Knowles Reveals Faculty's Wish List

A Faculty of Arts and Sciences "wish list" for the University's upcoming $2 billion capital campaign includes 41 new professorships, Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles said in an interview earlier this week.

Funding for the new professorships, two-thirds of which will be tenured, will be a portion of the approximately $1 billion allotted to the Faculty in the fund drive.

Knowles said the new professors would be distributed into "those areas where there is the most need for undergraduate faculty attention," but did not specify which departments would be included.

Knowles, a former chair of the chemistry department, said he also plans to find donors for two new science buildings on either side of Oxford Street, one in the life sciences and one in the physical sciences.

And the dean said the renovations of four other buildings--the Memorial Hall student commons, center for humanities, Littauer Center and Coolidge Hall--are included on the wish list.

The fund drive, expected to kick off sometimenext spring, will be the largest in the history ofhigher education. Some of the donations, such asthe $7 million grant toward the Memorial Hallstudent commons, will be in place before the driveactually begins.

Knowles said the University would try to have"a good proportion [of the $2 billion] in hand" orin pledges before next spring. Typically,institutions raise 25 to 35 percent of their goalbefore launching a capital campaign.

The wish list also includes additional fundingfor financial aid, for dissertation fellowshipsand for undergraduate research. The dean said hehopes the money will allow more undergraduates toperform research either through support for summeror junior year projects, or through travel grants.

In addition, Knowles said he would like to seemore funding for "collegial life," including houselife and the performing arts

The fund drive, expected to kick off sometimenext spring, will be the largest in the history ofhigher education. Some of the donations, such asthe $7 million grant toward the Memorial Hallstudent commons, will be in place before the driveactually begins.

Knowles said the University would try to have"a good proportion [of the $2 billion] in hand" orin pledges before next spring. Typically,institutions raise 25 to 35 percent of their goalbefore launching a capital campaign.

The wish list also includes additional fundingfor financial aid, for dissertation fellowshipsand for undergraduate research. The dean said hehopes the money will allow more undergraduates toperform research either through support for summeror junior year projects, or through travel grants.

In addition, Knowles said he would like to seemore funding for "collegial life," including houselife and the performing arts