With the browsing room of the Knight Library filled to the brim with University staff and faculty Wednesday morning, Scott Coltrane, one of four candidates for dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, gave a presentation outlining his vision for the future of liberal arts and sciences at a public research university.
Currently the associate dean for social sciences in the College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences at the University of California, Riverside, Coltrane attended Yale University as an undergraduate but left after two years when he decided it was not the right place for him.
“I had never been east of the Rocky Mountains,” Coltrane said. Back then, most of the Yale population were “preppies,” whereas he was the son of a working-class family, Coltrane said. However, he learned some rather important life lessons about what kind of career he wished to pursue.
“My personal path getting to Yale really opened my life to what university experience is,” Coltrane said.
And though he said he did not like Yale very much, moving to Berkeley, Calif., allowed him to become involved in community projects, political issues and local grassroots campaigns. This ultimately led Coltrane to go back to school where he majored in community studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Coltrane said he chose to apply for the dean position here at the University because it was time for a change in his life.
“I’m at a stage in my career where I haven’t really been on the job market for awhile,” Coltrane said. With his children grown and nothing tying him down at the moment, Coltrane said, he is suddenly free from sticking to one place. After moving his mother to northern California, Coltrane decided to test the waters in other regions.
“So I’m mobile all of a sudden. I am at a critical moment, so I tossed my hat out for a few things and I’m doing a lot of traveling,” Coltrane said.
“I knew this job was available last year; last year I was not ready to even contemplate it. I haven’t been on the job market,” Coltrane said. “But this year I thought, where are the nice places to live? I like the Northwest. We did live in Northern California for five years, so I know what it is like to live in rainy forests. I live in the desert now and I’m tired of it.”
Coltrane said he believes the University is a bargain for out of state students.
“And out of state students. I mean, what a lovely place for people to come from all over, but particularly from Southern California, from Washington, from your near neighbors. It’s such a bargain; it’s such a great education. It’s a better education frankly than they would get at UW or UCLA. Those have gone – again, I’m shooting my mouth off, I’m going to hear from colleagues – but that’s more of a factory model.”
In his presentation, Coltrane discussed some of his own values, including continual support for faculty, particularly by not forcing it to do something just to please a legislature. He pointed out emerging issues and challenges he foresees, including the ability to hire and retain faculty, maintain respect for disciplines and distribute equitable resources.
Barbara Altmann, chairwoman of the Department of Romance Languages at the University, challenged Coltrane by asking him to elaborate on his implication that humanities courses are smaller than social science courses or somehow different.
Coltrane replied that according to an analysis of student credit hours, “it looks like the humanities department, given their national comparators, are (actually) teaching way too many students compared to their colleagues.”
Altmann said that was as good of an answer as it got, sending the audience into laughter.
Frances Bronet, dean of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts, said she enjoyed the forum and very much thought it a good idea.
“There are a lot of issues and not always enough time,” Bronet said. “This format provides a rhythm where we can respond to questions from our colleagues as well as to the candidate.”
Bronet said it was also nice to get to know the prospective dean on a more down-to-earth level.
“You can hear the non-rehearsed tone in someone’s voice,” Bronet said. “Sometimes it’s not even about the specific answer the person gives, but more of how they respond to that answer.”
Bronet said allowing faculty and staff to get to know a prospectice new dean can be helpful.
“I thought the turnout was fantastic,” Coltrane said after the forum. “There were many faculty and staff members from all different departments.”
Coltrane, who repeatedly referenced the University’s mission “Minds Move Mountains,” said he is in town for three days of meetings, interviews and speeches.
“I want students to know that I am a big proponent of experiential learning. In my own research, I use students as interviewers, coders, researchers and more,” said Coltrane. He advocates internships, hands-on learning and studying abroad.
Of his three days in Eugene, Coltrane said he is honored to meet with the University’s top administrators and looks forward to engaging in fruitful dialogue with anyone who may have questions.