The Spanish major will no longer be offered at Biola due to credential shortcomings within the modern language department.
The department has been unable to replace its only faculty member holding a doctorate in Spanish who departed last year. This brings it short of an accreditation standard that requires schools to have at least one faculty member with a doctorate in any area it offers as a major, said Jack Schwarz, interim dean of humanities and social sciences.
“It’s pretty inconceivable to have a major without someone who has a terminal degree in that field,” Schwarz said, citing standards set by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, one of six regional associations that accredits colleges and universities in the United States.
Students already majoring in Spanish will be allowed to finish their degrees, but new students will not be admitted until the department hires a qualified faculty member. Some version of a Spanish minor will likely continue to be offered, Schwarz said, noting that Spanish professors have been particularly adamant about maintaining at least that.
Patricia Pike, vice provost for undergraduate admission, approved the decision to drop the Spanish major in conjunction with Schwarz earlier this year. Schwarz said the decision was strictly one of academic necessity, having nothing to do with the university-wide budget cuts.
“The decision was not made – and I want to make sure this is understood – on the basis of insufficient financial resources. This decision will not save us any money,” he said. “We want that degree to carry the same weight as a major in Spanish would carry if someone graduated from USC or UCLA or somewhere else, and at the present time we cannot mount the credentialed faculty to guarantee that.”
Two long-term adjunct Spanish professors that were temporarily hired full-time this year will, however, be relegated back to adjunct status, Schwarz said. They were able to be hired because of the vacant position left by Graciela Perez, the former chair and sole holder of a Spanish doctorate in the department who left for a job at Pepperdine in June. But with the decision to drop the Spanish major, Perez’s position is officially being closed until the department finds a replacement.
Finding a replacement for Perez, who Schwarz said “infused the program with energy,” has proved to be a tricky task. An evangelical holding a Spanish doctorate is a rarity, even in the Los Angeles area, he said. The department has been looking for one for seven years, even while Perez was still at Biola. While he said there are options and an interest from among Catholics, they would be unable to affirm Biola’s doctrinal statement.
Hugo Garcia, chair of the department of modern languages, who is originally from El Salvador, said the issue is also cultural: Spanish speakers don’t get doctorates in their own language like many English speakers.
“We don’t study Spanish to become Ph.D.s in Spanish. We study law, engineering, chemistry. Whatever can provide the food for you, but not language,” Garcia said. About the prospects for finding someone soon, Garcia said, “Personally? It’s going to be hard. I’m not saying there’s no possibilities, but when I see other schools looking for the same candidates, it makes me realize it’s not easy to find.”
Garcia was short on words when asked about how he reacted to the decision to drop the Spanish major. Surprise was his first reaction, he said – then disappointment. He said, however, that he understands the administration’s decision.
There are currently 10 majors and about 30 minors in Spanish, said Garcia. While not the smallest major, Spanish still suffers from low popularity, a peculiarity given Biola’s location in a heavily Hispanic metropolitan area, he said.
The decision to drop the major was not made in ignorance to cultural or diversity issues, Schwarz said. Far from it, he said the department shares Biola’s “global perspective,” and while considering the decision met with Pete Menjares, associate provost for diversity leadership, to discuss how it could impact the student body and its perception of the university.
Junior Jocelyn Espinoza, who double majors in Spanish and journalism, was shocked to hear of the administration’s decision to close the major. As a Spanish major she really wanted to see the major grow, she said.
“I want to know if Biola has done its best to find someone capable enough to fit the position,” Espinoza said.
