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By Jennifer Gundersen
Staff Writer
Rocked by the news of a possible suspension, the University of Maine theater department is now banding together and focusing on making the improvements necessary to save the program.
“We were really caught off guard,” Dan Krohne, a fourth year theater major, said. “But we did realize some changes were needed.”
The possible suspension of the theater department, which was announced Monday, Sept. 17, has halted the admission of any new theater majors. There will also be a semester-long review of the department before a formal decision is made about the future of the department on campus.
“I have been impressed by the students I have spoken to,” Rebecca Eilers, the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences said. “They have a balanced perspective about the program and its strengths and weaknesses. They are very dedicated.”
The preliminary steps of suspension were initiated by the University of Maine Sytem’s office of the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs as a result of the findings of a study of the department conducted two years ago. This was done in conjunction with a theater department self-study.
“We are going by what was found in that review and report,” Eilers said. “It is my responsibility to take seriously all issues of quality.”
The two-member review team of Robert Welk and Darwin Prioleau interviewed both students and faculty. They recognized the talent within the department, but noticed a lack of leadership and communication problems were hampering the success of the program.
“Faculty credentials appear to be on line with those of faculty in similar institutions…They all have talent, experience and desire to teach that is requisite for maintaining a good program,” Prioleau wrote in the report.
However, the team decided a lack of leadership among the faculty and no sense of a shared mission or cohesive plan for the future was why the program had failed to grow and improve.
The department’s overall climate was described as “negative and antagonistic” due to a breakdown between the faculty and administration.
“The cut-backs from the early 90s, in addition to a forced merger, have left the faculty with a vehement distrust of administration, and have left the administration perplexed and frustrated by the behavior of the faculty,” Prioleau wrote.
Secondary to the issue of the program’s quality are budget constraints.
“When the budget tightens I have to make sure the resources go towards quality programs,” Eilers said.
Eilers assures the theater department will not falter during the suspension process and that current majors will still receive a valuable education.
“We will provide a first-class education regardless if the program is suspended,” Eilers said.
During this semester’s review, the department will experiment with a new curriculum. Additionally, all planned student performances and productions will continue at least through the end of the year, said David Adkins, the theater facility and production manager.
Students seem confident the department will see improvement through these proceedings.
“It is easy to just terminate a program; they have done it before,” said Krohne. “By using suspension proceedings it means the administration wants to help.”
“I think this shows that the University of Maine is serious about the quality of programs it offers to students,” Eilers said.
