I had the chance a few weeks back to talk with Andi McDaniel at Raven Radio about SJ(C?) a year later. My comments (which many people, but not all will agree with) can be heard here.
Raven Radio plans on several more interviews from folks formerly associated with the College. If you're interested, contact Andi at (907)747-5877.
I've also submitted a letter to the editor to mark the anniversary of the "one year deferment". Text follows below:
...One year ago this week the Board of Trustees of Sheldon Jackson College announced the deferment of academic operations for one year. This led to the loss of close to one hundred jobs and left students with few alternatives just weeks before the start of the semester. By September, trustees accepted the reality that the school would not open in the near future. Today, they are in the process of selling off the campus. It is an especially spectacular fall for an institution that had operated continuously for over 130 years.
The loss of Sheldon Jackson College affects different people differently. Many have grieved, mourning the loss of their alma mater, the place where they met their future spouse, read Shakespeare for the first time, or became the first in their family to graduate from college. Others have accepted Sheldon Jackson’s demise, viewing the closure as inevitable and even necessary for an institution that had lost its way. Reflecting on this past year, I find myself somewhere in between these two positions.
Like all of my colleagues, I lost my job the day the Trustees made the announcement. I was stunned by the news and deeply saddened. I worried about my students, my coworkers, and my livelihood. Some took it in stride while many others have struggled to move on. Many former employees remain unemployed, and many students have yet to return to school.
There is another part of me, upon reflection, that views the closure of Sheldon Jackson College as a necessary event. I will never accept the way in which it was closed, with virtually no notice or support for staff, faculty, and students. However, I am more and more convinced that Sheldon Jackson College had not been providing the educational experience students deserved. Despite the very best efforts of talented faculty, despite the promise of new programs and initiatives, Sheldon Jackson College failed to meet its commitment to those in its care. A college unable to insure that its employees will have work beyond the next day needs to close. A college unable to provide its students with fours years of quality education without interruption should not continue. At some point, Sheldon Jackson became that college.
There will never again be a Sheldon Jackson College at 801 Lincoln Street, but something will take its place. Due to the efforts of many dedicated members of our community, there may be a state-of-the-art childcare facility, community wellness center, fish hatchery and science center. These entities and others need our support as Trustees and their surrogates look to subdivide and sell off the campus. Much of the process is outside of our control, but we do have recourse through planning and zoning, historical preservation restrictions, city ordinances and citizen initiatives. The decisions being made about the future of the campus will impact our community tremendously.
College Trustees have given themselves until the end of this month to find a suitable buyer. After that, they have stated that they will begin the process of subdividing and selling parcels piece-meal. Is this what is best for this community? Let’s make the issue a matter of public debate.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
My wife and I served as volunteers at SJ from 2000-3. I taught physics, chemistry, and mathematics, and had some administrative responsibilities. From this experience I gained considerable insight about the management of SJ. We left SJ with a feeling of dread about its future. It was apparent to us that SJ would soon die. Our reasons:
1. The student body was too small. A college needs several hundred students to fill the classrooms and student activities. Most liberal arts colleges have enrollments of 2,000.
2. The University of Alaska and its branches took too many of the Alaskan students that would have attended SJ.
3. Sitka is too geographically isolated and has few of the amenities that students expect. We found many of the students from the lower 48 were attending SJ just to get away from home as far as feasible.
4. The faculty was too small to offer the variety and range of courses expected from a liberal arts college. Only one professor staffed many departments. During the 2002 - 3 school year I was the chemistry and physics departments. Most liberal arts colleges would have had at least three to five professors for each of these disciplines. During the 2001-2 school year the entire math department was staffed with volunteers and none of us had majored in math.
5. The staff turnover was incredibly high. The faculty lined up in graduation processionals according to seniority. During the last graduation that we attended (2003) my wife and I were near the front of the line. Colleges need experienced employees to survive and to offer a quality program.
6. The administration was secretative and dishonest while reporting the status of the college. Large donors will never donate to charities if there is even a hint of being untrustworthy.
Bryner, you speak with clarity and sincerity, something that has been missing at SJC for years. My loss echos your thoughts, too little too late.
Please comment on the latest rumor about Chilkat Services. Are they gone?
According to last evenings paper Chilkat is on the way out. I wonder who will take their place?
How about Pacific Tower Properties, from Anchorage??
Yes, I see in this evening’s paper that it is PTP Management from Anchorage. You can see their web page at this URL: http://www.pacifictower.com/
Post a Comment