Dr. Phillip Furia, who has served as Department of English chair since his arrival in July 1996, was named interim director of the creative writing program, effective Monday, February 8. A national search for a director has been underway for about a year. Dr. Richard Veit, English professor and president of the Faculty Senate, was named interim English Department chair. People are just so taken with the program and the atmosphere. It's a sign of the growth of our institution.
Creative writing has a tremendous potential for growth.
This is the best way I can serve all of the programs out there. The English department currently offers a bachelor of arts degree with a creative writing track which Furia estimates that more than a third of all English majors, or approximately 150 students, are taking. Seiple said the university will pursue the establishment of a new undergraduate degree in creative writing, and expects it can be in place in two to three years. The Master of Arts in English, which began in 1989, this year received approval for a new track in cultural literacy. Although creative writing will be separate from the English Department, Seiple said it will retain its affiliation with the program.