Dear Comm Majors and Minors,As you may or may not know, Dr. Eric Saranovitz was recently told he would not be allowed to return to Denison following the 2008-2009 academic year by the administration. The reasoning was not clear, and no real justification was provided. The board that made this decision not only were not associated with Dr. Saranovitz, but have never witnessed him in the classroom. This decision was made against the reccomendation of the entire Communication department, who strongly advocated the return of Dr. Saranovitz. This decision impacts the entire department, as the suggestions and wishes from people who know and work with Dr. Saranovitz were completely ignored. A question begs to be asked: what is the future of the department if its tenured and senior professors are completely ignored? What will happen to other qualified junior professors?
Those of you who have had Dr. Saranovitz know that he is not a teacher that fits into any one precise mold. He is, however, dedicated and passionate about what he does. Those who do not respond to his style may choose not to take his classes. But I am sure that several of us, me especially, do learn in Dr. Saranovitz's classes. By proclaiming that teachers must abide to a certain style, the school is tarnishing the good name of a Liberal Arts educations, as the variety that makes it so special is being extinguished. While Dr. Saranovitz may not be traditional, choosing to partake in his educational style is an element that is crucial to a Liberal Arts education.
Madeleine Katz and I have scheduled a time with President Knobel on Tuesday, April 1st at 3 pm to discuss Dr. Saranovitz and his future. If you would like to help in the movement to help Dr. Saranovitz stay at Denison, please respond to me ASAP. We're going to try and meet on Monday to gather our thoughts, either during lunch or dinner time. Please respond and let me know which time works better for you, and I'll email everyone back to coordinate a final time.Please take part in this process. This not only impacts Dr. Saranovitz, who is a great professor, but the Communication department as a whole. Madeleine and I would greatly appreciate your support, as would the rest of the Communication department. Thanks a lot.
-Dan Sweatt '09
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