University of Virginia Library

Two Factors

There are usually two factors to which such
large increases in a department's faculty can be
attributed. One theory is that the department is
in a state of decay: supposedly the high-ranking
and reputable professors are leaving and the
Chairman is being forced to hire a large supply
of new faces.

The second theory to explain the growth is
that the department's program is being uplifted;
it is expanded into new areas and is accordingly
hiring new and reputable professors to meet the
needs. This theory is a more likely one to
explain this year's faculty expansion.

The English department is a case in point.
Its curriculum has been revamped entirely, a
fact that is easily seen by any casual reader of
the course catalogue. The department has
entered the field of black literature for the first
time, and the traditional areas have been
expanded.