Students interested in studying history at Baker University may soon benefit from a new professor and the increase in history courses the position will bring.
The department of history, political science and sociology is in the process of looking for a new full-time professor of history, department chair Ryan Beasley said.
“We only have one full-time person right now, and we have a lot of majors,” he said.
Beasley said faculty members teaching history right now include Assistant Professor of History John Richards, who is the only faculty member teaching the full-time load of 12 credit hours a semester, and Professor of History and Political Science Karen Exon, who teaches six credit hours a semester with three related to her position as the Susan L. Perry Endowed Chair in Western American History. Also teaching history are Adjunct Instructor of History Leonard Ortiz, with nine credit hours a semester, and University Archivist Brenda Day, who teaches three credit hours a year.
Ortiz, who is considering applying for the full-time position, declined to comment while the application process was still ongoing.
Beasley said the process of finding a new professor was already underway.
“We are currently in the process of drafting a job description to send to the office of the dean (of the College of Arts and Sciences), which will appear in an advertisement for the position,” Beasley said.
He said the advertisement would run sometime between October and December 2006, with an application deadline of January or February 2007.
“We will review the applications, develop a short list of candidates and pick our top two and bring them onto campus for an interview,” Beasley said.
He said the department has needed to fill the position since the spring 2005 semester.
“History needs yet a third line,” Beasley said. “But this will move us to having the two full-time positions we used to have.”
Junior Andrew McGregor, a history major, said a new faculty member would improve the course offerings in the major.
“It seems like there isn’t much availability right now. You have to wait for the courses you need to come up again in the cycle,” he said. “You really have to plan, because if you miss a course you need, it might not be offered for another two or three years.”
Junior Nathan Michel, a history major assisting with the decision process behind hiring the new professor, said the department could use a new member.
“We need to have a wider range of course offerings, and I think this will help,” he said. “I understand that they are looking for someone who does American history. I hope to see courses we haven’t had before, no matter what area they are in.”
McGregor said many history courses fulfill general education requirements, making increased offerings of those courses important. Beasley agreed with McGregor’s assertion.
“The history section of the department does a service to the university by offering a lot of gen eds,” Beasley said. “As we bring in more and more students, we will need more faculty.”