CONTROVERSY OVER PARSONS FACULTY DISMISSALS
On Thursday, Artinfo, via Artcritical.com, reported that “roughly one-third of the adjunct, part-time faculty of the fine arts department in the School of Art, Media and Technology at Parsons the New School for Design has been abruptly laid off in a mass firing done just before the school adjourned for spring break.” The article notes: “Twelve teachers were fired through an e-mail telling them that there are no classes for them to teach in the upcoming academic year.”
In an e-mail to Artforum.com Friday, Deborah Kirschner, the associate director of arts communications, wrote: “On March 10, all part-time faculty in the Parsons Fine Arts program (there are thirty-nine total) received letters indicating their preliminary assignments for the fall. Three part-time faculty received letters indicating they would not be teaching in the fine arts program in the fall, but that they would be found courses elsewhere in the university. These are ‘annual’ or ‘grand-parented’ part-time faculty whose union contract guarantees them a base-load of credits each semester. We are currently seeking courses for these three faculty members.” Kirschner also wrote that six other part-time faculty who are “probationary” or “post-probationary” in status––meaning they are only guaranteed a base-load of credits for one semester or one academic year––“received letters indicating they would not be teaching in the fall and that while they were not assigned courses for the fall, they may be assigned courses in the future depending on need.” According to Kirschner, three other part-time faculty who are “probationary” or “post-probationary” received letters indicating that would not be teaching in the fall, though these faculty had already discussed with Parsons not returning. “Changes in the part-time faculty in our various programs occur as part of the normal academic planning process.”
Late Friday, the New York Times’s Robin Pogrebin followed up on the story, reporting that faculty members at Parsons and at other area universities are protesting the action. “If they can get away with doing it to these people, they’ll do it to us,” said Laurence Hegarty, a part-time professor at Parsons. “It is wrong to fire people, for no good reason, who have excellent track records as teachers, excellent track records as artists.”
In an e-mail message sent to New School officials on Tuesday, faculty members from Columbia University’s visual arts division called the move “anti-artist, anti-arts education and frankly anti-culture.” The message was signed by Gregory Amenoff, Tomas Vu-Daniel, Blake Rayne, Kara Walker, Jon Kessler, and Thomas Roma.
