Object: File folder titled “Publicity — Pre 1979.”
Observations: It appears that the Graduate Program in English had a publicity campaign c. 1979.
Object: File folder titled “Publicity — Pre 1979.”
Observations: 1) The label on the folder is slightly misleading, as the first document within bears the date of 15 January 1979. 2) What was true in 1979 is still true today: some of our best graduate students do indeed arrive at our M.A. program because of relocation to Fort Riley. 3) “Chairman of Graduate Studies” is a title of its moment, reflecting the demographics of department leadership c. 1979. For the past 30 years, we’ve used the more gender inclusive title “Director of Graduate Studies.” 4) Devising recruitment strategies, it seems, is a perennial pursuit of the Department’s graduate program. 5) I think we’ll need to revive this publicity approach! Those who are drawn to the library on base may indeed be interested an M.A. in English.
Object: File folder titled “Publicity — Pre 1979.”
Observations: 1) Although the Ph.D. disappeared within ten years of this publicity piece, it is still true that students earn the M.A. in English with 30 credit hours. 2) In 1979, British and American Literature was the default area of concentration. We now have four areas regularly represented in addition to Literature: Creative Writing, Children’s Literature, Cultural Studies, and Composition and Rhetoric. 3) The photo does not do justice to the color palate of the brochure: a chocolate brown with a pale mint green — and with no purple in sight. 4) We still welcome applications “throughout the spring semester”! Visit our graduate program web pages for more information.
— Karin Westman, Associate Professor and Department Head
K-State English 