Students, staff and faculty of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies gathered last Wednesday for a town hall meeting to address ongoing issues including concerns of “rumors” circulating about personnel, the uneven student-faculty ratio and the maintenance of open communication channels.

The meeting comes weeks after the school removed professor Arthur Gilbert from his undergraduate and graduate-level classes.

Dean Christopher Hill, who took his position at the onset of the 2010-2011 academic year, spoke to approximately 75 Korbel community members.

In regard to Korbel School management issues, Hill said: “There’s a lot of learning everyday. It ain’t easy.”

Prior to joining the Korbel team, Hill served as the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq from April 2009 through August 2010.

“In the government, people knew the rules and personnel issues were kept quiet,” Hill said. “Here everything is wide open, but still the rules need to be respected. Ultimately, we want to make the school the best it can be.”

Initially, Hill spent 30 minutes introducing topics of concern surrounding Korbel, emphasizing his commitment to make himself accessible for communication purposes.

Hill mentioned multiple times that if students have problems with professors or the quality of their courses, it is their “right and obligation to report to administrators.”

And so it seems a large quantity of comments and complaints have come to Hill’s attention.

“There’s been a lot of talk and so we’ve been on rumor control,” Hill said.

Originally, he touched on the subject of Professor Arthur Gilbert’s administrative leave, stating that DU’s Department of Human Resources has given him reports in regard to their decision following allegations of impropriety in a graduate level class.

“I need to sit down with Professor Gilbert, but the matter is between him and the administration – so I’m in no position to talk about it,” Hill said.

He did, however, assure that the decision regarding Gilbert’s employment is moving along “as quickly as possible.”

Following his initial comments, Hill provided a question-and-answer session that lasted over an hour for undergraduate and graduate students to directly pose inquiries.

Several students broached the status of Gilbert’s suspension.

Some suggested that the treatment and punishment of the educator, who has worked at DU for nearly 50 years and gained popularity and respect, is unfair.

One graduate student audience member referred to herself and her peers as “stakeholders” in Korbel and questioned how communication channels could be more effective.

“We are all stakeholders,” Hill responded. “What I cannot discuss is personnel or management issues. It’s a matter of privacy and there is in place somewhat of a gag order; administrators are not supposed to talk about this. What I can commit to is a discussion of our program.”

Students also expressed concern that the recent drama has proved to be distracting and undermining their academics.

The Dean attempted to move the topic of conversation, stating that a town hall meeting is “not the time nor place for personnel problems.”

Hill also concentrated on registration issues students have faced and complained about.

“Our graduate enrollment has increased,” he said. “We’ve added more students than professors. But this is a priority going forward.”

Hill said that Korbel is on track to increase the number of staff by hiring an international development lecturer at the graduate level as well as a new undergraduate lecturer. Korbel is also looking for a professor to fill the role of the Sie Cheou-Kang Chair for International Security and Diplomacy to further augment the staff.

He added that adjuncts are not the prime means to strengthen the student-faculty ratio.

Hill also said that additional graduate courses would be added in the fall.

In terms of course enrollment, Hill touched on students’ concern that they could not take graduate requirements or electives when they attempted to register each quarter.

The associate dean for academic affairs followed up thereafter explaining that students need not worry.

“We will continue to assure that, during the two years normally required to complete programs, Korbel students are able to enroll in all the courses they need to fulfill their degree requirements,” associate dean David Levine said. “Although demand for seats in Korbel classes is high, and in any given quarter students may not get into all the courses they would like, this does not mean they will be unable to take the courses they need to graduate.”

To “reach an expected standard” by adding more staff and class offerings, Hill hopes to give students the opportunity to enroll in required classes and electives when they want or need to take them.

In an effort to curb over-expansion at Korbel, Hill suggested capping undergraduate classes or creating a secondary admissions process, similar to that at Daniels College of Business.

During the initial lecture portion of the meeting, the commitment to helping students find and secure internships was also expressed.

According to Rae Ann Bories-Easley, the director of career and professional development, connecting students with employers is primarily accomplished through internships which are required for most masters degree programs and strongly encouraged otherwise.