To the Editor:

I would like to clarify possible misconceptions that might have arisen from President Bridges’s response to questions that were raised at the Town Hall held February 28 regarding the status of the education department. According to your article, President Bridges stated that, “six years ago a group of faculty decided to phase out the education program.” President Bridges may have misspoken or was misquoted, either way the statement is misleading and inaccurately represents the power of the faculty in such a decision.

What happened six years ago was the closure of the Teacher Certification Program (a small part of Whitman’s education department). This occurred because increased state requirements made compliance impossible for our relatively small program. This was done in accordance with the education faculty, college administration and Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. There was no discussion, at that time, of phasing out the entire department. The education department continued to offer a minor in education, counseled students into graduate certification programs, and established a partnership with University of Puget Sound for their Master of Arts in Teaching program. Two years ago, the college administration notified me of their plan to discontinue the education program. I think it is important to note that this was not a faculty decision, either on the part of those of us in the education department or the faculty as a whole.

I appreciate continued student interest in the fate of the education department and hope that this clarifies how the department’s dissolution has come about.

Respectfully,

J. Kay Fenimore-Smith
Associate Professor of Education, Education Department Chair