Admission update At the February 4 faculty meeting, director of admission Anita Smith announced that applications to the class of 2002 are "pushing 2,100." Although last year at this time we had received between seven and eight percent more applications, Smith said that we are on track for the second-highest total number of applications in a decade, exceeded only by last year's total. As of February 4, 2,089 applications had been received.
Smith said that "it appears that students are presenting stronger credentials this year," citing a 16 percent rise in SAT scores for the regular decision group, a rise in the ACT composite score from 26 to 27, and a slight increase (to 51 percent) in the number of applicants in the top 10 percent of their high school class. The number of applicants with alumnae connections rose by 58 percent, from 91 last year to 144 this year. There was, however, a drop in ALANA applications (438 last year, 410 this year) and in those from international students (396 last year, 340 this year). President Creighton reminded faculty that application growth is irregular by nature, and that our multiyear trend is upward. Dean of Enrollment Jane Brown will give a status report on the admission/marketing/enrollment effort at the March faculty meeting.
Job searches The dean of religious life position has been advertised and responses are coming in from across the country. Applications are due March 9. The dean of the College search drew twenty-six nominations and four applications, and President Creighton expects to announce a new dean of the College within the next month.
The dean of the faculty applicant pool has been reduced to four finalists, each of whom will give a presentation to the faculty on campus this month. They are Marilyn Hoskin, dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of New Hampshire; Caroline Brettell, professor and chair of the department of anthropology at Southern Methodist University; Donal O'Shea, Elizabeth T. Kennan Professor of Mathematics at MHC; and Gretchen Gerzina, associate dean of faculty at Vassar College. After faculty discussion about the tenure review process for the person selected as dean of the faculty, President Creighton stated that a job offer would be contingent on the relevant department or program's concurrence with a tenure decision.
Academic Policy Committee APC chair Gail Hornstein outlined her committee's ongoing discussions, reiterating that the APC has no power to make significant curricular change without first bringing the issues in question to the full faculty for deliberation. Further, she said that a December 10 memo to the faculty on redefining individual faculty appointments was intended as a means to gather further information, not as a way of bringing about such redefinitions without the full participation of the department, program, and the individual involved. The APC will report regularly to the faculty on all of its work this spring, she said. Dean of the Faculty Peter Berek added that he would not solicit or act on proposals concerning changes in faculty affiliations until after the APC reports in more detail on this and other matters at faculty meetings later this year.
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