I am puzzled by the articles deploring the loss of a few creative writing teachers in the English department, at a time when nearly every department on campus will be losing some of its visiting instructors. A professor of English is quoted saying that the remaining English teachers will be "unhappy" teaching literature in addition to creative writing. How can one be "unhappy" teaching literature to Vassar students?
There is no place like Vassar. I have taught at a state school, a community college, a French lycée and an Ivy League university. Never, before coming to Vassar, did I get to teach such an alert, stimulating, intellectually challenging, and endearing group of young people. Like other foreign language teachers, I'd like more opportunities to teach literature, but I'd rather teach Elementary French to Vassar undergraduates than French Literary Theory to university graduates. This is my dream job.
But I also want Vassar to be the dream school for every one of my students, including those who come from backgrounds that make it hard to dream. To make sure Vassar remains within their reach, we must cultivate a healthy curriculum while minimizing unnecessary expenses. Each year, there are teachers who must leave after their short-term contracts expire. For most of them, teaching at Vassar represents an opportunity to grow professionally before getting employment elsewhere. For others, Vassar has been a wonderful place to teach on a contingent basis while they cultivate their craft (not all writers teach in the English department). Sometimes, visiting teachers are able to get a permanent contract. But in most cases, sadly, they cannot. Hence the term "visiting" position.
What's different about this year? Like other colleges across the nation, Vassar had to let go a larger than usual number of visiting faculty. The English department would have liked to hire even more creative writing teachers than it already has, but that might have created imbalance in other important areas of the curriculum. Nearly every department was affected by cuts; there is no reason to think that what befell the English department is particularly egregious. It's tragic that this year's non-permanent faculty members are now facing particularly difficult job market; it's also tragic that people in all walks of life around the world are losing their jobs. We who aspire to jobs in higher education go for PhDs. or M.F.A.'s because we love ideas and the arts. But we knew long before this year that the best jobs were few and far between. It is not within any college's means to provide permanent employment to every single teacher who passes through its gates.
Our students, on the other hand, did not choose the daunting future that awaits them. The next generation will depend heavily on many different kinds of specialists, including scientists, economists, social workers, teachers, and doctors, not just creative artists. We must keep the focus on the students. Some of them will want to take creative writing, but others will want to take Chemistry, Music, Anthropology, Chinese, Cognitive Science or Environmental Studies. Change is not always loss; change can shake us from our complacency, stimulating creativity and inventiveness. Though a small percentage of courses have been cut, we can bring innovation to the existing programs and offerings, and develop new ways of working with our students one-on-one. Many departments are bringing students into the conversation, with exciting results. Meanwhile, faculty and administrators continue to share concerns and exchange ideas on every topic from the curriculum to financial aid to conserving water and energy. Students are fortunate that everything is being done to keep their choices rich and varied. I predict that Vassar College will emerge from this experience more vital and impressive than ever.
—Kathleen Hart is the Chair of the French and Francophone Studies Department at Vassar College.
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