First of all, thank you to everyone who has signed and shared this petition. We’re grateful for your support.

 

We’ve included an e-mail below from the Faculty Senate President which relays some key information from the administration.  We want to reiterate that this issue does not just impact faculty. Staff and students also have children at the Center. Community members and USM alums have children there, as well. 

 

In the meantime, here are a few things you can do to help:

 

1.     Continue to share this petition on social media.

2.     Share details on the petition about why you signed it and what the Center means to you.

3.     Send an e-mail to President Joe Paul (president@usm.edu) asking for a town hall forum where we can talk creatively and candidly about how to address this issue. 

 

We understand that the Center’s closure may be unavoidable, but this sudden announcement, one which even Faculty Senate was initially unaware of, suggests that more voices should be brought into the conversation. This is why shared governance is in place.

 

There is a child care crisis across the country, and USM has an opportunity to be creative and innovative in addressing it directly. USM should be a model, rather than just another statistic. 

 

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Email from Faculty Senate President:

 

Dear Senators,

 

 

Provost Nail has asked me to share the following information regarding the Center for Child Development. Please forward this to your schools to help dispel misinformation about this issue.

 

 

The Center for Child Development is not being closed at this time. The Center is no longer accepting new students, but operations will continue until all currently enrolled children (fewer than 100) have aged out. Approximately 1% of Southern Miss employees have children enrolled at the Center, and they will continue to receive these services.

 

The Center for Child Development was established to serve as a laboratory school where USM students enrolled in the Child and Family Sciences – Child Development program could complete required field experiences. 

 

While the program has been very beneficial to faculty, staff and student parents, its primary purpose has always been to support the education of university students.

 

With the surge in online enrollment in 2016, the program was modified to offer flexible training opportunities in the areas where students live and work.  The change to an online delivery format enhanced the student experience but reduced the number of in-person students and student teachers who needed to complete field experiences at the CCD.

 

With fewer student teachers available and a very competitive market for childcare workers, it has become increasingly difficult for the University to maintain the staffing levels required to operate a fully accredited lab school.

 

As a result, we made the difficult decision to stop enrolling new students at the CCD. The University has committed to continuing operations until the children currently enrolled have aged out, after which the Center will close.

 

Dean Gould, Dr. Sims and Provost Nail are willing to meet with concerned faculty to discuss more, if needed. 

 

Employees who need assistance with childcare may contact the Employee Assistance Program provided through Human Resources for information about local childcare providers.

 

 

As always I am here to answer any questions or concerns.

 

 

All the best,

Jen

 

Dr. Jennifer Courts

Associate Prof. of Art History 

Faculty Senate President

School of Performing and Visual Arts 

The University of Southern Mississippi