By By Brendan O’Reilly

Uncertainty has surrounded the future of the University’s New College, but clarity may soon be in sight.

New College, part of the University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has seen a progressive decrease in enrollment, resulting in a restructuring within the school. Rumors of potential changes have been met with aversion by some New College students, but New College administrators have expressed that the school is being changed for the better and will not lose the qualities that make it unique.

The college was designed to offer a liberal and interdisciplinary personalized education.

“Personal relationships between professors and students are important,” Chris DeLuca, a sophomore in New College, said. “Because of the close relationships it’s easier for me to learn the material. You can discuss it with the professor, more than just being told by the professor.”

DeLuca, a creative writing major who has taken exclusively New College courses, is concerned that the “new” New College will not have the same sense of community as the old, and the “synergy between students and professors” will be lost. He also worried the courses he wants to take will no longer be part of the curriculum.

“The writing program is great and I’d really hate to see it go,” DeLuca said.

Justin Gold, a junior creative writing major, said the spring 2006 New College course offering has noticeably less classes relevant to his major.

“All the creative writing courses they’re offering I’ve taken,” Gold said. “My first year, there were like five or six.”

The New College administration attributes the diminishing course offerings to a decline in the number of student enrolled in the school.

Under the current New College curriculum, courses are offered for either a whole or half semester. Whole semester courses usually meet twice a week for two hours and half semester courses meet four times a week for the same length of time. Courses run on a different schedule than main campus classes and do not meet on Wednesdays.

The administration of New College wishes to squash concerns students may have in regards to the future of the school.

“We have every intention of preserving New College at Hofstra,” Barry Nass, vice-dean of New College, said.

Nass has been in charge of New College since the beginning of this academic year after Dave Christman, the previous dean, retired from the position.

“Beginning in fall 2006 we will be changing the New College curriculum,” Nass said.

Current New College students will still be able to take courses on the current schedule, said Nass.

“In every sense we want to make sure that we preserve New College and the non-traditional, innovative curriculum that it has always stood for,” he said. “The new New College curriculum was developed by a task force of 11 faculty, seven of whom came from Hofstra School of Liberal Arts and Sciences departments, four of whom came from New College. That’s a significant portion of the committee in terms of representation of New College.”

The new curriculum will have new degree plans and requirements, such as foreign language, Nass specified.

The plan is for the school to offer four Bachelor of Arts degrees in being humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and creative arts.

First-year students will be required to write a minimum of 4,700 words in each course, including revisions and any other assignments the instructor might assign, Nass said.

“We will also be requiring internships and/or study abroad as part of any degree program,” Nass said.

Under the new curriculum, students nearing graduation will take a “capstone course” in the fall of their senior year. The course “marks the culmination of their study in their discipline,” Nass said.

In the spring of senior year the curriculum will call for an independent project, “which may be a research paper or some other form of writing,” Nass said, adding the project could be a work of art or results of a scientific investigation, accompanied by a significant amount of writing.

In response to concerns that professors will not be as accessible as they are now, Nass reassured.

“For this academic year New College professors are remaining in their New College offices,” he said. “Next year they will still be readily available to any students who want to come see them.

“I’d like to assure those students as well as prospective students that our goal on the part of the administration and faculty is to make certain New College thrives,” Nass said.