Faculty

The Chemical Engineering Department at Polytechnic Institute has witnessed a sharp decline in the number of full-time professors since 1969, decreasing from nine teaching professors to only five by 1973. This decline was marked by several significant departures: one professor left for a position at another academic institution; Peter B. Lederman, the department's Administrative Officer, transitioned to a director role in a government research project; and Irving F. Miller, the Acting Head of the department, moved to lead the Bioengineering Department at the University of Illinois.

These departures were largely driven by an imbalance between increasing workloads and stagnant salaries. Associate Professor Edward N. Ziegler reported that faculty workloads had escalated to as much as 175 percent of normal levels without any corresponding salary increase ("Is Chem E.Dying At Poly"). This situation not only worsened the workload for remaining faculty but also created a discouraging environment for potential new hires, resulting in a vicious cycle of high stress and low attraction that threatened the department's stability and growth.

The situation has been further complicated by the department's risk of losing its professional accreditation. The Engineers Council for Professional Development (E.C.P.D) requires a department to have at least eight full-time faculty members to maintain accreditation. With only five faculty members on board, the department falls short of this standard, jeopardizing its accreditation status. Loss of accreditation could severely damage Polytechnic Institute's reputation and diminish its educational resources, making it even harder to attract both faculty and students.

The shortage of faculty has already begun to impact educational quality negatively. Assistant Professor D. Patel emphasized the overwhelming conditions, noting the department's overburdened faculty: "We have too many things to do, and too few people to do them." He also pointed out that the heavy workloads interfere with faculty members' ability to engage effectively in research activities with graduate students. Furthermore, the high student-to-faculty ratio, with undergraduate classes averaging 100 students and graduate classes about 75 students per section, compromises the quality of instruction and individual student attention, vital components of a robust educational experience.

Remembering a Mistress by Richard Thorsen

Dr. Thorsen's tenure as the Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and later of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Poly, from 1974 to 1983, provides a unique vantage point on the faculty's challenges and experiences during a transformative period in the institution's history. His insights, shared in the book "Remembering a Mistress," offer a detailed look into the faculty perspective amid significant institutional changes.

In 1976, Poly entered into a collaborative arrangement with Hofstra University, which involved Poly operating on Hofstra's campus on Long Island for a two-year period. This agreement, while perhaps beneficial in some respects, presented considerable challenges for Poly's faculty. The necessity of teaching across multiple campuses emerged as a standard practice for many faculty members, which significantly diverted their focus and resources away from research endeavors. The logistical and practical difficulties of managing responsibilities across different locations hampered faculty members' ability to engage deeply with their research projects, a critical component of academic and institutional growth.

Moreover, the arrangement led to a complex mix of tenured and non-tenured faculty within the institute (Thorsen 25). This blend not only introduced immediate operational challenges but also had long-lasting repercussions that affected the institute for the next two decades. The imbalance between tenured and non-tenured faculty restricted Poly's flexibility and capacity to adapt to and expand within rapidly evolving technological fields. This limitation hindered the institution's growth opportunities and its ability to remain at the forefront of technological innovation and education. The insights from Dr. Thorsen underscore the profound and enduring impact of institutional decisions on faculty dynamics, research productivity, and the broader academic environment.