Photo by Tara Monastesse ’25.
Last week, German and Russian & Eurasian Studies departments held their teas in Ciruti Center.
By Mavis Xu ’26 and Sophie Soloway ’23
Staff Writer | Editor-in-Chief
On Thursday, March 30, students and faculty gathered in the Language and Culture Commons in Ciruti Language Center for the German and Russian & Eurasian Studies department teas. Following statements from students and alums speaking in support of the two departments, Provost and Dean of Faculty Lisa Sullivan announced that the College had adopted a plan to ‘sunset’ the two language departments over the next few years.
In a statement to Mount Holyoke News, Sullivan confirmed that “at present the only announcement is that the faculty will take up a motion regarding the retirement of German and Russian majors and minors over the next four years.”
According to Karen Remmler, the chair of the German Studies department, “The German studies department as well as the Russian and Eurasian studies departments will remain in place for four years, if and when the faculty decide to terminate the major/minor, as well as close each department. Any student presently interested in majoring or minoring, as well as taking courses in the department in German or English will be able to do so until June 2027.”
Phoebe Grabowski ’26, a Russian minor at Mount Holyoke, shared her perspective of the events. “I was surrounded by friends, and we came together to support [the department] we love. Almost my entire Russian class was there because our professors asked us to come. [So to] talk so much about how much we love this program, and then be told that ‘oh, by the way, it's shutting down,’ it was heartbreaking,” she said.
Sullivan shared that she, alongside Dean of the College and Vice President for Student Success Amber Douglas, “... assured [students] that we would keep resources in place on campus at current levels for existing majors and minors until any sunset date should the motion be supported.”
However, Grabowski expressed concerns about this promise. “They told us they would continue to support us over the next four years sunsetting the program, but I don’t believe for a second that they’re going to put money into a sinking ship,” she explained.
Katherine McNally, a visiting professor in the German department, said, “I am the only faculty member in the German Studies Department for the coming academic year. … As the Provost stated during the tea on Thursday, funding for a tenure track position to replace Professor Remmler was not allocated to German Studies.” However, McNally reassured, “It is my aim to provide the pedagogical support and resources to all students taking courses in the department.”
According to Grabowski, access to classes in the Russian department has been limited throughout her time at Mount Holyoke. “It is very difficult to find courses to major in Russian to begin with. I wanted to double major in Russian [and biochemistry], but the fact of the matter is that a lot of the courses aren’t taught on campus or at all. And so that’s something I really wanted to do that I couldn’t do before all this news came out. And so I shifted my goal towards minoring in Russian studies, which is going to be difficult because to do that I need a 300-level Russian studies course, which just isn’t taught here very frequently.”
As Grabowski shared, cuts to language departments, among others, detract from the liberal arts mission at Mount Holyoke. “[T]his is supposed to be a liberal arts institution and we are supposed to be coming out of this [as] well-rounded individuals. And I don’t understand how Mount Holyoke can call itself a global institution and cut its languages, especially Russian during the political climate we’re in.”
Emma Pope McCright ’23, a History major and Russian minor, expressed her concern about the College shutting down two of its language departments. “ It’s a trend that’s been going on in a bunch of universities because humanities and languages aren’t seen as profitable, which, in my opinion, is not a good way to run a college, it’s to focus only on profit. We’re here to learn and have our horizons expanded and grow intellectually and as people. I think the education of students shouldn’t be based just on what is the most profitable job that you can get after you graduate.”
McNally echoed this sentiment, sharing that the losses of the department will impact a wide breadth of students at Mount Holyoke. “As major global languages and cultures, German and Russian departments not only teach students language skills that provide invaluable skills in myriad fields, [like] International Relations, Diplomacy and Political Science, to name a few. In addition, many STEM students at Mount Holyoke have obtained internships in labs in Germany,” McNally continued. “These internships provide invaluable fieldwork opportunities and connections, which set students on a path towards a successful career in STEM. In addition to these benefits, the German Studies Department offers cross-curricular, interdisciplinary courses on topics such as history, politics and literature which teach students essential critical thinking skills and indeed are the cornerstones of a liberal arts education.”
Sophie Schempp ’23, a German studies and Biology double major, also shared this notion. “With course focuses ranging from museums and repatriation, to global Holocaust remembrance, to Afro-German culture, this department takes an approach unlike any other German Studies program I’ve encountered. The MHC German Studies department is full of students who chose to come here specifically to take the courses being taken away. There may be a small number of students, but [German Studies] students are engaged and passionate.”
Grabowski also highlighted the value of the language departments and their interdisciplinary potential, speaking specifically to the offerings in the Russian department. “Russian courses don’t count for any major except for Russian major which is ridiculous. Russian literature should count for English major because it’s interdisciplinary. Russian history should count for history or politics or international relations. I can make a serious, convincing argument that Russian literature should be taught as Psychology. ‘Crime and Punishment’ is such a deep and intensive dive into the society of troubled men.”
Elizabeth Gerbi ’25, a Russian minor, shared their feelings about the news: “I was disappointed, hurt and upset, but I’m not gonna say super surprised. When the provost walks into the department tea, you know the news is not going to be good. ”
Gerbi also wondered if there is anything [the students] can do to change the situation, “[M]y first reaction was … is there anything we can do about this?”
When asked how the College’s decision is going to affect their plan of study, Gerbi added, “[that] makes it difficult,” and “limiting.” “Like the scope of the courses that I can select. And then limiting opportunities that I have to study language outside of the classroom by kind of shrinking the membership of the clubs or shrinking the resources around us. And I know that they say we’ll keep the level of resources the same, but to be honest, the resources are already fairly minimal.”
According to Sullivan, “Dean Douglas and I would be closely involved with students and faculty in such an eventuality, providing academic resources and other support.”