Princeton's appointment of Professor Cornel West adds another outstanding scholar to the university's faculty rosters. His presence will benefit campus intellectual life as a whole and, so it seems, help the efforts of the Program in African-American Studies to receive more respect and recognition. And most of us won't deny that it's oh-so-very satisfying to steal a professor from Harvard.
As I read the press release, though, I was troubled by some comments made in reaction to the new appointment. One person was quoted as saying, "Depth, precision and fervor have always characterized Cornel West's work as well as his teaching. Princeton is extremely fortunate in securing him – again." The contents of this remark certainly did not pose a problem, but the speaker's identity made me raise my eyebrows: Toni Morrison. It was inappropriate for a faculty member who spends so little time teaching to comment on Professor West's arrival to campus. Seeing her name in the press release was an important reminder of the potential dangers Princeton faces when it hires such academic all-stars. Will they be actively involved? Or do we appoint them just to make us look good?
Professor Morrison was one of the main reasons I came to Princeton. I had read several of her books in high school and saw a picture in one of Princeton's promotional catalogues of her teaching a lecture hall full of captive undergraduates. What could be better than a class with this Nobel Prize winning author? After four years at Princeton, though, I have not seen any traces of that lecture class.
According to the Registrar's Office, Professor Morrison taught three classes in 1995-1996 (AAS 457/ HUM 457 "Studies in American Africanism," CWR 401 and 402 "Advanced Creative Writing Tutorial), and one in 1997 (HUM ST07 "On Morrison: The Literary Imagination). But since then she has only been in charge of spring semester HUM 497. These classes, called "Ateliers," are rather odd. First, they are only open to a small number of students, sometimes as few as eight. Second, they have very specific prerequisites such as fluency in Spanish and English, the capability of independent darkroom work, the desire to be an arts administrator, or experience with psychic research. The course catalogue for this spring provides the following far-out description: "Course aims to construct several actual/symbolic mind rockets for mental/psychic performance exploration. These explorations will generate an overall project combining text, photography, video, sculpture, sound and performance." Third, the course always has at least two instructors, and Professor Morrison's role is mainly as an administrator.
I understand the appeal of intimate classes which can explore new artistic areas; they can provide some of the quintessential "Princeton experiences."
Indeed, those few students who have taken an "Atelier" speak very highly of them. They admit, though, that Professor Morrison is not around much past day one. Her fleeting presence in class and on campus, the small number of students who benefit from her appointment, and her obscure classes with such stringent prerequisites constitute a tremendous loss to Princeton University. Of course, no professor should be told what to teach. But I do not think it requires a great leap of the imagination to realize that this Nobel Prize winner for literature could be making more significant contributions to Princeton. How about a return to her lecture course, "Studies in American Africanism," or a lecture course on her own work?
Based on Professor West's work at Harvard and formerly here at Princeton, there is little doubt that he will make significant contributions to campus life; I regret that I will graduate before having the opportunity to take one of his famous lecture classes. His presence might also encourage Professor Morrison, whose teaching involvement declined when he left, to once again partake in Princeton's academic life. But the appointment of Professor West marks the perfect opportunity to rethink the way we treat all of our academic all-stars. What does their appointment mean to the University? What do we expect? Why are we patting ourselves on the back? Nathan Arrington is an art and archaeology major from Westport, Conn. He can be reached at arington@princeton.edu.
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