Chair's Report

August, 2007

In my report to Dean Todd Gleeson in the summer of 2006, I indicated that the Department of Ethnic Studies had established several challenges and goals for academic year 2006-2007. Among these were the following:

• Increase the faculty morale by demonstrating institutional support to  the department

• Receive college support for the departmental  faculty recruitment request for AY 06-07

• Work collaboratively with the External  Review Committee that will visit our department as part of the program review process

• Continue efforts to bring faculty from other departments/colleges into the teaching/research mission of the department

• Develop a working document for a graduate program in comparative ethnic studies

I am pleased to report that we accomplished most of the goals we set for ourselves and met many of the challenges as well. Thus, during academic year 2006-2007: 

• The department received permission from the college to recruit a replacement position in American Indian/comparative studies. The search is almost completed and we anticipate hiring a faculty person in this area during the fall semester of 2007.

• The department received permission from the college to recruit a new position in Asian American/comparative studies. This search has been successfully completed, and Seema Sohi, from the University of Washington, will be joining us in August, 2007.

• Professor Linda Hogan, a highly respected scholar and poet in the area of American Indian studies, joined the faculty with a two year half-time appointment as a Scholar In Residence.

• Professor Stewart Lawler, previously in the American Studies program, joined the faculty with a two year half-time appointment as Instructor.

• The assessment of the department by the External Review Committee was very positive and constructive – indicating that the department was more than meeting its responsibilities and goals in the areas of teaching, research, and service. The Committee endorsed the department’s assessment regarding the importance of developing an MA/PhD program, and made constructive recommendations regarding a future graduate program in ethnic studies. The Final Report, from the Office of Faculty Affairs, affirmed the assessment of the External Review Committee concerning the department, as well as the Committee’s recommendation with respect to the development of a graduate program.

• The faculty met several times throughout the year with respect to the development of a graduate program in comparative ethnic studies. As a result of these discussions, the department in the spring of 2006 completed a preliminary, working draft of an MA/PhD proposal entitled “Comparative Ethnic Studies in the Americas.”

•  Professors Lorna Dee Cervantes, from the English Department, and Shu Ling Berggreen, from the School of Journalism, each taught a class in ethnic studies. Both were impressed by the quality of our students and by the supportive and collegial environment within our department.

• The department celebrated its tenth year as a department. Over 150 people attended the ceremony, including Chancellor Peterson and Dean Gleeson. In their brief comments to the audience, they indicated their strong support of ethnic studies.

The student enrollment in ethnic studies continues to grow significantly. Last year, over a thousand students enrolled in our courses. Currently, we have 62 majors and 46 minors in our program. The faculty composition within the department has also changed substantially. In the past three years, we have recruited three outstanding faculty, with the possibility of hiring two new faculty within the next year. All of these except one were replacement positions. Including our two half-time positions, by the end of the coming academic year more than half of the faculty will have been hired within the last three years.

The changing faculty composition, although creating new and exciting possibilities for our teaching and research goals for the coming years, has not been without turmoil and controversy. The reason these positions became available in the first place was because we lost good faculty – most of whom accepted appointments at other universities that offered them greater resources, as well as better academic and professional opportunities. The salaries of our faculty are still below the average of those at comparable institutions. Some of the previous faculty left because of what they felt to be a lack of support for ethnic studies on the part of the university.

Without a doubt, however, the greatest discomfort and source of concern within the department the past two and a half years has centered on the controversy surrounding Ward Churchill – who last month was dismissed by the Board of Regents. Although the issues regarding this matter are multi-faceted and complex – involving  areas of concern not only for our department, but for academia in general --  it should be noted that during the time Ward Churchill was a member of our faculty, his teaching evaluations were not only among the highest in the department, they were among the highest in the entire university. His courses in American Indian studies were always filled to capacity and in very high demand. He received a number of important and prestigious teaching awards. His position will not be an easy one to fill. Perhaps my greatest challenge as chair in the coming year will be to reassure our recently hired faculty as well as our prospective faculty that the university – at all academic and administrative levels -- is committed to and supportive of ethnic studies as a department and as a discipline.

For the immediate future, the clearest indicant of institutional commitment to ethnic studies will be seen in the continuing college support for new and replacement faculty positions. Another indicant of support will be a positive and constructive response to the department’s request for the development of an MA/PhD program in comparative ethnic studies. It is our intent to submit such a proposal during academic year 2007-2008.

The faculty, staff, and students of ethnic studies look forward to the coming academic year. We know that we will be confronted with many challenges as we move ahead as a department and as a discipline. We have every confidence that we will meet these challenges enthusiastically and successfully. Furthermore, we will continue to provide our students with the quality of education that they deserve, as we will continue to contribute significantly and substantially to the body of scholarship that comprises our discipline.