here are some ways to spend $500,000

The college has received some *huge* donations recently from both the W.M. Keck Foundation and Fred W. Fields (thank you!).  That has the potential to be really, really helpful.

I’m especially excited about the potential of the proposed creation of a nanoscience program, which is made possible by the Keck Foundation’s gracious $250,000 grant.

The College of Arts and Sciences also received a stipulation-free $500,000 grant from Fred W. Fields. One wonders how we will we apply these new assets toward the betterment of the institution.  Financial Aid?  Exciting new academic programs? Wisely invested to bolster our endowment?  Pens, and toner?

According to the Dean of the College, as quoted in the Piolog’s new article on the matter, the answer to that question may well be “yeah, that last one”:

Julio de Paula, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said that this money will be used for the “2010 calendar year.” It will go toward general college operations, “nothing in particular,” said de Paula. “In these times of financial trouble, this donation will be especially helpful.”

When asked by the student body how we would use half a million dollars of unanticipated funding, a high-ranking college representative basically said “eh, the usual.”  Not only  is this a hilariously squandered PR opportunity, it conveyed an attitude that made me a tad bit concerned.  Now, I’m almost certainly being hypercritical of a single quotation and blowing it out of proportion, but I do want to convey, in case there’s any question, that there are myriad areas where this college could benefit from any help it can get (off the top of my head):

• Financial Aid, so students (especially upperclassmen) whose financial situations have worsened won’t be forced to drop out of college.
• “LC Workstudy” so students (especially underclassmen) can work on campus next year without having to qualify for Federal Workstudy.  This is especially important given that the bookstore, which has historically been one of the main sources of non-workstudy on-campus jobs will once again be under the full control of the institution and presumably subject to workstudy limitations.
• An Arabic foreign language program.  Like seriously.
• Varsity Men’s soccer (and/or other sports programs that need creation or improvement)
• improving accessibility in buildings around campus
• any number of technological upgrades for specific academic departments
• give Campus Safety monster trucks

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has an opinion on this (and I’m sure there are plenty more bullet points I missed that are just as worthy of attention).  de Paula quotation aside (I’m sure it was probably a misquote or is missing some context), we *really* need to make sure that this money goes towards the betterment of this institution as a place for students, staff, and faculty.  Some tangible results would be really nice, too.

So, administrator-types, um… just keep that in mind.