2008 Woodie Awards
Student, Alumni Statement of Support for Professor Scott Morgensen
Issue date: 2/8/08 Section: Opinion
We, the undersigned students and alumni of Macalester College, issue the following statement of support for Dr. Scott Morgensen, Assistant Professor of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, in reaction to his recent tenure denial.
For the last six years, Dr. Morgensen has brought boundless energy and acumen to the field of Queer Studies, and to teaching at Macalester College. He is in equal parts brilliant scholar, accessible adviser, engaging professor, mentor, and leader in the community. His participation both in Macalester and the broader community reflects his commitment to critical engagement with public life, most particularly the studies and movements of marginalized peoples. Moreover, Dr. Morgensen stands as a beacon of support for students on all corners of the globe researching and working on issues of gender, race, class, and sexuality.
As students, we feel that Dr. Morgensen is an irreplaceable asset to the Macalester Community. We who have worked with him in classes, independent projects, internships, the Institute for Global Citizenship, or as advisees understand in our hearts and minds the true value of Professor Morgensen's contribution to our lives as critical scholars, reflective learners, and as human beings engaged in our communities. As a citizen-scholar, Dr. Morgensen embodies the values of Macalester College that many of us aspire to uphold. He and his groundbreaking scholarship serve as role models for countless Macalester students, staff, and faculty, past and present.
We regard the decision to deny tenure to a faculty member of Dr. Morgensen's caliber for the sole tenure-track position in WGSS as a momentous step backward in terms of Macalester's institutional commitment to the study of the lived experiences of marginalized peoples.
Macalester College prides itself in being a "preeminent liberal arts college" with "special emphasis on internationalism, multiculturalism, and service to the community." The WGSS department plays a critical role in this mission by providing courses which focus on the lived experiences of marginalized peoples in local, national, international, and transnational communities. Dr. Morgensen's tenure denial means that the department is left with only one full-time faculty member, jeopardizing the stability and existence of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Macalester.
For the last six years, Dr. Morgensen has brought boundless energy and acumen to the field of Queer Studies, and to teaching at Macalester College. He is in equal parts brilliant scholar, accessible adviser, engaging professor, mentor, and leader in the community. His participation both in Macalester and the broader community reflects his commitment to critical engagement with public life, most particularly the studies and movements of marginalized peoples. Moreover, Dr. Morgensen stands as a beacon of support for students on all corners of the globe researching and working on issues of gender, race, class, and sexuality.
As students, we feel that Dr. Morgensen is an irreplaceable asset to the Macalester Community. We who have worked with him in classes, independent projects, internships, the Institute for Global Citizenship, or as advisees understand in our hearts and minds the true value of Professor Morgensen's contribution to our lives as critical scholars, reflective learners, and as human beings engaged in our communities. As a citizen-scholar, Dr. Morgensen embodies the values of Macalester College that many of us aspire to uphold. He and his groundbreaking scholarship serve as role models for countless Macalester students, staff, and faculty, past and present.
We regard the decision to deny tenure to a faculty member of Dr. Morgensen's caliber for the sole tenure-track position in WGSS as a momentous step backward in terms of Macalester's institutional commitment to the study of the lived experiences of marginalized peoples.
Macalester College prides itself in being a "preeminent liberal arts college" with "special emphasis on internationalism, multiculturalism, and service to the community." The WGSS department plays a critical role in this mission by providing courses which focus on the lived experiences of marginalized peoples in local, national, international, and transnational communities. Dr. Morgensen's tenure denial means that the department is left with only one full-time faculty member, jeopardizing the stability and existence of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Macalester.
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Dan
posted 2/10/08 @ 3:41 PM CST
We pay for our education! Our demands come first!
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