Provost addresses Senate Assembly

Courant stressed the University's commitment to providing education that incorporates excellence, engagement, access, diversity and collaboration. Courant focused on the value of working collaboratively with diverse groups to address both scholarly and practical concerns. He noted that free and open debate occurs naturally when people work together to solve problems.

Courant acknowledged the University's history as a place where collaborative work is encouraged and supported, and he urged faculty to expand it. "We have worked very hard to bring many different kinds of people to this University. The challenge now is to take full advantage of this diversity," he said.

Budget constraints continue to be a challenge, Courant noted. The competition for faculty is intense, he said, when other institutions—particularly private institutions—expand the size of their faculty.

He added, "We want to be the place others look to for talent. That's outside validation of the quality of our people. But it stretches our already stretched resources. We can't afford to lose very many of these competitions for faculty without compromising our quality."

In discussing the role of the faculty and the administration, Courant described a division of labor in which faculty members excel in teaching and research, and administrators create or nurture the environment for this to take place.

"Faculty ought to be in charge of the academic missions. This has been and always should be a faculty-led institution," he said.

Addressing specific faculty concerns, Courant acknowledged the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs Child Care Task Force report that was completed in October and said his office is reviewing its recommendations. Courant also recognized faculty concerns about grade inflation and urged the Senate Assembly to initiate a campus-wide discussion of the issue.

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