Dean's Welcome :: CAMeNews :: Fall 2005 :: UCD College of Arts & Media

From the Dean...

CAM Swoosh Logo I want to welcome all of you to the beginning of another school year! And a special welcome to all of our new Freshmen and Transfer students! We hope your years with us will be productive and fulfilling ones as you continue to develop as artists.

The past couple of years have been challenging ones financially for the colleges in the state as a whole, and the CU system in particular. I don't think I have to tell any of you what a difficult challenge the last three years have been for us, not only in CAM, but in higher education in general in the State of Colorado. Over this time, our University lost a significant portion of our state allocation. Last year the financial support the University received from the state only paid 25% of the cost of your education. This year it has declined to 10-15%. With this dwindling support, the University was faced with the dilemma of having to either raise tuition or make serious cutbacks—cutbacks that would include the loss of faculty positions, student services, financial aid, the number of classes available, require lengthier enrollment times to graduate, and reduce classroom and building maintenance. All of these reductions would have had a serious impact on the quality of your education. These alternatives, therefore, were simply not acceptable or viable options for the University.

But what are we doing in CAM to add to this initiative on "quality"? First of all, our top budget priorities for this year were to stabilize the faculty by establishing more full-time faculty in the college, and to retain the number of new sections of high-demand classes we began offering last spring. In order to accomplish our first priority, I am happy to report we have been able to hire 5 faculty members as either 75% or 100% full-time Instructors. In addition, we have hired or added three tenured or tenure track full-time faculty, one in each of our three departments. I'm sure you will agree that the addition of these outstanding faculty members adds stability and excellence to all of our programs in CAM.

Further, we were able to permanently add sections of our high-demand classes that were temporarily added last year. We continue to upgrade our computer lab facilities and have completed an extra computer lab this year. In a year of highly competitive resources, these additions, indeed, are no small accomplishment! This is an indication of the commitment our Central Administration has to the future of CAM.

Further, we were able to permanently add sections of our high-demand classes that were temporarily added last year. We continue to upgrade our computer lab facilities and have completed an extra computer lab this year. In a year of highly competitive resources, these additions, indeed, are no small accomplishment! This is an indication of the commitment our Central Administration has to the future of CAM.

All of us at CAM want you to know that we remain committed to providing you with the best education that is possible. Without you, there is no CAM! If all of us stay focused on that goal, I am certain we will get through this current financial environment and take UCDHSC to new heights of educational excellence.

This time of learning in your life probably won’t be repeated again. I know that I still consider my undergraduate degree the best degree I ever earned. Quite simply, it changed my life forever, and I never looked at the world the same way again after that experience. So treasure it! While all can participate in lifelong learning, the concentrated set of diverse offerings available at UCD might not be so accessible again. This is a big world. Be curious. Explore. Inquire. Be introspective. Reach out. Converse and argue (in a civil manner). Question. Do this with wide open eyes, a swiveling head and all of your senses open, not with blinders on and preconceived notions. It is highly unlikely that what you think will be your career path will play out the way you fantasize it. It is just as certain that you will take with you into the future the mind and enthusiasm that you craft during your years at CAM, regardless of how you make your living. Take full advantage through full engagement and you’ll have no regrets.

We wish you the best for this school year!

Sincerely,

Kathryn G. Maes, Ph.D.
Interim Dean
College of Arts and Media