Gov't Dept. Retreats To Maine

While Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles has emphasized frugality in a time of limited budgets, the government department is using roughly $3000 in leftover discretionary funds for a planning retreat at a seaside inn in Maine.

The retreat will begin tomorrow at the Stage Neck Inn in York Harbor, Maine. Faculty members can swim in the hotel sauna and eat seaweed-covered lobster in between meetings about the future of the department.

The money is left over from funds granted last year to department chair Susan J. Pharr by Knowles' office. She said yesterday that she is not sure exactly how much the retreat will cost, but $3000 might be an accurate estimate.

Although all departments receive discretionary monies, not all parts of the Faculty live the glamorous life.

Knowles has repeatedly over the last few years cried poverty in FAS, cutting the staff of the indebted Semitic Museum and calling for professors to accept reduced pension plans.

Departments such as Visual and Environmental Studies and Linguistics have had to fight tooth and nail for enough faculty appointments to meet the needs of concentrators.

Rates at the inn range from $85 to $165 for two double beds or one king-sized bed. The hotel has 60 rooms. Faculty members will drive to the hotel themselves.

Inn facilities include golf courses, a fitness room, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, saunas and a hot tub, according to inn bellhop Joshua Horr. The inn lies along a beach. Dinner tomorrow night will be a clambake with seaweed-wrapped lobsters, steaks and clams.

The Government department is paying for every faculty member's accommodations. Junior faculty are not required to stay overnight but may if they choose.

Talks About the Future

The retreat's schedule does not inspire all members of the department.

"It's not very exciting," said Associate Professor Lisa L. Martin. From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. tomorrow, she said, "we're meeting to discuss where the department should go." On Wednesday, the senior faculty will stay for meetings on staffing and curriculum.

There will be breaks for lunch and relaxation, Pharr said.

The retreat will give faculty members a chance to discuss the department's future without being bogged down by administrative details, professors said.

"This year, faculty meetings were just filled up with business," Alt said. "It seemed as though the year went by without an opportunity to talk more broadly about plans for the future."

"Seven or eight years ago when I first came here, there was typically more time at the first faculty meeting of the year to have a discussion about where we are and where things are going," Alt said. "We're sort of a victim of our own success."

Pharr said she hopes that faculty members will discuss their vision for the department's future.

"I think it's a chance to really talk together about issues and concerns people have," Pharr said. "It's a good time to interact. The government department is spread out in several buildings, so we don't interact on a day-to-day basis."

She added that faculty members will also discuss their goals for the ongoing $2.1 billion capital campaign.

"The dean has encouraged all departments to do some stock-taking," she said, and requests for new faculty might be part of the retreat talks.

Other issues could include the number of undergraduate seminars and the response of the department to its growth over the past decade, professors said.

Even in this relaxing environment, those interviewed say, the two days will likely be much work and little play.

"These people are workaholics," said Feldberg Professor of Government and Russian Studies Timothy J. Colton. "It's going to be mostly work, I'm certain of that."

One professor, though, said he is looking forward to the rest.

"I was not planning to do much more than bring sandals and a sweater and walk along the ocean during breaks," said Professor of Government James E. Alt

"It's not very exciting," said Associate Professor Lisa L. Martin. From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. tomorrow, she said, "we're meeting to discuss where the department should go." On Wednesday, the senior faculty will stay for meetings on staffing and curriculum.

There will be breaks for lunch and relaxation, Pharr said.

The retreat will give faculty members a chance to discuss the department's future without being bogged down by administrative details, professors said.

"This year, faculty meetings were just filled up with business," Alt said. "It seemed as though the year went by without an opportunity to talk more broadly about plans for the future."

"Seven or eight years ago when I first came here, there was typically more time at the first faculty meeting of the year to have a discussion about where we are and where things are going," Alt said. "We're sort of a victim of our own success."

Pharr said she hopes that faculty members will discuss their vision for the department's future.

"I think it's a chance to really talk together about issues and concerns people have," Pharr said. "It's a good time to interact. The government department is spread out in several buildings, so we don't interact on a day-to-day basis."

She added that faculty members will also discuss their goals for the ongoing $2.1 billion capital campaign.

"The dean has encouraged all departments to do some stock-taking," she said, and requests for new faculty might be part of the retreat talks.

Other issues could include the number of undergraduate seminars and the response of the department to its growth over the past decade, professors said.

Even in this relaxing environment, those interviewed say, the two days will likely be much work and little play.

"These people are workaholics," said Feldberg Professor of Government and Russian Studies Timothy J. Colton. "It's going to be mostly work, I'm certain of that."

One professor, though, said he is looking forward to the rest.

"I was not planning to do much more than bring sandals and a sweater and walk along the ocean during breaks," said Professor of Government James E. Alt