Response to “A House Divided” Story

Last week, The Student Movement published a story about challenging situations in the School of Architecture & Interior Design. The story provided a link to a Letter of Concern written to the University by former SAID professors, as well as their proposed solutions. This week we present the University’s response to that story and its linked materials. We will continue to present our readers with useful new information when it becomes available. Please note that the University statement provides its own link to an additional statement.

The Student Movement Editorial Staff

Thanks for the opportunity to formally respond to last week's Student Movement article, “A House Divided: Current Issues Within the School of Architecture & Interior Design."

We acknowledge the questions and concerns that were raised, but it remains the case that Andrews University has legal limitations on speaking to many of the confidential personnel and personal issues raised in that article.

However, to respond directly to a few of the specific points made in the article:

1. We can confirm that the process for appointing the chair has been reviewed within our Andrews University policy, and as a result, the chair appointment has been confirmed within those policies.
2. Our search committee processes are confidential; therefore, nothing can be added on that issue. 
3. As it relates to the positioning of the School of Architecture & Interior Design within the College of Health & Human Services, there are many different perspectives as to how and why schools and departments are placed in a particular College, and the process of reviewing those questions remains part of a wider Andrews University conversation. 
4. However, we would note that despite criticisms of this particular placement of the School of Architecture & Interior Design within the overall University structure, there is evidence of significant value that has come from that placement of the School within the College of Health & Human Services. Student enrollment has grown by approximately 40 percent in our School of Architecture & Interior Design since that change in the School's placement within the University structure was made.

Again, there are limits to what the University can say on the related details about the concerns raised in this piece, and we are unable to respond further to those additional questions or concerns.

There continue to be other questions and concerns raised in online communication and conversations about the larger issues connected with these recent decisions in our School of Architecture & Interior Design. The University has publicly released the following statement in the Andrews Agenda as an additional response to those concerns.