The Michigan Daily-Thursday, September 4, 1980-Pag.5-A
By MITCH STUART
PBilly Frye became the University's
vibe -president for academic affairs
jh'July 1. His appointment comes
at a time of extreme economic har-
~ipfor the University and the en-
tru country. In an interview with
Lq~ily staff writer Mitch Stuart, Frye
dispussed his views on the problems
cpofronting the University, and his
w.responsibuities as vice-presi-
DAILY: Whit is the major problem
the University will face in the next few
y' RYE: The major problem will be a
cdnmlex set of things which you can
d setibe in this way: Managing a no-
10owth or possibly shrinking budget in
a'why that will maintain and hopefully
even 4build quality programs within the
Uiversity.
YDAILY: How will you deal with this
. tuation in your new capacity?
tFRYE: It gets down to a question of
pi egram management on all levels.
Ad"for me it's going to mean very
largely a matter of building an infor-
mtion base and procedures that will
A1lbw the University administration
ahtd'the faculty to make the best
jWdgments about where to put our
rtibureds-and by implication, where
tm 'thke them away-where to shrink
Oidwhere to develop.
.1YAILY: It was mentioned at the
(June) Regents meeting that it will be
veny" important to look at faculty
piVtotions and tenure decisions to
make sure the University doesn't make
ep
Frye discusses the
'U,
0
long-term commitments it can't keep.
How important will fiscal restraint be
in making those decisions?
FRYE: Promotion decisions will be
tougher-they have gotten tougher.
How much tougher they will get I don't,
know. My opinion is, in the parts of the
University I know, that they've
toughened up very substantially
already, and it may well be that there is
room for more tightening up of stan-
dards. To this date, to my knowledge,
we have not denied a promotion for
budgetary reasons. It may well be that
at some point we'll find ourselves
facing that question of the University's
financial need independently of faculty
merit. I hope we will not reach the point
where we review a young assistant
professor's record and say, "This is a
superb individual, but financial cir-
cumstances prevent us from promoting
this individual." If we do come to a
point where there-has to be program
reduction-if we were to discontinue an
entire unit-then clearly, at least the
non-tenured faculty in that unit would
be discharged. And that clearly
wouldn't be a question of merit, but a
question of a decision largely
motivated-but not entirely-by finan-
cial reasons. I say "not entirely"
because hopefully we would find a coin-
cidence between the individual need of
the institution and units that are less
central and perhaps of weaker quality
overall than others.
DAILY: All the University ad-
ministrators are very concerned
about maintaining the University's
drawing power for top-notch faculty.
Billy Frye,
vice-president for
academic affairs
program of high quality will remain the
same size or grow. Quality is not com-
mensurate with size or vice versa.
Quality is a crfterion, but it is not an
ultimate protector against budget
reductions.
" Demand. It is clearly a criterion to
which we should respond. Some
programs, such as computer science
and business administration, will con-
tinue to have the student enrollment
and demand, unlike certain other
areas.
* Intellectual centrality. I can't
imagine, for example, irrespective of
whether students think there are jobs in
the field or not, an English department
below a certain size because of its cen-
tral importance. Music, similarly. In-
tellectual centrality is really two dif-
ferent things: Centrality could mean
that a field is central to the curriculum,
say mathematics, and consequently it
simple has a certain instructional load
to bear, that's not likely to be modified.
That's somewhat different than the role
math as a subject plays in the scholarly
life of an institution. Now they may
coincide-math may be central in both
senses, and I think it is-but they are
somewhat different.
" New areas. Nobody has a crystal
ball, but we ought to be doing the best
we can to judge what the potential in-
tellectual development of a field is. If
we see important new ideas surfacing,
which should be given the opportunity
to flourish and grow on this campus,
then we've got a strong responsibility to
encourage that possibility. You can't
just use the kind of retrospective
criterion of where a field is at. You have
to also look and see where it is going.
There has to be some creative ad-
ministration.
DAILY: A computer engineering
graduate has a starting salary of more
than $20,000 per year, but a humanities
graduate has a hard time finding a job.
How is that going to affect the ad-
ministration's priorities?
FRYE: I believe we have to be
responsive to the student demand, and
when enrollments go up as they presen-
tly are in engineering and business,
that has to be one of the considerations
for the allocation of instructional
resources. On the other hand, we must
not pull back from the lower-enrolled
areas unduly. You've also got to make
sure that you dampen out the "short-
run oscillation"-you don't want to
make foolish decisions to grow here and
shrink there only to have to turn around
tomorrow and do it all over again.
DAILY: What do you think of the
phrase "education for education's
sake?"
FRYE: If it means what I think it
means, I think everything of it. I think
to look at education, particularly on the
undergradaute level, simple in terms of
employability is to take a very, very,
narrow view of its potential.
Daily staff Mitch Stuart covers Re-
gents and University A dministration
" for the Daily.
___
What will happen to that drawing power
if promotions decrease?
FRYE: Of course if the number of
appointments we can make are
reduced, then our opportunities to bring
in outstanding new junior faculty will
be decreased. What you have to do is
balance these forces out as best you
can. Some of the steps that will have to
be taken are bound to work somewhat
to our detriment. We will play the game
in a manner that maintains or in-
creases our position relative to our peer
institutions-to manage this problem
no worse than, and if possible, better
than anybody else.
DAILY: How is the uncertainty in
the state's (fiscal 1980-81) higher
education budget affecting your budget
planning?
FRYE: We are coming up against a
decision very soon of whether to
proceed with an extension of last year's
budget or to go ahead and enact the
budget for next year based upon our
best prediction of what the state
allocation might be. We're ready to have
to decide by the July Regents meeting
(July 17 and 18) because they will have
to enact the budget-if we delay any
longer than that we've effectively
chosen to wait until the state acts.
DAILY: Since program decisions
are so vital, what kinds of criteria will
you use to decide which programs to
cut?
FRYE: The notion of program
reduction is in the air. What we haven't
done is deal with the procedures and the
strategic questions of how to go about
it. We haven't really specifically set up
criteria. But it's not as if I don't have
some notion of those criteria; it's not as
if we haven't thought about this often
and long over the past several years.
What kinds of criteria ought to affect
whether a unit grows or is reduced?
" Quality. You can't simply say that a
MSA president urges
,students to activate
other voices
q'The University of Michigan is'
frequently depicted as a large
totporation. The University's Board of
Regents is identical in design to
Chrysler's Board of Directors. The ad-
aninsstration performs like, and is as
bureaucratic as GM's management. By
extending the analogy we may liken the
culty to workers in a factory. Even
'th all of these similarities there is a
defective component in the analogy.
While shareholders in a corporation
bxert significant influence on the direc-
tioneof their company, students at the
Uhiversity of Michigan, one of the
kawgest single bodies of investors in that
ftvorporation," have very little impact
on the governance of the institution.
I have been told by administrators
ji faculty members that the the
University of Michigan would not exist
f it were a democratic institution. How
can the University teach its students
democracy when it refutes the principle
in its undemocratic attitudes and prac-
tices?
Today's students have lost the power
to affect the direction of their Univer-
sity. Unlike their predecessors of the
1960's, University of Michigan students
1Na'e not demanded their rights to par-
ticipate in the governance of this in-
Vtltution. The general complacency of
y~. '
minority students can only be achieved
by overhauling and re-humanizing the
University's supportive services. We
also believe that the elimination of
racism in the institution can be
facilitated by open forums that would
uncover problems wherever they exist
and discuss ways of solving them.
The concern of students and MSA
with course evaluations has been in-
creasing in the last several years. As
students have had virtually no influen-
ce on the decisions of faculty hiring and
promotion, and since we feel that these
decisions are among the most impor-
tant to students, MSA decided last year
to initiate a program to allow students
to evaluate their courses and
professors. We felt that the former
evaluation procedures were incon-
sistent and inadequate. The initial ap-
plication of the MSA course evaluation
program proved a success with more
than 85% of LSA students completing
the questionaire. We intend to publish
the results of the evaluation in Novem-
ber for student use in selecting courses
for the 1981 Winter Term. We also hope
that the results of this survey will be
acknowledged as the student viewpoint
and eventually included in the faculty
hiring and promotion decision-making
process.
A
welcome from the mayor
WELCOME TO ANN ARBOR FROM ALL
110,000 OF US "ANN ARBORITES!"
We hope that you will find your new
exciting and intellectually stimulating.
city
Ann Arbor and the -University of Michigan
have literally grown up together and the "town
and growth" relationship is one that has flour-
ished over the past 150 years. Many great people
call or have called "Ann Arbor" home at one
time or another. The University has the distinc-
tion of having the largest body of living alumni
of any university in the United States, so Ann
Arbor is a well-known city for its size.
High technology research and manufactur-
ing firms along with tourism, retail stores and
the University form the backbone of our com-
merce. Our citizens come from every State in
the Union, and our many international cit'zens
give the city a cosr opolitan flavor encompass-
ing many lifestyles.
Whether it is a crisp autumn afternoon in
Michigan Stadium, a beer with friends at one of
the many "watering holes;" Eugene Ormandy
filling Hill Auditorium with wonderful sounds; a
moring browsing in one of the many book stores;
or just lazying in the sun on the "Diag"--all of
these and many more delicious experiences will
be yours.
Enjoy!
Louis Belcher,
mayor, City of
Ann Arbor
Sincerely,
Louis D. Belcher
Mayor
SUSSMANRE VIEWS THE GRAD SCHOOL
Ag newcomer's guide to Rackham
Marc Breakstone,,
Michigan Student
Assembly President
e U of M student body has resulted in
a recession of many of the innovative
pcademic changes that were evolved
4pr~ing previous years. Students can
,nake a creative contribution to the
gpyernance of the University, yet we
mt keep in mind that an effective
student role in University decision-
making is not a privilege that is gran-
-0d, but rather a task that must con-
stantly be pursued.
The focal point for the organization of
student interests on campus is the
,Michigan Student Assembly. As the all-
caipus student government at the
Vniversity of Michigan, MSA has
'become the most effective advocate of
student needs in the University com-
jinity. Our basic responsibility is to
you, the student. Within this framework
for action, we can foresee no limits to
a-ur efforts to satisfy the needs of
,students. In order for us to be effective,
4hmwever, we rely on your participation
Sand support.
6 At present several issues on campus
'1iave captured the attention of student
concern. MSA has historically been one
of the most active advocates of the
rAinpds of minority students in the
The Michigan Student Assembly is
equally concerned with issues regar-
ding the quality of student life at the
University. The Ann Arbor housing
crisis and its effects on students is one
of them. Rents in Ann Arbor are exhor-
bitant and housing facilities are
generally inferior. In response to this
dilemma, MSA, along with PIRGIM
and the Ann Arbor Tenants' Union, is
organizing a tenants' rights conference
for October. We hope that this con-
ference will serve as a springboard to
initiate more efforts to solve the
housing problem.
Other important issues that MSA will
be addressing this year are
strengthening campus security, chan-
neling student input into the Michigan
Union renovation, improving health
services, and increasing student study
space on campus.
The Michigan Student Assembly's ef-
forts will be futile without the active
support and participation of all studen-
ts on campus. In addition to your fun-
damental obligation as a student to get
involved in these activities, you have an
even greater obligation to yourself to
enhance vour educational exnAriene
The University of Michigan's
reputation as a premiere institution of
higher learning is based on a unique
admixture of excellent undergraduate
and graduate programs. All graduate
programs leading to the Ph.D. and
M.A. degrees, and some other
professional doctoral and master's
programs, are supervised by the,
Graduate School. The Graduate School
confers about 600 doctoral degrees and
2,100 master's degrees annually,
representing over 120 separate
graduate programs, which include
departmental offerings as well as ap-
proximately 30 interdisciplinary
programs. While the work of students
toward their degrees is taken in depar-
tments and interdisciplinary programs,
certain policies and procedures are set
by the Graduate School. What are these
special functions?
The major role of the Graduate
School, performed in conjunction with
the other schools and colleges and the
departments and programs, is to en-
sure the high quality of Michigan
graduate degrees. This is accomplished
by the efforts of its Executive Board,
which consists of faculty members,
students, and administrators who
deliberate weekly through the school
year. Policies which are set by the
Graduate School include those that
relate to admissions decisions,
fellowship and dissertation support, the
establishment and evaluation of new
Alfred Sussman,
Rackham Graduate
School Dean
ensure better communication.
Graduate students seeking information
regarding supplemental financial
assistance with budgeting, or help in
locating other resources available to
graduate students, are encouraged to
use this counseling service whether- or
not they are receiving direct financial
assistance from the Office of Financial
Aid. While graduate students may still
make appointments at the Office of
Financial Aid (2100 SAB), they may
also take advantage of the counseling
services at Rackham.
Minority Affairs. This office places
special emphasis on minority recruit-
ment and retention. It works to ensure
that in addition to their academic
programs, graduate minority students
have access to "personal and academic
counseling, to opportunities for
fellowship awards and teaching or
research assistantships, and to cultural
and social events within the com-
munity.
Also, under the auspices of Dean
Deskins, is the Minority Advisory
Committeescharged with advising the
Dean and Executive Board on all
academic and administrative issues
pertaining to graduate minority affairs.
Women's Affairs. The Women's Af-
fairs component of the Office of Student
Affairs is charged with adising the
Dean and Executive Board of all aspec-
ts of the graduate experience of
women; particularly, admissions and
1980 issue of Rackham Reports, a jour-
nal produced by the Graduate School to
this subject.
As a way of introducing the functions
of the Graduate School to students in
more detail, the separate offices con-
cerned with these functions will be
described below.
The Graduate Admissions Office. The
Graduate Admissions Office (110
Rackham, 764-8129) is responsible for
coordinating graduate admissions fun-
ctions, recording the reporting ad-
mission date, providing foreign ad-
mission services, and conducting
studies which contribute to admission
Office of Student Affairs. The Office
.of Student Affairs assists students and
departments by administering the sup-
port services component of the
Graduate School. Included within this
component are Fellowships, Minority
Affairs, Women's Affairs and
Academic Appeals.
Fellowships. The Fellowship Office is
responsible for the administration, ac-
counting and processing of a variety of
fellowships which include the
following: University Fellowships,
University Fellowships for Minority
Students, First Year/Michigan College
Fellowships, Barbour Fellowships for