University Town Hall (October 26th, 2011)

At the Town Hall meeting, which took place in Wollman Hall President David Van Zandt and Provost Tim Marshall gave presentations about their progress in serving the New School community. The new bell schedule, which will be implemented in Fall 2012, will allow for cross-divisional registration. "Students will be able to take better advantage of the whole university," said Marshall. President Van Zandt then discussed the construction progress of the new University Center, which will open in Fall 2013. He then presented statistics about the New School's financial status. Of the New School's $330 million dollar budget, 80% of the revenue comes from tuition and fees, 10% from student services (health, dining, and housing). The university's enrollment did not increase, which Van Zandt cites that it is a national trend. He then suggested that the university's "dependency on enrollment growth is not sustainable."

During the question-and-answer session, faculty and students raised issues regarding the lack of rigorous discourse in diversity, which they attribute to intrinsic structural issues of the university. "It is not expressed in the curriculum," said on faculty member. Another suggested that diversity has in fact decreased in the faculty body. An MIT graduate and new professor to the New School applauded the President and Provost's transparency and openness in holding the meeting and advocated for more collaborative research opportunities for faculty and students. He sees research as a tool for the university to generate additional revenue. It seemed as if professors across the New School's divisions were interested in exploring the potential of interdisciplinary and inter-divisionary research.