From the Chair

For the past few weeks, a number of faculty have been working on the department's "Request to Establish" a doctoral program in Technical and Professional Discourse.  A number of issues have been discussed: common courses for the "core" program, admissions criteria, foreign language and comprehensive examination requirements, and so on; at times, the list seems endless.  Since I have always functioned in educational settings where degree programs were already in place, I've found it fascinating to consider all the many factors related to the construction of a totally new program.

And now I've been thinking about the implications for the department when the doctoral program goes into operation, for we know that changes will be occurring and that there are many issues that we need to be considering.  For example, what is going to happen to our teaching loads?  While we need to maintain student credit hour production in order to justify the number of faculty positions assigned to the department, we'll be able to apply a much more generous formula that, in effect, makes one doctoral student count about the same as five undergraduate students.  It seems possible, then, that there will be an overall reduction in teaching load, either in terms of the number of students or in terms of the number of sections.  The department needs to consider which of those possibilities is preferable.

Additionally, students accepted for the doctoral program are likely to arrive with the requisite hours of graduate courses to meet SACS requirements for teachers.  Thus, unlike most of the students in our M.A. program, who typically spend at least two semesters in courses before they are eligible to teach (and hence teach only one or two semesters before they graduate), the doctoral students will be available as teaching assistants for three years or so.  What should their teaching loads be?  Which level of courses should they be asked to teach?

And then there is the on-going problem of space and equipment: where will the doctoral students be housed?  What computer facilities or additional equipment will we need?  Where will the money come from?

As I consider these various factors, the list of questions once more begins to seem endless.  However, I'd much prefer that the department be faced with these myriad issues and questions than not.  I look forward to the department's working toward solutions in the coming months.