University of Vermont Historic Preservation Program Announcement

Announcement from Robert L. McCullough
Professor, Department of History
Director, Historic Preservation Program

In December 2020, Dean William Falls informed the university community that he proposed to terminate a number of programs in the College of Arts and Sciences as part of the college’s efforts to address substantial budget deficits. Our Historic Preservation Program was among those scheduled to end. At a meeting with Dean Falls, we received a guarantee that students currently enrolled in the program would be allowed to complete their degrees, but we did not then receive permission to admit new applicants to the program for the fall of 2021. Thus, potentially, our program would conclude in December 2021.

However, we did receive an invitation to submit a counter proposal, and late in February Dean Falls tentatively agreed to a plan to continue the program, but directed by a single, non-tenure track faculty appointment, albeit an appointment that will include provisions to convert to a tenure line if certain benchmarks in enrollments and fundraising are achieved. The plan proposes that this transition take place no later than the fall of 2024 and that both Professor Thomas Visser and I will implement that transition. Thus, from that initial proposal to conclude the program permanently as of December 2021, we negotiated a tentative agreement to continue the program indefinitely in modified form and to implement that transition over a period of three-years rather than twelve months. Given the extraordinary context in which discussions occurred, I regard that agreement as a significant step forward.

The plan also proposes important changes to the curriculum, primarily increased emphasis on twentieth-century architectural history and on restoration/rehabilitation craftsmanship in a workshop setting or hopefully in collaboration with management of the Vermont State Historic Sites. In addition, the program will offer introductory level courses to undergraduates, a means to increase class size as well as bolster program enrollments (two separate ways to improve the program’s balance of debits and credits), and the plan will also explore several creative ideas for strengthening the curriculum through active involvement by the program’s alumni, whether in person or through remote instruction.

In short, the plan will return the university’s Historic Preservation Program to a form that proved successful during its early decades under the direction of a single faculty appointment, with the added advantage of a strong network of talented alumni, many of whom live and work within easy reach of Burlington, or who are accessible remotely. I have unwavering confidence that the program can and will thrive as it moves into its next generation, responding to the many new challenges facing our discipline. I also believe the program can continue to grow from this new starting point, building upon the strong foundation established by Chester Liebs and Thomas Visser; special thanks are owed to the latter for his more than three decades of service to historic preservation.

Dean Falls has provisionally accepted this vision for the program’s future and has asked me to assume the role of director. I will do my utmost to lead the program through this transitional period until my anticipated retirement in 2024, and I will not deviate from a commitment to secure a permanent place for the program at the University of Vermont. At any given turn during this transitional period, the following criteria will be our guide: What are the best interests of the program, its students, and Vermont’s historic preservation community? I predict that those three concerns will align in harmony every step of the way.