Jonathan Cohen was one of the nine faculty members of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Maine, Farmington, and learned that their position was excluded. Cohen, depicted in his office, described the cut as a “cut” to UMF’s liberal arts identity. He has been in college for 30 years as an “Ambassador of Philosophy”. Kay Neufeld / Sun Journal
Farmington — Nine faculty members in the Humanities and Social Sciences learned on May 2 that they wanted a long-lasting career at the University of Maine, Farmington.
This exclusion, which affected five incumbent professors, effectively wiped out UMF’s Women and Gender Studies, Philosophy and Religions, and World Languages departments. Three additional positions have been removed in the Geography, Psychology, and History departments.
They were also academic advisors for students, advisors for diverse campus clubs and initiatives, and community resources.
In the UMaine system, exclusion is referred to as “reduction.” This is a way to reduce costs and save money. This often means reducing staff and offering a different position within the system.
In addition to the reduction, nine other faculty members have made planned severance pay offers.
When the announcement was made, Prime Minister Danel Malloy said, “We are able to allow these individuals (of teachers) to stay here in Maine and work if they become available. I will do my best. “
However, in an email message, UMaineSystem spokesman Margaret Nagle said that affected faculty members could also be “unknowingly dismissed.”
The impact of the decision spread throughout the campus. Students have launched a #SaveHumanitiesUMF campaign in protest and demanding the removal of Prime Minister Danel Malloy. The UMF Senate has announced a resolution of distrust against Malloy. And Eric Brown, Vice-President of Academic Affairs, submitted his resignation because of “the imminent change in presidential leadership …”.
Students and faculty members will be asked to cancel all courses in these programs and the UMaine system will inform affected students.online Synchronous and asynchronous course It is offered from the campuses of other main university systems. “
But it’s not just the courses and programs that have affected me. Uncertainty impregnates the future of each professor who has lost his job. People with Farmington roots — both long-standing and fresh.
Jonathan Cohen, who lost his position as a professor of philosophy, said in an interview at his UMF office this week that the adjacent corridor lined with other dismissed professor’s offices is a “cutting site.” Stated.
Cohen came to UMF in 1992 and became the “Ambassador of Philosophy” as the second professor of philosophy in the program. For the next thirty years, Cohen raised a family of four children in what is known as Farmington’s “very warm community.”
Last fall, UMF was recognized as one of the top universities in the country with a bachelor’s degree in the 2021 Annual University Rankings of Washington Monthly. UMF was also recognized by the US News & World Report as one of the Top 10 Colleges in the 2022 Best College Ranking, including Best Value College, Top Public College, Top Regional College, Veteran Best College, and Top Performers of Social Mobility.
“We gave (students) a holistic experience for small public liberal arts (programs),” he said. “I feel more effective when helping (students) better understand the philosophical issues associated with their lives and create conscientious citizens who care for their communities. . “
Anne Kennedy, the last core professor to be separated from women and gender studies, came to UMF in 2007 for the same reason as Cohen. A reduced geography professor, as Jesse Miner did.
“What we are doing (in liberal research) is to empower (students) to think of themselves not only as people in need of work, but also as people who want to contribute to society,” Kennedy said. Said.
“I was really attracted to multiple perspectives (of liberal arts) … using both sides of the brain,” Miner said.
At the same time as the exclusion, Cohen’s father, whom he called an “enthusiastic intellectual,” died.
Cohen attended his father’s funeral on April 29 and drove to Philadelphia to sit in Shiva, a Jewish memorial tradition. At the end of the drive, Cohen opened his phone to the same email that all nine professors received asking for a meeting with human resources.
He said this gave him a perspective, but in his mourning “it’s hard not to think about’what it means to lose my job'”.
After working at UMF for 30 years, Cohen acknowledged that this exclusion had a different impact than professors who recently moved to Farmington or are still raising children.
This includes miners who have just begun to build their roots in Farmington after enrolling in college in 2018. “My daughter learned how to walk here,” Miner said. “This will be an ideal place for us to have roots, build communities, build careers and grow families.”
Now, the problem is: Will they leave?
Cohen is suspicious. His wife has a career in Farmington and can commute to work.
Kennedy seems confident that if he can’t find a job elsewhere in Maine, he’ll leave Farmington and probably go to the south or west coast where his family lives.
And what about the minor? “I don’t know,” he said. Miner missed the mountain bike club for local families, with kids biking to school, skiing at Titcom Mountain, and walking in the woods.
“(Love Farmington) is part of the reason that makes this so difficult. We don’t want to leave,” Miner said. “This raises the question of what I value most. Is it this career that I really worked hard and trained in a very specific way? .. (and) more closely Student involvement … or do we value something else? “
Their future is uncertain, but the theme that resonates among faculty members is their love for students.
Cohen misses the students’ willingness to learn and the “fresh perspective” of the lesson. Kennedy said she “desperately misses the student” she spends most of her time with.
Professors also share concerns about how reductions affect student education.
It was important for Kennedy that these discussions contributed to UMF’s education on women and gender studies in rural areas where they could be “lost.” The importance of these subjects permeated Kennedy as a child raised by the “working class, feminist mother” in Alabama.
She is particularly passionate about the importance of her program following a leak from the U.S. Supreme Court showing that the Roe v. Wade decision, which gives Americans federal constitutional rights to abortion, could be withdrawn. is. The leak was reported the same day Kennedy learned that her position had been eliminated.
“I think my classroom is a place where students can actually talk about some of the ways they were told not to talk about problems and about their experiences,” Kennedy said.
“I have a terrible feeling for UMF. This is a disconnection. A real, real loss to the dream of a public liberal arts college,” Cohen said. “It’s a real shame for students in Maine that they no longer have the option of public liberal arts.”
Karly Jacklin, organizer of #SaveHumanitiesUMF and up-and-coming senior, said the process was “emotional and devastating” for her and other students. Her college career, expected bachelor’s degree, and community are affected by the cuts.
“These professors are not only great academic instructors, but also pillars of our community,” said Jacklin. “These professors are very much loved in our community, and it’s horrifying to see them go.”
Cohen said at UMF, “I’m very proud of what we’ve built,” but “that dream is dead in this amputation.”
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