Next semester, the Mills Government Department will only have one tenured professor even though three majors – Government, International Relations and PLEA – require several government courses.
Department Head Paul Schulman will be teaching courses, but Professor Fred Lawson will be on sabbatical for the fall semester. Other long-term government professor Anne Marie Choup has been on sabbatical this year and will continue to be on sabbatical next year.
Even though the Mills Fall 2008 Course Schedule lists Maria Carmen Cacho Ramos as an instructor, Schulman said she will not teach next year.
Instead, the department will hire another professor. Schulman did not reveal this person’s name because he “didn’t want to jump the gun” before the professor is hired.
Some government students expressed concern that having one long-term professor teaching classes will limit their options.
Schulman said that the limited number of professors is nothing to worry about. “This happens a lot in small departments, we do what we can,” he said.
Schulman assured students that the department will ensure that graduating students can meet major and minor requirements. He said that if a necessary class is not offered, graduating students can take a substitute class.
