As a member of the Steven J. Schochet Center advisory committee, I recently received word from John Watkins, Academic Director for the Schochet Center, that despite the excellent work that has been done to advance the goals for a dynamic and multi-faceted GLBT Studies program, the College of Liberal Arts (which houses the Schochet Center) will limit its focus for the future to faculty research and scholarship,which is the primary purpose of CLA academic centers. CLA is no longer willing to fund the full-time program director position which is responsible for the coordination of the distinguished lecture series, awards for excellence, community forums, student academic outreach, and community outreach and co-sponsorship efforts.

The Schochet Center’s academic director position and graduate assistant will be eliminated and Dr. Linnea Stenson will be reduced from a twelve-month, full-time position to a nine month, 75% time appointment 10 hours a week (during the academic year) will be available for center administration, specifically coordinating the faculty research and reading group components, as well as the Distinguished Lectures. For the remainder of her appointment, Linnea will teach three GLBT-focused courses. While this is certainly a welcome addition to the University’s course offerings, it poses momentous repercussions for GLBT Studies at the University of Minnesota.

In 1993, the University of Minnesota accepted five essential action recommendations from the Select Committee on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Concerns to address discrimination against gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people.  One recommendation was to Establish a Gay and Lesbian Studies Program.  The Select Committee envisioned a cross-disciplinary program that would foster the study of issues related to sexual minorities and their integration into existing courses, as well as encourage the development of new curriculum, thereby nurturing the burgeoning field of Gay and Lesbian Studies.  (The complete recommendation begins on page 11 of “Breaking the Silence:  The Final Report of the Select Committee on Lesbian, Gay, & Bisexual Concerns.”)

Faculty and graduate students began meeting in spring 1993 to discuss the development of a GLBT studies program. When the GLBT Programs Office was founded in December 1993, it provided significant support and assistance to faculty and students in working toward that goal.

In November 1996, University alum Steven J. Schochet (class of 1959) helped move the University closer to establishing a GLBT Studies program when he agreed to establish an endowed fund to support programs that enhance the development of curriculum and research in areas of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender studies.  Specifically, the gift supported the development of educational materials, curriculum, programming, and research using cultural resources such as outside speakers, literature, fine arts, performing arts, films, etc.  It also supported the development of forums, colloquiums, and programming that enhance the knowledge and understanding of the lives and experiences of GLBT people.  The Steven J. Schochet Center for GLBT Studies was formally established.

Bolstered by this commitment, faculty, students, & staff continued work toward establishing a dynamic University GLBT Studies program.  After careful analysis, they determined that developing the program as an academic center rather than an academic department was most appropriate. In 2000, the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) agreed to accept this multi-faceted program as an academic center.  That same year, Dr. Toni McNaron was appointed the first academic director; Dr. Linnea Stenson was hired as the first Program Director.  CLA Dean Steven Rosenstone was honored by the University GLBT Community in October 2000 with the prestigious “Breaking the Silence” Award for his support in helping move the University closer to a fully established GLBT Studies program.

With staff in place, the Schochet Center began the task of coordinating and developing the necessary programs, services, and structures to realize the vision for an academic program as conceived in the 1993 recommendation and consistent with the proposal for a CLA academic center.  In three years, the Center has made substantial progress in achieving that vision.  The Distinguished Lectures in Public Policy and in Arts & Literature; Community Forums; Student Awards for Excellence in Scholarship & Creativity; Academic Colloquiums; and Faculty research groups are significant accomplishments.  This past fall, the first GLBT class, GLBT Social Movements, was offered under the recently acquired GLBT Studies course designator; this spring, the first section of Intro to GLBT Studies was offered and registration filled within the first three days.  Registration for this fall's second offering of GLBT Social Movements filled in less than 48 hours. In its third year of being a staffed operation, the Schochet Center has achieved or significantly advanced most all components of the envisioned GLBT Studies program.

In a letter earlier this semester from myself and Linnea, I outlined plans to maintain the core services and programs offered by the GLBT Programs Office given the current University financial crisis.  Linnea indicated that the future was less certain for the Schochet Center.

As a program under CLA, the Schochet Center underwent a comprehensive internal evaluation this past year.  The report issued by CLA indicated that the Schochet Center was inconsistent in several respects to other CLA academic centers.  Most specifically, its staffing structure (a faculty academic director and full-time program director), community outreach focus, and student academic programming and recognition components were inconsistent with the parameters set out for research centers in CLA. Offering curriculum is also not an intended purpose for an academic center. The work of fostering faculty research and reading groups were found to be most consistent and favored under CLA guidelines for academic centers.

This is a significant retrenchment toward progress in achieving a dynamic GLBT Studies program set out in the President’s Select Committee report. It is a substantial reduction to staffing and program offerings. We are still unclear what will happen to other Schochet Center components such as the Awards for Excellence, community forums, etc. With the gift of Steven Schochet and the vision brought by many to the table, the Schochet Center was poised for national prominence. At this time, we are continuing to assess and evaluate what these changes mean in both the short and long term to our ability to fulfill the gifts and the aspirations which so many have contributed.

It is somewhat ironic that I write this letter just a week after the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force released “Campus Climate for GLBT People:  A National Perspective,” which is the largest such campus study ever conducted.  The University of Minnesota was one of 14 institutions who participated in this research, comprising one-fifth of the total sample.  The report recommends the integration of GLBT issues/concerns into curriculum, with the creation of a GLBT studies center or department as the first way to accomplish this.  (Complete report available at http://www.ngltf.org/library/index.cfm  ) It is also ironic that just this morning I received an email from the University of Wisconsin – Madison announcing a GLBT studies certificate (minor) to be offered for the first time this coming fall.  The Schochet Center had proposed such a minor earlier this year; the approval of this minor has been pending finding an administrative home in CLA, but outside the Schochet Center.

I am writing to make you aware that these changes have been discussed and are happening.  It is clear that these developments negatively impacts our progress toward realizing a GLBT Studies program at the University of Minnesota.

B David Galt, Director

GLBT Programs Office