2008 Woodie Awards
MS3 to stay in PREE department
By Kim Dishler
Rocket Editor-in-Chief
Issue date: 4/1/05 Section: News
The Master of Science in Sustainable Systems program (MS3) will remain in the parks and recreation/environmental education department (PREE) after weeks of deliberation about the program's future.
The MS3 program has been housed in the PREE department since its inception in 1990, despite originally intending to be a temporary move. At the end of February the program was reviewed by the department of geology, geography and the environment (GG&E), whose faculty voted on whether to accept the MS3 program and its two current faculty members. The 13 GG&E faculty voted by majority to accept the program.
On Wednesday, March 23 President Robert Smith met with representatives from both departments. Then Friday Smith, Interim Provost Bill Williams and Interim Dean Susan Hannam met to make the final decision as to where the MS3 program would end up.
"The decision was that it is already integrated with other faculty and resources (in PREE)," Smith said. "GG&E put two conditions on acceptance that made it impossible to agree."
Those conditions were the moving of MS3 professors Steven Doherty and Bruno Borsari to the GG&E department along with the program. With two less faculty in PREE, they felt the department would be burdened.
"The faculty in MS3 also taught Parks and Rec classes so that would have been a real blow to that department," Smith said.
Borsari said that is one problem he has with staying in the PREE department.
"I'm teaching recreation classes," he said. "I'm not qualified, it's an injustice to the students."
Though the faculty positions will remain in the PREE department, the two current professors probably will not.
With this decision, Doherty, who was recommended for non-renewal by his department, will not be returning to SRU in the fall. Borsari still has an application for tenure going through administration, which guarantees him at least two more semesters at SRU.
"I would think I would follow a similar fate (as Doherty)," Borsari said. "So 2005-06 would be my last year."
The MS3 program has been housed in the PREE department since its inception in 1990, despite originally intending to be a temporary move. At the end of February the program was reviewed by the department of geology, geography and the environment (GG&E), whose faculty voted on whether to accept the MS3 program and its two current faculty members. The 13 GG&E faculty voted by majority to accept the program.
On Wednesday, March 23 President Robert Smith met with representatives from both departments. Then Friday Smith, Interim Provost Bill Williams and Interim Dean Susan Hannam met to make the final decision as to where the MS3 program would end up.
"The decision was that it is already integrated with other faculty and resources (in PREE)," Smith said. "GG&E put two conditions on acceptance that made it impossible to agree."
Those conditions were the moving of MS3 professors Steven Doherty and Bruno Borsari to the GG&E department along with the program. With two less faculty in PREE, they felt the department would be burdened.
"The faculty in MS3 also taught Parks and Rec classes so that would have been a real blow to that department," Smith said.
Borsari said that is one problem he has with staying in the PREE department.
"I'm teaching recreation classes," he said. "I'm not qualified, it's an injustice to the students."
Though the faculty positions will remain in the PREE department, the two current professors probably will not.
With this decision, Doherty, who was recommended for non-renewal by his department, will not be returning to SRU in the fall. Borsari still has an application for tenure going through administration, which guarantees him at least two more semesters at SRU.
"I would think I would follow a similar fate (as Doherty)," Borsari said. "So 2005-06 would be my last year."
