On April 20, 2009, the Curricular and Academic Restructuring Steering Committee released its recommendations. These are designed to strengthen Brandeis' curricula and organization while positioning the University to effectively deliver the Brandeis experience in the face of the challenging fiscal environment. The full report can be found online at https://secureweb.brandeis.edu/transformation.We began in February, and dozens of faculty, students and staff have worked incredibly hard on multiple CARS subcommittees and produced the innovative Justice Brandeis Semester, the new Business major, creative new Web site designs, ideas for more flexible requirements and ideas for removing barriers to flexible and creative curricular innovation.

There is no doubt that the financial crisis requires tough decisions and sacrifices to be made. At Brandeis, a university with the atmosphere of a small liberal arts college with strong research faculty, we are committed to having faculty and students jointly engaged in learning and scholarship. This is what makes us special, and the CARS process reflects that precious trait of our community.

Together we have worked to create a process for communicating and discussing these recommendations that is as inclusive as possible. Multiple town hall meetings, online forums, meetings with faculty and various departments and constant outreach to affected parties have all led to better results.

The CARS recommendations will make Arts and Sciences more flexible and effective, so that we can be lean and strong rather than feeling undernourished. The report includes targeted reductions in the size of the faculty, and it also includes changes in how we operate so that this reduced faculty can still deliver. In the end, the Committee decided not to recommend the closure of any undergraduate major or minor or any graduate program, but instead to rely on more efficient and flexible provisions of the courses necessary for these programs.

In particular, the recommendations are designed to make the process of constructing each year's curriculum more flexible, so the courses that need to be taught will be taught with minimal duplication and maximum variety. As the number of courses taught each semester is reduced slightly, better management of course rotation will ensure that variety and depth are maintained.

The recommendations also include transforming some existing departments into interdepartmental programs in order to increase the extent to which faculty from multiple departments contribute to those majors and to ensure that faculty currently in those interdisciplinary departments contribute to maintaining the strength of other departments.

Implementation of the recommendations will lead to some shrinkage of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. This reduction will allow the University to focus its resources on undergraduate education, while still maintaining the crucial core of the research university.

Read the report -- you will agree with some of the changes and disagree with others. Although no programs are disappearing, there will be changes to the way our existing majors, minors and graduate programs are delivered. Get involved and make your voice heard.

When the community is involved in making change, we can better ensure that as many voices and perspectives are as heard as possible. If we are all involved in the process today, our University will be better positioned for tomorrow.

Students, please attend one of a series of forums with the provost announced in her April 20 e-mail, and give your feedback. Faculty, please attend the faculty meeting on Thursday.

The provost will be reviewing these recommendations and your feedback and comments before any final decisions are made.

It has been a challenge and a privilege to participate with our fellow faculty and fellow students shaping our University for the future. Thank you to all who have been, and the many who will continue to be, engaged with us in the process of making change.

Editor's Note: Adam Jaffe is the Dean of Arts and Sciences and Fred C. Hecht Professor in Economics. Jason Gray '10 is the president of the Student Union.