Northeastern University - Cauldron Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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K. Fazio 16

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Administration New Provost Charts Northeostern ' s Future ' This was the only university thiot I fiod lool- ed into whicli was octively plonning its future . . . Everyone lios plons ond some of them conflict. It is my job to sort them out ond mol e them worl- . Northeastern is the largest private co- operative education university based on total enrollnnent figures. The size of the administra- tion reflects the student body consequently there are presidents and vice presidents whose function often escapes those attending this institution. The new Provost ond Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Anthony N. Penna is no exception. When one NU stu- dent wos asked what the provost did he said, He ' s in charge of disciplining students to o point, i think. For the record the provost is the chief academic officer of the university, responsible for oil academic decisions regarding person- nel, curriculum and programs, my desk at some point if it is important, said Penna. The office of the provost sets and monitors the standards and procedures for oil Qcodemic decisions including hiring, promo- tion, tenure ond salaries; academic leadership and plonning; academic budgeting ond finonce ollocotion; personnel policies and proaices; curriculum and instruction; grants and reseorch accreditation; academic com- puter use; publications quality control; ond faculty exchange with foreign countries. It would be impossible for one man to hon- dle oil these activities. Penno, previously the acting Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Science ot Carnegie-Mellon University, likes to keep his pulse on three areas: resource allocation ond expenditure; the quality of academics and ocodemic life for both students and faculty; and university plonning. Maintaining and improving on the quality of academic life is o top priority for Penno. However you con only hire whot you con af- ford to pay for and this is where resource allocation of revenues and expenditures pro- file comes in. In order for this university to thrive it has to make more money thon It spends .... I wont to see thot we attract the best faculty that we con afford to poy for because the people you hire in the next five to ten yeors will soy o lot obout what kind of university it will become in the year 2000. Penno believes that if on institution is going to chorge o certain amount of money for tui- tion then it hos to offer a quolity education in return to the students. The university has on academic contract to fulfill ond if It is not met then students will leave and ottend another school thot offers the quolity they seek. According to Penno students do not decide to ottend Northeastern based on the amount of the posted tuition. Primory factors ore the quality of the education and net tuition. Net tuition is the dollar omount o student must poy after financial old ond co-op earnings ore token into consideration. Even if we raise tui- tion, if attractive financial aid packages ore of- fered and o qualify education is given then students will stay, sold Penno. The aspect of academic life which touches a student ' s life most completely is instruction. Boring, unimaginative professors moke minutes seem like hours and learning becomes doubly difficult. One of the best tools used in improving teaching instruction is teacher evoluotions. Provost Penno feels thot it is in the best interest of oil thot universit j wide teacher evoluotions become o reality and the results be published for oil to see. It is in the best interest of the tenure faculty because it ensures the keeping of certain stondord of excellence. It is in the besi interest of the untenured foculty because i! ensures that their efforts ore being recogniz; ed. Once teaching becomes o public oct gets better. Aside from improving the quolit of instruction teacher evoluotions oreo good indicotion of the overall heolth of the university. A factor which detrocts from o solid foundo tion is the odversoriol attitude which exists between the students and the odministrotion. I would like to get students who feel somewhat alienated to feel closer ond more caring to the university. One of the things c provost obsolutely must do is folk to the students ond find out whot they think. — Kotherine Croteoi 16