Ever wonder why the word “railroading” came into use to describe a plan or idea being pushed ahead too quickly or forcefully? Just picture the scene in “Back to the Future Part III”, where Doc Brown’s tricked-out locomotive goes soaring over the edge of a cliff after the time machine disappears in flaming tire tracks.
We mention this not just to laud a classic ’80s motion-picture masterpiece, but to add an image to go with a fairly abstract concept: the proposed restructuring of the University of Wisconsin’s graduate school and research programs.
Since the semester began, whispers of a new plan have amplified into general outcry from students, faculty and staff about a proposal to change the graduate school’s structure at the highest level.
The proposal came up quickly, and with little input from anywhere but the mind of Provost Paul DeLuca and the upper echelons of university administration.
And it’s not that we even think the change would necessarily be a bad one. Nor are the faculty who are wary of the change necessarily convinced it would be harmful either. The problem is all in the timing.
The restructuring itself is too nebulous an idea right now to say whether it’ll be good or bad. Outside the obvious effect of adding a vice chancellor for research distinct from the dean of the graduate school, ramifications and organizational structures remain murky. The proposal could do as Mr. DeLuca promises and add the necessary oversight to avoid future mistakes, missed chances or close calls, allowing UW programs to compete for even bigger projects.
On the other hand, the proposal could change the bottom-up atmosphere of UW research some professors claim is the formula for the school’s success and at the same time fail to fix the real problem of lower-management weaknesses.
Graduate research is UW’s bread and butter. Our prestige as a university rests heavily on the achievements of our researchers, who function at an appropriately mammoth scale — to the tune of almost $1 billion in annual expenditures. The formula that has brought the university so much success and growth shouldn’t be tinkered with too lightly. That includes sweeping changes that could have negative functional effects as well as the potential to upset or discourage the researchers themselves.
And that discouragement isn’t just a threat to morale. The proposal’s path up to this point largely disregards the deeply ingrained institution of shared governance at this university. It’s an important concept for UW across the board, and it’s one that sets us apart from competing institutions. The Faculty Senate is responsible for asserting shared governance rights if they continue to be overlooked by Mr. DeLuca.
Therefore, we urge the Faculty Senate to vote in favor of a resolution to pause the graduate school restructuring process until more details are nailed down.
Give ad hoc committees and the faculty who will be most directly affected a chance to truly evaluate the plan. Until then, put on the brakes so the train doesn’t come of the tracks.
