Budget Committee Meeting
October 22, 2020 @ 9am
Attendees
Provost Michael Bruno, Dean , Abby Christi-Kim, Andrew Reilly, Barbara Yee, Debbie Wong, Jeff Goodwin, Ju-Young Kang, Karen Blakeley, Laura Lyons, Shu Lin, Wendy Pearson
Summary of Discussion
The purpose of this meeting is to circle back with the Fashion, Design and Merchandising (FDM) faculty to hear their thoughts on strengthening their program.
The Committee’s suggestions were intended to spark conversations to explore options that may strengthen the FDM program in areas of both fashion merchandising and design. Ideas for consideration include strengthening in place within the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR), merging with the Shidler College of Business, or developing strong partnerships with Management and Industrial Relations (MIR), Marketing, Theater and Dance, Art and other units on campus. CTAHR has many existing programs that partner with other units across the University, including with the medical school, engineering, and natural sciences; an FDM partnership with Shidler would be an additional area of collaboration if the program, Dean and faculty involved agree that it is the right fit. The FDM program will remain in CTAHR unless the faculty and deans of affected units come to a consensus that the FDM program would be better served in another college or school.
The FDM faculty have expressed interest in meeting with the MIR and Marketing departments to learn more about the departments and programs and to explore ways in which to strengthen their programs and help students build stronger connections. A link between merchandising, marketing and management already exists and there is room to develop creative partnerships with these units going forward. One example would be creating a special pathway for business students who are also interested in pursuing a degree with FDM. This pathway would make it easier for students to pursue their interests and attract more students to campus.
The FDM faculty are also interested in meeting with Theatre and Dance to explore opportunities for collaboration in the areas of construction and design. These departments had worked together in the past, however collaborative relationships ended when some of the faculty retired. The FDM program hopes to revisit areas in which to reduce course duplication and promote efficiencies with Theatre and Dance. The Department of Art & Art History also expressed interest in cross-disciplinary, cross-unit classes on design. It may be worthwhile to look into design software that offer units an opportunity to collaborate in various areas of design.
A critical component to the program’s strength is its funding.
- Losing access to the NIFA grant would be detrimental to the program as they would not be able to serve as a PI in multistate projects or co-PI. In addition, the program would not have funding to attend NIFA meetings. There are varying degrees of understanding around the NIFA grant. Some believe that you do not have to be in agriculture or a college of agriculture to quality for a NIFA grant, particularly if you have partnerships with these areas.
- Formula funds (capacity funds), in terms of plans of work, are under the control of the college and would remain in CTAHR.
- The program relies on funding from the college to support a large number of lecturers. During the last budget shortfall, 10 classes were cut. The Committee expects that programs will work with their deans to ensure courses are delivered and students can graduate. The Committee believes that the funding and positions associated with delivery of programs must remain with the program, including funds for lecturer and GAs.
The FDM faculty would like to have a clear understanding on how a move would impact funding; more exploration is needed to allow FDM faculty to make an informed decision on how to best preserve and strengthen the program. The Dean of CTAHR and the Committee will support the FDM faculty’s decision on where they feel they would be best served. The Committee strongly encourages the program to engage in discussion about how a stronger partnership might strengthen both Shidler and the FDM program, regardless of a merger.
Next Steps
Meet with the Shidler dean and MIR and Marketing department chairs to learn about their programs and whether some form of partnership may be beneficial for all parties.
Meet with Theatre and Dance to identify areas of collaboration around construction and design.