmatic improvement at the college, Howard said.
By bringing together certain departments, administrators believe a stronger sense of collaboration will occur within the two subject areas, officials said.
“I think the opportunity for collegial exchange in teaching innovations will increase since the disciplines are so similar,” Howard said.
The idea of merging departments was first proposed as a possibility in the spring of 2009 and became final on Aug. 1.
“All organizations restructure themselves from time to time,” said Dr. Paul Wilson, chair of government and economics. “When change happens, it ripples through the organizations.”
Even though the merger did not come as shock, the two departments had a lot to figure out before the school year began, Wilson said. Government and economic professors had to figure out how to share classrooms, find more office space and maximize supplies. Wilson said he worried about giving economics an equal representation when he attended meetings.
“The mechanical problems of the merger were a nuisance, but what’s important is maintaining the voice of the economist,” Wilson said.
Wilson’s first priority was making sure economics remains visible throughout the campus. Before the merger, economics was a small but growing department, but budget expenses led to the merger.
“We thought we were doing fine,” said Norton. “Faculty members wished we stayed a department, but the merge was necessary.”
The two social science departments were not foreign to one another and had worked on many projects. When the merger occurred, it was not hard for them to get along. Communicating with one another was not a challenge, those interviewed said.
“The six individuals have been very receptive and incredibly involved with me. On a personal level, I thank them,” Wilson said.
“The nice thing is Dr. Wilson is friendly and open-minded, a good chair to work with,” Norton said.
Administration and chairs have worked side by side with one another previously. The deans and chairs come together so they can find a way to make informed and beneficial decisions.
“We want to have a strong flow of communication,” Howard said. “We trust our chairs. They have helped us and will help us in the future.
“Our goal is to educate, and if efficiency helps with that, let’s do it, but if the plan hinders, we shouldn’t do it,” Wilson said.
Krueger said he believes the departments will make stronger programs for students.
“No one can serve our students any better,” he said.
With the change came a mountain of obstacles. One secretary now has to assist 35 faculty members and deal with 9,000 students, Norton said.
“Some of the faculty members would like more secretarial help,” he said. “The secretary is great but takes a lot of burden.”
Wilson believes the hardest part is economics losing its autonomy.
These are six full-time individuals who are not a stand-alone organization, but a part of a larger organization, he said.
“They should be commended for the pride they take in being economics instructors,” he said.
What the department also worries about is the danger of not offering students the same level of services as in the past.
“Change often brings a challenge with it, so we will see how things go,” Howard said.
The merger is still new, and the future of it still unknown to the department, but faculty say they are keeping a positive approach.
“No one pays to watch a one-ball juggler,” Wilson said. “I’m not going to cry about having more things to do.”
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