NEW YORK, April 22, 2009 -- The following is a message from Tim Marshall, the Provost of The New School regarding recent events in the Fine Arts program at Parsons:

I am writing to you with an update on the situation in the Parsons Fine Arts program. Since our letter of April 8, 2009, we have heard from many people on the changes that are being enacted in the program. While there is considerable enthusiasm for the general direction we are moving in, there has also been concern voiced by some valued members of our faculty community. Our failure to consult and communicate adequately as we strive to broaden our Fine Arts program is simply that: a lack of communication and participation. I am committed to improving the former and working to create the conditions to enable the latter.

All annual faculty who were not assigned teaching in the Fine Arts program due to the curricular changes will be offered alternate teaching assignments appropriate their expertise. In addition, we will make every effort to offer appropriate teaching assignments to non-annual faculty. This intention was not made clear in the original memo that was sent out, which followed a more standardized protocol. We should have personally engaged the faculty about these pending changes. I want to offer my sincere apologies for these shortcomings and the discord it has caused. I will be working with Human Resources and all the New School divisions to improve this communication process so that all faculty members are properly acknowledged for the positive contributions they make to our academic community. Out-of-context quotes implying that we see these kinds of changes as ‘business as usual’ are inaccurate.

In order to transparently remedy the situation in a timely manner, we have established a faculty taskforce (including full-time and part-time members) led by Sven Travis, Dean of the School of Art, Media and Technology (AMT). This taskforce will engage in a fuller conversation about all curricular changes within the Fine Arts program that were approved by the Parsons Curriculum Committee earlier this year. They will review both the content and implementation of these changes.

I am convinced that the Fine Arts community at Parsons is poised to become stronger than ever. We are deeply committed to enrolling the most talented and diverse incoming class possible, and have made great strides toward that end in this past year. In a delicate economic climate like the one we currently face, it is imperative that we all do everything possible to succeed on this front. The good news is that the MFA has seen an upswing of interest, with applications at historically high levels and with more accepted students depositing earlier than in the past.

As Fine Arts expands its influence across Parsons, we envision many possibilities for new cross-disciplinary, curricular, and extra-curricular models. To support these ambitions, we will be creating a new Inter-Media Initiative within the School of Art, Media, and Technology to assist in the development of these projects in the years ahead. In order to enable AMT to undertake this work, we will soon be announcing a new administrative structure for the Fine Arts program moving forward.

In sum, we can and will learn from our mistakes, and we appreciate the time and energy many faculty have invested in working to better the situation. I ask that you join us in building the best possible program to welcome a great incoming class in Fall 2009.

Tim Marshall
Provost, The New School