Over the past few years, the faculty to student ratio at the University of New Mexico has steadily decreased. As such, students are not receiving the highest quality education possible. UNM faculty members Eleni BastéA, Tim Lowrey and Edl Schamiloglu detailed the consequences of such shortages in the Albuquerque Journal’s Opinion columns. They note that their mission is to “provide New Mexicans with a first-rate, accessible education; quality classroom instruction and timely academic services and advisement…” This is a great goal; however, it is jeopardized by a lack of funding and resources. They also note how this lack of funding began long before the current economic crisis:“Since the fall of 2007, months before the current state budget crisis developed, the central administration has withdrawn millions of dollars from the operating budgets of academic departments and programs on the main campus.”
They also mention that since 2001:
“Tuition for students on main campus has increased by more than 50 percent… and the Legislature has appropriated an additional 21.5 percent for the instructional and general funds. And yet, students now face larger classes, fewer student services and decreased campus employment opportunities, all of which takes a toll on student success.”
Today, KOAT 7 reported that applications for the fall 2008 semester at UNM had increased nearly 23 percent overall. Under normal circumstances these figures would be superb; however, under the current conditions they only make things appear bleaker. If it isn’t enough that UNM already suffers a lack of faculty it also must compete to keep faculty who are unhappy with the university. Although these are hard economic times there are still colleges out there who are willing and able to pay their instructors what they are worth. I have witnessed this with several of my professors during my time at UNM; they have interviewed with other universities willing to give them much more than UNM possibly will. (Luckily for me none of them decided to up and leave midway through the semester!)
If the past serves as any guide, UNM will continue to accept the majority of these students without thought to the disproportionate ratio of faculty to students it creates. Ever growing class sizes paired with faculty unrest do not aid in improving the quality of education at UNM in any way whatsoever. Although UNM President David Schmidly revealed plans to cut administrative costs and add 10 new full time faculty members over the next three years in late January, this course of action is simply a fraction of what needs to be done to fix the problem.
This is most certainly an issue that affects all students at one time or another. It used to be that it only affected my search for the perfect elective course. I remember clicking on entire subjects and having not a single class appear. If there is no one to teach the culinary arts then perhaps they shouldn’t list it? Now I am starting to see the real damage this shortage can do.
ReplyDeleteAs I prepare to graduate I realize that there are so few available classes that fill my requirements. I have spent hours figuring out all of my options; so that when the time comes I can sit down at 12am and spend as long as I need sighing up for classes to make my schedule work. Even with all of this preparation I fear that the classes will change, or that times will collide and I will be forced to spend an extra summer or fall semester at UNM in order to graduate. This is just unnecessary stress on top of all the rest. With an increasing enrollment rate it should be a requirement that they offer enough classes to make it easy for all students to graduate.