William Malandra, the department's chairman, has done many things correctly. Endowing chairs is the most direct way to ensure the continued viability of a program. More programs ought to turn to this tool to protect themselves from the budget knife. Even more, though, endowments offer administrators an attractive base for future building. Strong programs, even in the social sciences or the liberal arts, attract m otivated students.
Administrators like to fund popular departments.
And, to complete the loop, strong and popular programs tend to attract the alumni money that allows further endowments. Yet even more important is the way Malandra has built ties among his faculty and around the community. The department worked together to achieve the turnaround the endowments represent. Local synagogues have played a part in finding both the money and the professor for the Jewish studies chair. Christian churches and their leaders have helped put together the deal for the New Testament professorship.