In a message to the entire Class of 1997, the embattled education department announced it will continue to offer a minor program and a teacher certification program to all students currently enrolled in the College.
The message, sent via BlitzMail, said,"Rumors to the contrary, the department is not closed or abolished, but is undergoing a serious review process."
A scathing report on the education department presented to the Dean of Faculty last spring by a secretive review committee recommended the department close unless drastic changes are made.
The report, which has not yet been released, fueled speculation among students that the department would soon shut down.
But Professor Robert Binswanger, the department's new chairman, pledged that students who want to earn a minor or certification in education will be able to. "The College guarantees it will fulfill the commitment that it made to the students," Binswanger said in an interview last night.
Binswanger said he wrote the message, which was sent through Assistant Dean of Freshmen Tony Tillman, to dispel rumors that the department would be terminated and would not allow students to finish work begun on a minor or certificate program.
Binswanger said he heard rumors that upperclass students were counseling freshmen and sophomores to stay away from programs in the education department because of the potential closing.
Although nearly all education courses are filled this term, Binswanger said it was important to get word out quickly that the education department still exists and will continue to exist at least through 1997.
"We are not out of business," he said.
The review committee's report cited internal strife and mismanagement as the main reasons for recommending the department's termination.
The Dean of Faculty office is awaiting the education department's official response, which Binswanger said will be submitted soon. He did not offer a specific date.
Dean of Faculty James Wright has said he will not release a copy of the report until the department's response is submitted.
In the meantime, the department is in the process of "a serious review and a serious assessment" on how to improve itself, according to Binswanger.
The Dean of Faculty's office will consider the recommendation and the department's response and a final decision would be subject to a vote by the general faculty.
