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Saturday, June 26, 2004
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TEACHING TODAY (A University Diaries Series)
GALL & GALL “This academic year [2003-2004], the university had its share of controversies, many surrounding its professors.” You can say that again. The impressive reporters and writers on Jambar, the Youngstown State University newspaper, have been chasing down multiple stories of faculty mayhem and meltdown there during what the editor sardonically calls “The Year of the Professor.” Let us skip over the YSU professor who got naked at the “Canfield Fair,” and the faculty member who violated his “use of a weapon while intoxicated” probation, and focus instead on William Bruce Neil, a professor of Human Ecology at YSU who graduated from the LaSalle University diploma mill, shut down by the FBI not long after Neil “earned a master's and a doctorate degree on the same day in 1995.” First, though, a word on “Human Ecology.” UD is embarrassed to admit that she didn’t know “Human Ecology” is one of a number of new names for the now-defunct field of “Home Economics.” Another name you see in college catalogues for “Home Economics” is ”Family and Consumer Sciences.” A decision appears to have been made some years ago that “Home Economics” sounded girly: "Human ecology" has been defined as "the study of the physical, cultural, economic, social, and aesthetic environment that surrounds human beings from birth to death" (Alison Schneider in the Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/13/200). The relevance to the environmental movement is obvious, but these days the term is most often seen, along with "Family and Consumer Science" and similar terms, as an updated, less stereotypical, more professional (and scientific) label for the "home economics" schools found on many state university campuses (see V.B. Vincenti et al., Rethinking Home Economics: Women and the History of a Profession, Cornell University Press, 1997). For example, there are Colleges of Human Ecology at Cornell University and the University of Wisconsin, among many other campuses. Here’s Cornell’s complete description of its department: In 1969 Cornell's College of Home Economics was reorganized and named the College of Human Ecology. The foundation of the new college is a commitment to meeting the needs of people. The college is committed to innovative research and educational programs that serve individuals, families and communities. Concern for the human condition is at the heart of every activity the college undertakes. This commitment has grown out of the origins of the college and will continue to shape its future. Way broad mandate there. Home Economics used to be a modest affair involving the domestic arts, as in fashion and cooking. Human Ecology puffs it up, like the ultimate pastry shell, into The Human Condition. On examination, though, it’s the same thing it has always been, preparing students to work in the nutrition and hospitality industries…which is more or less what Professor Neil appears to have been about. His written work, however, adds a pinch of religion to the mix: “Did God make a mistake in telling man not to eat fat?” he asks in an essay on Advanced Theocentrics. “Man appears to need some fats." And then, further: “Most of the items sold as food in the modern supermarket do not seem to qualify as food according to the biblical definition, and they appear to be causing many health problems in our society." There’s a lot more where that came from: Professor Neil’s cv lists six published books (titles include In the Essence of Service, Tourism the Process, and Nutrition and Menu Planning) all unfortunately nonexistent. Intrigued by all of this, the Jambar staff asked Neil for a copy of his masters thesis or dissertation. When he did not provide them, the staff went to the irritable, aptly named Jean Hassell, chair of the Human Ecology department, and asked her numerous times if she had a copy of Neil's dissertation. Initially, Hassell said she had seen it but did not have it with her. When asked last week, Hassell said she was too busy to talk. "I can't possibly help you right now and you can't have that document at your beck and call," Hassell said. A twenty page document - a loose narrative of time spent in a hotel cafeteria - did eventually surface, and the editorial board of the newspaper made the whole thing available online. Meanwhile, however, YSU students are pissed: The University Guidebook states that all faculty members must hold degrees from accredited universities. Neil does not have a degree from an accredited university, and the students deserve their money back. When students come to this university, they expect education from professionals. The "Dr." in front of Neil's name is supposed to signify that professionalism. If Neil's degree was not earned from a professional learning system, then the students should not have to pay for the education he provided. The newspaper also reports that “Gall & Gall - the Dayton-based company hired by the university earlier this month to check the credentials of employees - failed to confirm any of the jobs Neil listed on his resume.” All very unpleasant. But the ultimate victim is Professor Neil: When approached by a Jambar reporter in the hallway of the Human Ecology Department Monday afternoon, Neil said he was shocked by allegations that his degrees are not from an accredited institution. "This is news to me," he said. "I am shocked." |