I hope you are all somewhat familiar with the Academic and Administrative Program Review (AAPR) that is happening as a part of addressing Oberlin’s financial situation.

This set of articles and the associated links provides information on the AAPR:  https://bit.ly/2PDSrg7

This link provides the most recent update about the AAPR process:  https://bit.ly/2RVQMVj

We have just learned that a series of teleconferences will be scheduled soon for alumni to provide us with updates.  The first will be on February 5.

Please feel free to email me any questions you have, and I will do my best to get answers.  Thanks.  Or if you have comments, you can add them to this discussion thread.

Walt Galloway   Chair 1969 50^th Reunion
whgalloway@verizon.net

Hi fellow '69ners,

I want to share with you some concerns about what's going on at Oberlin today with the hope that we might be willing to hold a forum about it at our reunion. 

Because my son graduated from Obelrin last spring, I've spend a good deal of time on campus. As a result, I've become friends with Marc Blecher, who is very concerned about the AAPR process. Marc is our age and has been at Obelrin since the early 1970s. He's chair of the Politics Department, Oberlin's largest major, I believe.  He's a very decent guy and not an alarmist by any stretch.

But he and about 60 other faculty members are truly worried about the direction of the college.  (See https://oberlinreview.org/16561/news/campus_news/faculty-join-national-advocacy-group-amid-personnel-changes/) They realize there are serious enrollment and financial issues, and recognize that sacrifices will need to be made. But they want to do so in a fair and equitable way that does not threaten tenure or divide the faculty against one another.  Instead, they fear the current administration is moving in the other direction. Much will come to a head this spring, and if things head south, they may ask for alumni support. 

I really don't want or need need another fight. But I feel a deep responsibility to the school and can't pretend that all is well as we celebrate. If we are needed, I think we should at least make room to hear all sides of the story. 

Happy New Year and look forward to seeing you soon,

Les

The winter issue of the Oberlin Alumni Magazine arrived today.  On page 46 Carol Levine, president of the Alumni Association, writes in part that "When not included, alumni can become ornery.  Yet, institutions have to operate, and sometimes not everyone can be part of a decision....What if we drop some majors and departments?...What if we rebrand?..."

What if Oberlin does away with tenure?  What would it mean to rebrand?  My sister went to Oberlin, my spouse and I have two children, both of whom went to Oberlin, Joe Gross already has a grandchild attending Oberlin. The connections are deep.  While I have not paid attention to the college recently, Les Leopold has paid attention, and if he is concerned, I for one would like to hear what Prof. Marc Blecher has to say.

Les Leopold wrote:

That teleconference for alumni has now been scheduled for Thursday, February 28, at 4:00 p.m. EST.  Members of the Steering Committee will host a webinar on what progress has been made on the AAPR through the fall semester, followed by a question and answer period.

Registration is required and space is limited to 500, so register soon if you're interested in participating and log in early as the webinar starts. Please register by following this link. After registering, you'll be emailed instructions on how to join the webinar.

If you're unable to participate on February 28, a recording of the webinar will be available on the AAPR website in March.

According to the Committee's calendar, their findings will be presented to the Board of Trustees on Friday, March 8, followed by an email update to all of us.  Two months later, after further consultations on campus, President Ambar will receive the final AAPR Recommendations and Report.  The report and her response should be released to the public shortly before our reunion.

The AAPR web site is long on process, but doesn't seem to provide links to any detail.  I'd be interested in what work has been done in figuring out ways the college could increase its revenues.  All I have heard about is possibilities for reducing costs.  Colleges and universities across the country are finding innovative ways to leverage their assets, and I'm hoping that at least one of the AAPR committees is looking for solutions to the difficult financial situation.  For example, the Berklee School of Music here in Boston has had significant success with its online program degree programs, creating a lucrative new revenue stream while giving access to its talented faculty to a far broader range of students. 

The teleconference for alumni has been rescheduled again, this time to March 21.  At 4:00 p.m. EST on that Thursday, members of the Steering Committee will host a webinar on the AAPR, followed by a question and answer period.

Registration is required and space is limited to 500, so register now if you're interested in participating and log in early as the webinar starts. Please register by following this link. After registering, you'll be emailed instructions on how to join the webinar.

If you registered before for this meeting when it was scheduled for the end of February, you need to reregister for the rescheduled meeting.  Just follow the link in Tom's message.

An article in the Oberlin Review last week (thanks to Paul Safyan '68 for the link) indicates that the Administrative and Academic Program Review recommendations will be released this week.  To lay the groundwork, the article discusses students’ reasons for attending or not attending.  Our community is not a good fit for everybody and an Oberlin education doesn’t seem to be a conduit to high-paying jobs, so many prospective students go elsewhere.

Thanks Tom for bringing this to our attention.

Bob

"AAPR Announces Areas of Recommendation," states this article from the Oberlin Review. Last week the AAPR steering committee revealed their proposed recommendations in a series of three presentations for faculty, staff, and students. Our turn will come with the webinar on Thursday afternoon (March 21).

As posted on the Class of 1968's website, here is a link to a detailed whitepaper that provides somewhat more information about the background and the recommendations of the AAPR Steering Committee.

https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/content/about-oberlin/aapr/aapr_summary_of_work_to_date_2019-03-31.pdf

The AAPR Committee is now soliciting feedback from the Oberlin
community, after which it will fine tune its recommendations and present
them to President Ambar by mid-May. 

Another update:  The AAPR has released a draft of its final report (only 59 pages long).  According to "Around the Square," alumni are also encouraged to read several new pieces of background including Questions from Student Senate with responses from the AAPR steering committee and an FAQ on Employee Costs, both of which have been posted to the AAPR website. The General Faculty is expected to take a non-binding vote of endorsement for the plan on May 15, after which the AAPR Steering Committee will submit its final report to President Ambar.