The Faculty Senate unanimously voted last Tuesday to merge the Graduate Program in the History of Art and the Ph.D. Program in Architectural History to create a joint Graduate Program in the History of Art and Architecture.
Art Department Chair Larry Goedde and Architectural History Chair Lisa Reilly proposed the idea for the program in which they state it is geared toward "students seeking careers in scholarship, teaching and curatorial work in museums."
Goedde said its purpose is to close the gap between two programs that have similar aims, methods and goals. In addition, the relevant faculty members have been trained in both fields.
"It makes all kinds of sense," Goedde said. "It's bringing together parts of a discipline that have been strangely separated."
Reilly said the new program will increase flexibility and enable both departments to coordinate course offerings for students.
"Our course offerings are the same, but the way in which students pick their courses is slightly different," Reilly said.
Reilly added that the combined faculties will strengthen what currently is one of the strongest architectural history programs in the country. Thirteen faculty members in the art history department will join forces with eight faculty members in the architectural history department, which Reilly said will add "even more heft" to the art history department.
Goedde said the staff of 21 professors will reflect the strength of the program.
"It's something that will make it much clearer to potential graduate students just how strong the faculty is here," he said.
Goedde said he anticipates enrollment to be about the same as the current enrollments in the existing programs. He said they are aiming to admit 12 new students the first year.
According to the merger proposal, over the last six years the art history department has averaged four Ph.D.s and eight Masters of Art History per year. The number is expected to rise slightly with the addition of Architectural History students to the program.
While approval was granted by the Faculty Senate at last week's meeting, the proposal still awaits approval by the Board of Visitors and the State Council for Higher Education of Virginia. If the State Council grants final approval in the summer, Goedde said the faculty's goal is to prepare to advertise and have literature ready for fall 2004. Students then will be recruited to start the program in fall 2005.
Faculty Senate Chair Robert E. Davis said some concerns still need to be addressed, but the proposal has been favorably received thus far.
"Basically, I think there are some things that need to be worked out," Davis said. "In general, the faculty was supportive of it. It seemed to make good sense."