A posting for an unspecified position in the Cornell College of Arts and Sciences a few weeks ago has angered various members of that faculty, according to a letter leaked to The Cornell Review.
The ad read, in part, that the College was “seeking to hire a tenure-track assistant professor in some area of the humanities or qualitative social sciences.”
It continued: “We are especially interested in considering applications from members of underrepresented groups, those who have faced economic hardship, are first-generation college graduates, or work on topics related to these issues.”
The ad was mocked in the Chronicle of Higher Education; most recently, The Cornell Review got hold of a letter by Cornell professors and department chairs in the department which “criticizes the College of Arts & Sciences for posting the ad without consulting humanities department chairs or professors, and for the University’s overall sidelining of the humanities.”
(a) The advertisement appeared out of nowhere as far as the humanities and qualitative social science departments were concerned. There had been no discussion, no consideration of strategy, aims, etc. Yet, as national ridicule followed – made rather conspicuous in The Chronicle of Higher Education piece and comments (http://chronicle.com/article/Cornell-s-Pitch-to/233257/) not to mention in numerous communications to many of us (usually citing this Chronicle article) – we feel the lesson is that, as in several recent cases, with prior consultation some of the problems might have been identified and better dealt with.
(b) No process has been discussed or announced with regard to this position, and indeed the comments attributed to Senior Associate Dean Scott MacDonald in the Chronicle are the nearest we have to an understanding of what is going on rather than through appropriate communication and discussion at Cornell within the College. Yet we are receiving dozens to hundreds of inquiries about a position we know nothing about, cannot even say will actually be filled, and for which we have no idea which departments are actually in play. It is all very well saying the College is not even going to look at applications until the end of the year, but what are we to say to all those who inquire now?
The lack of communication and consultation has caused considerable concern among faculty. They wonder if they are to be expected to read 100+ applications for a position their department will never get, and what they are to answer to inquiries from colleagues elsewhere and prospective applicants. Morale is already quite low in many of the humanities departments as we are sure you know, and this whole episode has only triggered further concern.
The Review notes that “[t]he letter’s authors include chairs of various humanities departments at Cornell,” but their names were removed to protect their privacy.
Read the full Cornell Review article.
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