2008 Woodie Awards
English department looks to find stability under new leadership
By: Amy Ledig, News Editor
Issue date: 4/11/08 Section: News
High faculty turnover rates, confusion and disunity between students and professors and hardly any departmental activities to bring students together.
This was the English department of the last few years. The descent was precipitated by a number of factors, not the least of which was a large numbers of professors leaving the department for several years, resulting in an influx of visiting instructors. Then Steven Burt, the former chair of the English department, left last spring to teach at Harvard, his alma mater. This put the department in a difficult position, having to scramble to regroup after his unexpected departure.
Professor Theresa Krier stepped up to act as chair for the fall semester this year until the department's current chair, Daylanne English, returned from sabbatical to assume the post.
However, the horizon appears to be brightening as the department pulls itself back together.
"The department has actually changed less than people think," English said. "We've got a stable core of amazing faculty and just brought on board this year two new equally amazing faculty members, Don Lee and Casey Jarrin, and it's an exceptional group of faculty members."
"I think we're all pulling in the same direction now," Krier said. "We all have a vision of the English department."
During her semester as chair, Krier said, she "spent a lot of time making individual faculty feel valued for themselves." This semester, English has continued the project Krier started in the fall of tightening up the course offerings and the honors guidelines to reflect the new, updated department.
English said that she sees the department beginning to wrap up the rebuilding phase it has been in for the last several years. She attributed the high levels of faculty turnover in part to natural retirement peaks.
"The English department at Macalester is not unlike departments at a number of colleges and universities across the country that experienced a hiring boom in the late 60s and 70s," she said. "I think a small college feels it more because the departments are smaller, so it's easier to notice when there's a wave of retirements, when there are small departments and many of the faculty were hired around the same time."
This was the English department of the last few years. The descent was precipitated by a number of factors, not the least of which was a large numbers of professors leaving the department for several years, resulting in an influx of visiting instructors. Then Steven Burt, the former chair of the English department, left last spring to teach at Harvard, his alma mater. This put the department in a difficult position, having to scramble to regroup after his unexpected departure.
Professor Theresa Krier stepped up to act as chair for the fall semester this year until the department's current chair, Daylanne English, returned from sabbatical to assume the post.
However, the horizon appears to be brightening as the department pulls itself back together.
"The department has actually changed less than people think," English said. "We've got a stable core of amazing faculty and just brought on board this year two new equally amazing faculty members, Don Lee and Casey Jarrin, and it's an exceptional group of faculty members."
"I think we're all pulling in the same direction now," Krier said. "We all have a vision of the English department."
During her semester as chair, Krier said, she "spent a lot of time making individual faculty feel valued for themselves." This semester, English has continued the project Krier started in the fall of tightening up the course offerings and the honors guidelines to reflect the new, updated department.
English said that she sees the department beginning to wrap up the rebuilding phase it has been in for the last several years. She attributed the high levels of faculty turnover in part to natural retirement peaks.
"The English department at Macalester is not unlike departments at a number of colleges and universities across the country that experienced a hiring boom in the late 60s and 70s," she said. "I think a small college feels it more because the departments are smaller, so it's easier to notice when there's a wave of retirements, when there are small departments and many of the faculty were hired around the same time."
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EnglishMajor
posted 4/13/08 @ 5:15 PM CST
Krier couldn't find someone to take pictures of majors? I find that hard to believe but even if true, couldn't majors have been asked to submit pictures, if they wanted them posted? Someone with a Ph. (Continued…)
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