Comments | dryponder: A Letter to SCAD.

dryponder

A Letter to SCAD.

Jun 13, 2009 14:38

I wrote this letter to the President of the Savannah College of Art and Design today, after learning that my favorite professor there has apparently been suspended. Since there are many fellow comics students and SCAD kids specifically here, who owe their major to the fact that Bob Pendarvis founded the department, I thought I'd share my letter ( Read more... )

Comments 12

anonymous June 13 2009, 20:02:01 UTC

Wait..wait... is this why? "Yesterday SCAD fired him, apparently for giving out too many A's"??

If that's the case they need to fire 85% of their professors. Kids who never should have graduated made it through with 3.0's. Talk about setting them up for failure once they have to compete for jobs in the real world.

dryponder June 13 2009, 20:09:12 UTC

I'm not sure of the circumstances around Bob's removal, but having heard ridiculous criticisms of his teaching methods before, I imagine whatever reasoning they've come up with is stupid.

joeyweiser June 14 2009, 06:40:17 UTC

It was not for giving too many A's.

From what I heard (which was from a pretty direct source) there was a specific incident brought up to the higher-ups at SCAD, which then opened doors for awareness of several other complaints and opinions that have accumulated over the years.

It is really unfortunate news to hear, because Bob is such a swell guy, not to mention the founder of the Seqa department. I hope he does well in whatever future pursuits he follows.

uniformgrey June 13 2009, 20:07:10 UTC

What was the reason for his suspension?

dryponder June 13 2009, 20:10:18 UTC

not sure, but see above comment.

blur02 June 13 2009, 20:23:07 UTC

this is awesome dean. i'm not at SCAD, but lord knows i'd do the same thing for a number of my teachers at Sheridan

cwright June 13 2009, 21:43:41 UTC

They've been looking for an excuse for years.

I'm trying to figure out how to put my real feelings diplomatically but I don't think I can so I'll give up.

meikochan June 13 2009, 21:58:07 UTC

I found best solution was to use a model similar to what Dean used here: a letter focused on your personal experience with Bob and how he helped you, with no or minimal criticism on the specific situation or any other people who might be attached to it. Look for positive things that people need to be reminded of.

cwright June 13 2009, 22:13:29 UTC

It's a little more complicated than that

archas June 14 2009, 11:29:27 UTC

Wow; I'm further out of the loop than you are, as I hadn't even heard that this happened. And I'm shocked.

SCAD has never been good about playing by rules of decency when it comes to the hiring and firing of professors. That said, as countless examples have shown, if Paula Wallace is going to get rid of you arbitrarily, then she either neglects to renew your contract, or she makes life hell for you so that you quit. If Bob has been "suspended," then--as the above comments ominously (and, unhelpfully, vaguely) suggest--there has to be a more serious reason working as a factor here ( ... )

archas June 14 2009, 20:26:02 UTC

Yup. Sure seems like this letter would be really embarrassing if it turns out he was sleeping with his students for passing grades. Or dealing drugs. Or any number of things that are indefensible, no matter how great a professor he was. I'm not implying those were what he was doing, but fact is you don't know.

One of my favorite professors was forced to quit from SCAD. There were only rumors that he hit on a woman who turned out to be a wife of someone higher up on the food chain at SCAD. But it was just rumors. Can't really get upset at the firing if you don't really know the real circumstances.

dryponder June 14 2009, 20:29:29 UTC

i know more about this now, and my letter is still entirely appropriate. thanks for your concern.