Since the announcement of the interim administration’s plan to sunset Hamline’s Master in Fine Arts (MFA) in creative writing and the Water~Stone Review, there has been an outpouring of support for the programs from current and former members of Hamline.

Faculty and staff of The Creative Writing Program (CWP) released a response to the MFA sunset proposal.

“The proposal contains numerous false claims, some claims that are misleading and other claims that require context. It is concerning that the authors of the proposal seem to lack a basic understanding of the Creative Writing Programs curriculum, initiatives, and operations,” the CWP said in the document they plan to present to the committees reviewing the sunset proposal.

In this response, they address claims made about a decline in enrollment and interest in the program and the level of communication about this proposed change. In a faculty meeting on Thursday, March 13, Creative Writing Program Director and professor of English Richard Pelster-Wiebe raised concerns about a lack of recognition of the program’s progress.

“You mentioned that you had been meeting with directors of the graduate programs, but you haven’t yet met with me, so I wanted to take an opportunity to extend that invitation. I’ve only been the director for a year and a half and under my leadership, enrollments in the program have increased for the first time in years,” Pelster-Wiebe said to the Vice President of Enrollment Management Mary Jensen at the faculty meeting.

Pelster-Wiebe was cut off by Jensen who advised that she had been provided with an incomplete list of program directors, leading to the lack of communication with Pelster-Wiebe.

The outrage at the proposed change has not been limited to within the CWP. A petition on change.org, a platform used to spread awareness regarding local, national and international issues, titled “Save Hamline’s MFA Program and Water~Stone Review” has garnered over 1000 signatures in less than five days. Several faculty members have also expressed concern about sunsetting the MFA and Water~Stone Review to their co-workers.

Political Science Professor Binnur Ozkececi-Taner expressed concern about Hamline’s willingness to cut unique programs that have a deep-seated connection with Hamline’s history and identity.

“Hamline has already cut some of the programs that traditionally made the university distinctive among its competitors: the Model UN, the Mock Trial and the extensive Study Abroad programs. Cutting the MFA program and diminishing the Creative Writing Programs would be yet another shortsighted move with lasting consequences for the identity of Hamline and our institutional values,” Ozkececi-Taner said in a letter to members of the Board of Trustees.

Legal Studies Professor Leondra Hanson indicated that she fears Hamline is moving away from its roots to adopt something new and flashy with the hopes it will attract students.

“We seem to keep sacrificing the essence of Hamline’s identity while also searching to make something new, something shiny, something the kids want to buy — like an expensive Engineering degree. My hope for Hamline, as we welcome a new administration, is that we can stop trying so hard to be something students want and start getting a lot louder about how we already provide what they need,” Hanson said in an email to faculty.

Music Professor Janet Greene also believes that Hamline should not be moving in this new direction and should instead lean into what is already here and has helped establish Hamline’s reputation.

“The MFA [program] and Water~Stone are exactly what we need more of. They extend our community and our good name in unique directions. The programs are highly regarded and have contributed over many years to building Hamline’s excellent reputation locally, regionally and nationally,” Greene said in an email to faculty.

Despite the announcement from interim administrators, the proposal to sunset the MFA is not yet set in stone and must pass through faculty committees.

“If we don’t act now, we may lose a long-standing pillar in the local literary community, a cohort of writers who uplift new and diverse voices & an award-winning journal that gives international recognition to Hamline University and its surrounding community!” the description on the petition said.