Dear Members of the Board:
We would like to express our support for many of the recommendations contained in the Fisher Report. The Report in general appears quite reasonable, and, although we cannot agree with every recommendation, it points the University in a positive direction. In particular, we wish to note our agreement with the following recommendations or observations:
We applaud the recommendation that the University aspire to become a "Public Ivy." We agree that the University's long-run future would be enhanced if academic standards were raised, enrollment reduced, and the "Oxbridge" model of teaching and scholarship accepted as the University norm.
The Report rightly expresses concern with the direction taken in the proposed ASPT document. We agree that the virtual elimination of merit standards in salary determination is likely to produce a mediocre faculty over time.
We support the Report's view that the University should promote a substantial number of strong master's programs. We also recognize that the quality of existing programs differs considerably across departments, and we support the elimination of weak programs in order to provide more financial support for strong programs.
While the new General Education Program has many attractive features, we agree that the entire program should be reviewed. This is especially the case for Foundations of Inquiry. A substantial common core, utilized by all FOI faculty might reduce substantially the cost of teaching the course. Furthermore, the effects of the General Education Program on classes outside the program should be evaluated.
We agree that tenured faculty need to be evaluated on a regular basis. Indeed, this already occurs within the Department of Economics, since all faculty are evaluated annually according to the same standards.
While not all of the recommendations and comments made in the Fisher Report are viewed so favorably by the individuals signing this letter as are the items listed above, we do wish to express our general appreciation for the reasonable tone adopted by the Report. We believe the Report provides a basis for productive discussions among the Board, the administration, and the faculty on the future course of Illinois State University.
Sincerely,
