2008 Woodie Awards
President responds to request to add reform committee members
Eric Elizondo
Issue date: 10/30/07 Section: Front Page
- Page 1 of 2 next >
UST President Robert Ivany denied the request of nine departmental chairs to increase diversity on the Core Curriculum Reform Committee in a letter dated Sept. 14.
The chairs of the mathematics, chemistry, environmental studies, history, biology, psychology, political science, international studies and communication departments requested that members be added to the committee in a letter dated Sept. 7.
In the letter, the chairs asked for the addition of one representative from natural sciences and mathematics and another from the social and behavioral sciences. Additionally, they requested that one of the members be non-Catholic to represent the faculty and University students who are not Catholic.
In his response, Ivany wrote that committee members were chosen because they were respected members of the faculty whom he believed would put the mission of the University above any loyalty to their discipline or department.
"We can only be successful by laying aside both the present core curriculum and departmental loyalty," Ivany said.
Ivany also wrote that he intentionally refrained from making the committee a formulaic or mathematical representation of the University, and that the faculty should trust the committee members.
Professor Carl Scott, chair of UST's psychology department, said that although Ivany asked the faculty to trust the members of the committee, actually doing so might prove difficult.
On the same day Ivany sent the letter denying the chairs' request, the Core Curriculum Reform Committee held a meeting. Scott said that the minutes of that meeting reflect several negative comments by committee members in reference to the letter the chairs sent to Ivany.
"You can tell people to trust you, but then you watch and see what they do, and if the minutes from the meeting indicate that you can't trust them, then you either wait for them to apologize or for them to show, by their actions, that they are worthy of your trust," Scott said.
The chairs of the mathematics, chemistry, environmental studies, history, biology, psychology, political science, international studies and communication departments requested that members be added to the committee in a letter dated Sept. 7.
In the letter, the chairs asked for the addition of one representative from natural sciences and mathematics and another from the social and behavioral sciences. Additionally, they requested that one of the members be non-Catholic to represent the faculty and University students who are not Catholic.
In his response, Ivany wrote that committee members were chosen because they were respected members of the faculty whom he believed would put the mission of the University above any loyalty to their discipline or department.
"We can only be successful by laying aside both the present core curriculum and departmental loyalty," Ivany said.
Ivany also wrote that he intentionally refrained from making the committee a formulaic or mathematical representation of the University, and that the faculty should trust the committee members.
Professor Carl Scott, chair of UST's psychology department, said that although Ivany asked the faculty to trust the members of the committee, actually doing so might prove difficult.
On the same day Ivany sent the letter denying the chairs' request, the Core Curriculum Reform Committee held a meeting. Scott said that the minutes of that meeting reflect several negative comments by committee members in reference to the letter the chairs sent to Ivany.
"You can tell people to trust you, but then you watch and see what they do, and if the minutes from the meeting indicate that you can't trust them, then you either wait for them to apologize or for them to show, by their actions, that they are worthy of your trust," Scott said.