SEAS Dean To Hire Faculty

Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) Dean Cherry A. Murray discussed the future of SEAS  during her second “All-Hands Meeting” yesterday afternoon, where she presented plans to tap into the school’s financial reserves to fund continued faculty and staff growth.

Murray, who hopes to host four of these meetings next academic year, addressed more than 100 students and faculty members as she outlined a 10-year plan to hire 50 new faculty members in order to reach a target of 100 Full Time Equivalent faculty.

“There aren’t really enough faculty in each discipline to do the effective teaching we need for the 21st century,” Murray said. “The board of overseers and the president and provost agree with that. So our growth will be high priority.”

Murray repeatedly emphasized the ways in which the core mission of SEAS may be threatened by a failure to expand the teachers on its payroll.

She noted that 30 percent of current SEAS faculty members are 60 years of age or older. added that professors in applied math, computer science, and engineering are currently running the risk of “burning out” and consequently may seek offers from rival research institutions.

“We need to be at critical mass so we have both the breadth and the depth to tackle global programs,” Murray said.

But the projected endowment payout for SEAS next year will be reduced by 12 percent, which amounts to a significant decrease given that 40 percent of SEAS’ budget is supported by its endowment.

Murray said she hoped to pad the SEAS budget by cutting down cash reserves and increasing aggressive fundraising efforts. In addition, she promised not to terminate current staff members, instead pledging to increase the number of staff hires.

Murray also discussed “rethinking” introductory courses in applied math, computer science, and engineering sciences, and said she supported offering a class similar to Life Sciences 1a and 1b—staple courses that funnel undergraduates into those departments.

“I think at this point, it’s important to think about learning outcomes,” Murray said. “Certainly having gateways that are good for students is very important.”

Murray also used the event to award Yakov Berenshteyn ’10 with a $1,000 scholarship for engineering excellence and Professor of Computer Science Margo I. Seltzer ’83 with the Capers and Marion McDonald Award for Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring.

—Staff writer Gautam S. Kumar can be reached at gkumar@college.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Evan T.R. Rosenman can be reached at erosenm@fas.harvard.edu.

This article has been revised to reflect the following corrections:

CORRECTIONS: March 2, 2010

An original version of the Mar. 2 news article "SEAS Dean To Hire Faculty" stated that the endowment's projected payout for next year will be 12 percent. In fact, the payout will be reduced by 12 percent.

The article also stated that School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean Cherry A. Murray told the audience that SEAS' endowment is "healthier" than that of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. In fact, she did not say this.