The Committee on Academic Priorities 2006 (CAP) 6. The Responsive Campus

The recommendations in the body of this report, if adopted, will have a profound impact on our facilities. An expansion of the faculty and the addition of new programs will require new offices for faculty and support staff. New pedagogies will accelerate the growing demand for more “smart” and flexible classrooms, labs, and studios with better acoustical insulation, lighting controls, wireless amplification, and networking because of the increased use of digital information. Library and IT resources will have to expand to cover new disciplines and to take advantage of new technologies.

As Amherst embarks on a new era of intensified hiring and accelerated retirement, the present distribution of faculty across a variety of career stages is likely to change dramatically. Programs and facilities that aid junior faculty with young families will experience greater demand and will be increasingly important in attracting and retaining the best faculty. Practices that incentivize retirement while helping emeritus faculty to stay productive and connected to the College will be essential.

It was beyond the charge to the Committee to assess such impacts, but we urge the College to recognize that they are implied in our recommendations and hope the College will begin now to plan to respond to the needs we have outlined and remain permanently responsive to the needs that will follow upon them. We offer the following observations.