Less than a year after the formation of the Ethnic Studies Coalition, made up of students from a variety of backgrounds to lobby for the departmentalization of the University’s ethnic studies program, the recent departmentalization of both ethnic studies and international studies ended a long effort by supporters of the move.
University faculty, staff and students all played a part in the departmentalization process, but Kari Herinckx, a coalition member, said students played a key role.
The student coalition formed at the beginning of the 2007-08 year as a diversity action coalition made up of ASUO members to respond to the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity’s required Strategic Action Plans from all University programs and departments. The purpose of the diversity coalition was to promote and monitor diversity issues within the ASUO, said Herinckx.
Herinckx said that the members of the diversity coalition heard that the ethnic studies program was lobbying to become a department within the College of Arts and Sciences.
Last year, Ethnic Studies Program Director Michael Hames-Gracia wrote a proposal to the administration outlining why ethnic studies should be transformed into a department, said Peggy Pascoe, an ethnic studies faculty member.
In winter 2008, the Diversity Action Coalition morphed into the Ethnic Studies Coalition, the main goal of which was to departmentalize ethnic studies.
The coalition went public with its goals in February with a presentation at the University Senate meeting.
“At the presentation we talked about how we wanted ethnic studies to become a department, and how we thought it was necessary for an academic discipline like this where we can have critical conversations on race and identity,” said Herinckx.
Russ Tomlin, the University vice provost for academic affairs, said that normally the decision of whether to departmentalize a program lies with the individual colleges, therefore the dean. He said that decisions are transferred to the provost’s office only when there is a large disagreement with the college and the program.
Herinckx said the faculty had been trying to become a department within the College of Arts and Sciences, or CAS, but that CAS Dean Wendy Larson had been opposed to the idea.
Tomlin said that this is the first time in roughly 30 years that a program has been transformed into a department.
Student coalition members then began meeting with members of the administration to lobby their point and learn more about what the process would require.
Tomlin said the provost’s office responded to the requests by forming a committee to consider the departmentalization of ethnic studies and international studies.
That committee submitted its recommendation on May 8, which said, “we recommend that the Dean’s Office work with Ethnic Studies and International Studies to achieve departmentalization no later then fall 2010.”
Herinckx said the student coalition contacted each member of the review committee to stress the importance of departmentalization as soon as possible.
After reviewing the committee’s recommendation, Larson wrote her own recommendation to the provost’s office.
“Larson wasn’t against the departmentalization of ethnic studies,” said Tomlin. “She didn’t feel it was exactly the right time.”
Larson’s recommendation proposed several new ideas, said Tomlin.
“I propose the CAS, with the support of Academic Affairs, establish a new interdisciplinary department focused on social identity,” said Larson in her recommendation, which also indicated that the department be formed by the 2010-11 year.
The student coalition was both excited and dismayed by the recommendation, said Herinckx – though it did support departmentalization, the coalition wanted it to be completed by fall 2008.
Tomlin wrote his own recommendation to University Vice President and Provost Linda Brady, who ultimately made the decision to go ahead with the departmentalization by fall 2008. In his recommendation he stressed that the departmentalization of ethnic studies and international studies should not be delayed.
Tomlin said he believed it was important for ethnic studies to be a department because it would be able to attract more qualified faculty and students as a department than as a program.
After reviewing the recommendations and meeting with the student coalition, Brady approved the departmentalization by fall 2008.
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