The only way the college could pay the bill was to not replace faculty, Rosenstone said. Between 1980 and 1996, the number of professors in the college plummeted from 592 to 482. Thirty of the positions evaporated between 1991 and 1996. But hires during the last two years have stabilized the number of faculty. Robert Bruininks, executive vice president and provost, said central administration will not reduce any college's budget this year.
Department heads are elated to see their faculty revitalized by the new hires.
Shirley Nelson Garner, chairwoman of the English department, recalls that between 1991 and 1996 her department's budget shrunk by close to half a million dollars. This year the department hired five professors from a pool of 1,324 applicants. Three of the hires are replacing departing or retiring faculty. Nelson Garner said that after such a competitive search, she is extremely pleased with the new professors. Richard Leppert, chairman of cultural studies and comparative literature, said understaffing in his department began changing two years ago when interim Dean Robert Holt and Rosenstone authorized five new hires.