| Popis: |
Dr. Maria Bevacqua spent a year and a half trying to balance what has felt like the weight of the world on her shoulders. As the new department Chair of the Women’s Studies program at Minnesota State University-Mankato, she allocated this time to learning all of the elements involved in maintaining an academic department. After 30 years of existence, the department had built a unique and strong presence within the university community as well as the community at large. However, Dr. Bevacqua recognized that the time to maintain had ended and the department was in need of a new direction. With Women’s Studies departments across the nation facing the challenges of maintaining the legitimacy of their program amidst accusations of institutional uselessness, Dr. Bevacqua recognized the monstrous challenge she faced. Along with many community, university, and departmental pressures that impacted the department, Dr. Bevacqua also had to address the issues of financial resources, student involvement, enrollment, and energy, while at the same time increasing student and department performance. All of these factors had to be taken into consideration while trying to revamp one of the oldest Women’s Studies programs in the United States. (Contact author for a copy of the complete report.) |
