Let Blackwood have his last word

Before the 20th Century Europe lecture on Weds., Mar. 22, I needed to ask my professor about a presentation I was slated to give the following Monday. William Lee Blackwood was busy talking to another student. I overheard him say something about a contract and leaving Yale after next year. I was utterly shocked.

ERIN LEWIS/YH

Why on earth would the department jettison a professor who is so clearly gifted? I figured that his popularity with students, his engrossing lectures, and his encyclopedic knowledge would outweigh any political considerations. An article in the Thurs., Mar. 23 Yale Daily News showed that the history department had proven me wrong.

Thinking about this situation, I recalled a conversation with my American history teacher two years ago. Like many high school students living around Boston, I had Harvard in my sights as I prepared to apply for college. My teacher had taught as well as done graduate work there, so I decided to ask him about the school, especially its history department.

He described it as "a collection of eminent historians connected by little more than heating ducts," and went on to explain that for the past three decades Harvard had let a series of junior professors, many of whom are now among the country's leading historians, drift off to other institutions. At that point, it had not granted a history professor tenure in over two decades. The result was a stolid, aging department divided against itself and preoccupied with individual research. He went on to praise the Yale history department for its innovation, dedication to undergraduates, and academic rigor. His commendation convinced me to come to Yale, and the classes I've taken here have done nothing but affirm his words.

The loss of Blackwood will not turn Yale's history department into an ossified, arrogant relic of the kind that, according to my teacher and many friends at Harvard, now resides in Cambridge. It will, however, set a precedent startlingly reminiscent of Harvard's failed policy. It will deprive Yale of a professor with demonstrated scholarly prowess and a strong student following.

Scholarship thrives on dissent. Innovation results from criticizing entrenched assumptions and accepted norms. The same holds true for institutions. Any group that cannot tolerate dissent from orthodoxy, or discourages the questioning of the practices of people in power, will eventually fall behind its counterparts. Getting rid of a critic does nothing but handicap an institution.

By denying Blackwood a contract extension, the history department is cutting off its nose to spite its face. It sends a message to other faculty that their opinions are not only unwanted but dangerous to their careers. With Blackwood's example fresh in their minds, no junior professor who wants to stay at Yale will dare express anything but the mildest disagreement with senior faculty. The department will silence the individuals whose voices are most important in maintaining its preeminence. It may lose other promising professors. If Yale can learn one thing from Harvard's experiences, it should be that every professor it alienates will almost certainly find a job at one of its rivals.

More importantly, the faculty's decision betrays students. In the short time he has taught at Yale, Blackwood has become a popular professor, and the reason is clear. He teaches serious history. He expects a lot from his students and—if the people I know in my class are any indication—he gets it. I've yet to leave one of his lectures unimpressed by his ability to marshal a wide range of facts, or by the incisive, witty conclusions he draws. I and many others will regret missing the chance to learn more from him.

Losing Blackwood will not throw the history department into immediate disarray. Nonetheless, Yale stands to lose a great deal if he leaves. With him will go some of the history department's finest courses, promising scholarship, and the criticism needed to maintain its strength in the future.

Nathan Littlefield is a freshman in Ezra Stiles.

Back to Opinion...