PRATT COMMITS TO EXPANSION OF FULL-TIME FACULTY

Six-Year Plan Represents Commitment to Improving Educational Experience

This fall, Pratt will begin implementation of a plan to hire 40 full-time faculty members over the next six years, representing the most significant commitment in the Institute’s history to grow its base of full-time instructors and professors. The Institute currently has 140 full-time faculty members, so the addition of these positions represents a nearly 30 percent increase in Pratt’s full-time faculty by 2016.  Ultimately, the plan, which is based on current enrollment figures, aims to have full-time faculty teaching 30 percent of total credit hours offered at the Institute.

Pratt will hire the first four faculty members in fall 2011. The new faculty positions will be assigned to departments based on periodic evaluations of departmental needs across the Institute.  Pratt will then hire eight faculty members each year from 2012-2015, and four in 2016, for a total of 40 over the six-year period. The 40 full-time positions will include those reserved for departmental chairs and deans who are typically offered the chance to step into faculty jobs when they complete their terms. Most of the positions will be filled after thorough national searches.

President Thomas F. Schutte calls the implementation of the plan an exciting step in further developing Pratt as a world-class institution for art, design, architecture, and library and information science.

“I am thrilled to announce this institutional commitment to growing our faculty,” Schutte says. “Pratt faculty members represent the world’s top leaders in art, design, architecture, and library science. Our plan to increase faculty will allow us to further secure Pratt’s position as one of the world’s premier colleges of art and design.”

Provost Peter Barna says that growing the number of full-time faculty means that professors and instructors will be able to spend more time with their students and participate in the outside-the-classroom activities that are crucial to enhancing the overall Pratt experience.

Full-time faculty members are responsible for playing certain roles at the Institute that include participating in curriculum development, serving on committees, and advising in student activities.

“This plan will have an enormous impact on the student experience at Pratt,” Barna says. “So much of the skill and knowledge our students gain comes from working closely with instructors and professors. Increasing the faculty presence on campus will let our students benefit from increased interaction with Pratt’s top faculty both inside and outside the classroom.”

Photo © Bob Handelman

Comments

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[Alexander Wang]

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