The interdisciplinary graduate program in classics, like dozens of other graduate programs at the University of Missouri, is now threatened with possible closure. Recent budget cuts prompted an academic task force to recommend the dissolution of MA and PhD degrees in Classics and Art History and Archaeology. Archaeologists and classicists are now housed in the Department of Ancient Mediterranean Studies, while art historians have joined a new School of Visual Studies. The restructuring of these graduate degrees last summer anticipated several of the goals of the task force, but the data used for the report did not take these changes into account.
Time is short: the department has until February 8 to prepare a response to the recommendation of the task force, and would welcome letters attesting to the general importance and impact of graduate study in classics and classical archaeology and, if possible, any particular comments you might have about the graduate programs in those areas at MU. Please address messages to the chair, Anatole Mori (moria@missouri.edu) and the dean of Arts and Science, Pat Okker (OkkerP@missouri.edu).