Oregon University System
Office of Academic Affairs
Proposal for the Initiation of a New Instructional Program
Leading to the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Portland State University
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of English
Description of Proposed Program
1. Program Overview
a. Proposed CIP number: 23.0501
b. Provide a brief overview (approximately 1-2 paragraphs) of the proposed program, including a description of the academic area and a rationale for offering this program at the present time. Please include a description of any related degrees, certificates, or subspecialties (concentrations, areas of special emphasis, etc.) that may be offered now or in the foreseeable future.
This is a proposal to establish the Master of Fine Arts degree (MFA) in Creative Writing under the Center for Excellence in Writing within the Department of English at Portland State University. Under this plan, the Department would partially replace the existing MA in Writing. Specifically, the tracks in creative writing (fiction and poetry) and nonfiction writing would be replaced with an MFA in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry writing. The MA/MS in Writing tracks in professional/technical writing and book publishing would remain as they are. During the transitional period, students enrolled in the fiction, nonfiction, and poetry strands can expect to be dealt with flexibly and on an individual basis to ensure a smooth transition, so that those who want to complete the MA in Writing may do so, and those who wish to transfer to the MFA in Creative Writing would have that option.
Our existing MA program in Writing (fiction, nonfiction, and poetry) already meets many of the goals and recommendations of an MFA program, as described by the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP), but without the benefit to students of a terminal degree. The proposed MFA program would build on our existing MA program, and at the same time would strengthen the vital community partnerships forged by the Center for Excellence in Writing since its establishment in 1999, fill an obvious gap in the literary life of Portland, and bring to a logical conclusion the increasingly prominent reputation that PSU’s writing program in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry has developed within the state and beyond.
The AWP, a national, non-profit organization founded in 1967 to establish standards for writers and teachers of writing, and which now includes in its membership most of the academic institutions offering advanced writing degrees, maintains that the MFA is the appropriate terminal degree for creative writing students. The AWP identifies three general categories for a graduate writing program, and PSU’s proposed MFA program is best described as a hybrid between the Studio/Research writing program and the Studio writing program. According to the AWP Director’s Handbook, the Studio/Research program “usually place[s] equal emphasis, in their curricula, on the student’s writing and literary scholarship, with the belief that the study of literature is crucial to one’s development as a writer. . . . these programs vary in the structure and amount of literature requirements, but they frequently rely on the regular English department faculty, noted for scholarly achievement, for many of the literature course offerings, while writers on the program faculty offer form, craft, and theory courses, workshops, and thesis direction.” The Studio writing program “place(s) primary emphasis on the student’s writing experience within the program. Most of the degree work is done in workshops, independent writing projects or tutorials, and thesis preparation. The study of contemporary literature and the forms, craft, themes, and aesthetics of writing may be incorporated into workshops or offered through separate seminars.”
The proposed MFA program would offer a curriculum that is more fully integrated with the MA in English curriculum so that students, in fulfilling their requirements, work with a highly accomplished faculty in literature, critical theory, and rhetoric and composition. Furthermore, the new program, with its requirements for three core workshops in each genre, would offer students the intensive experience that is, for developing writers, one of the significant advantages of an MFA program. In other respects our proposed MFA program would remain the same in format and size as the existing MA in Writing program for fiction, nonfiction and poetry, which meets the recommended and standard format for an MFA program. The craft of writing is taught in small workshops and seminars taught by established writers/teachers, where students engage in close reading and critique of their respective works, and in seminars in which the focus may be a formal element, regional tradition, historical period, or literary movement (the AWP recommends that the most desirable and effective workshop size is 12 students). Mentorship has also proven to be of critical importance to the student writer’s development of his or her talents.
An MFA program is consistent with PSU’s mandate to serve our city by helping to develop writers who can join Portland’s burgeoning creative class, contributing to the community their skills in writing, critical thinking, and innovative problem solving. The terminal degree will enhance our graduates’ opportunities to step into leading positions with art and civic organizations, in the business sector, and in education. We will continue to offer a curriculum of workshops and seminars that will accommodate part-time as well as full-time students. Portland is highly attractive to writers as a place to study and live, and Portland State University, with its nationally recognized writing faculty, would help meet the demand for a residency MFA program in the city and would continue to serve students who desire guidance and training as part of a stimulating writing community.
c. When will the program be operational, if approved?
We would be ready to implement the program the quarter following its approval. This is possible because of recent restructuring, the hire of two new tenure-line professors in nonfiction, and the strength of the current writing faculty.
2. Purpose and Relationship of Proposed Program to the Institution's Mission and Strategic Plan
a. What are the objectives of the program?
The objective of the MFA in Creative Writing is to provide students within the field of creative writing the fundamental skills and experience they need to succeed as writers, editors, or teachers in the areas of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.
The objective of the MFA in Creative Writing is to provide students within the field of creative writing the fundamental skills and experience they need to succeed as writers in the areas of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.
Our students will benefit by having the following:
• A comprehensive and intensive curriculum of classes and workshops in craft and technique, exposure to the work of established writers, and opportunities to work closely with peers and published writers as they develop and hone their creative work and critical skills.
• Opportunities to engage in critical analysis and to explore publishing their work.
• An MFA, which is considered a terminal degree, and is the minimal qualification for teaching at four-year colleges and Ph.D. granting universities, as well as in many other areas of employment for writers in which the terminal degree is required. Students who want to teach can expect to have to first publish in their genre if they are to be competitive in the job market.
b. How does the proposed program support the mission and strategic plan of the institution(s)? How does the program contribute to attaining long-term goals and directions of the institution and program?
In its mission statement, Portland State University affirms its dedication to the enhancement of the intellectual, social, cultural, and economic qualities of urban life in the Portland-Metro area. The University is committed to guaranteeing access “throughout the life span” of the individual “to a quality liberal education for undergraduates and an appropriate array of professional and graduate programs especially relevant to metropolitan areas.” For a city rich in literary culture that is highly attractive to aspiring and established writers, an excellent and flexible MFA program in Creative Writing will further PSU’s leadership position in community engagement, particularly in the humanities.
In addition, PSU’s commitment to contributing to “the creation and communication of knowledge in the greater metropolitan region” would be well met by a strong graduate creative writing program. Literary artists are narrators of place, spirit, and the human condition. Writers who develop their talents in the Portland-Metro area will undoubtedly tell stories of that area – and contribute to the legacy we leave to future generations.
In addition to meeting the needs of students from the community, an MFA program in Creative Writing would include aspects that have broad public appeal beyond the campus, including a strong visiting writers series designed to promote readings, craft talks, and visits by local, national, and international writers. Such a series is standard in an MFA program, and would function as outreach, adding to PSU’s visibility as a literary center of Portland, attracting support and recognition for PSU, and serving both our students and the larger community.
The University’s recognition of the importance of building the creative writing program through the establishment of an MFA is evidenced by the fact that the MA in Writing program was a priority for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in the University’s recent five-year capital campaign. The MFA has been a priority in the University’s strategic program, and will be one of the graduate programs spotlighted in the CLAS Planning Framework, with the strong support of Dean Marvin Kaiser (CLAS).
c. How does the proposed program meet the needs of Oregon and enhance the state's capacity to respond effectively to social, economic, and environmental challenges and opportunities?
During the past twenty-five years, Portland has become increasingly diverse, both economically and culturally. Here, literary writers can pursue their art, adding to a flourishing culture, while at the same time helping to meet the local need for trained writers with excellent written communication skills in fields as diverse as publishing (Tin House, Hawthorne Books, Portland Monthly), business (Powell’s, Nike, Adidas), professional offices, law, ad agencies (Weiden & Kennedy, Gard & Gerber), journalism, and the nonprofit sector (arts, conservation, social service, and others), as well as teaching. Portland-Metro officials have successfully embarked on an effort to attract “the creative class” by emphasizing the city’s cultural attributes, including bookstores, literary events and forums, fine restaurants, films, theatre, etc. Portland is known throughout the country as a literary center, an attractive city for writers to live and work in. So it is surprising that the city lacks a residency MFA program in Creative Writing. However, this is a need that PSU proposes to meet. Several MA students at PSU who have specialized in creative writing have found employment teaching full- or part-time in Oregon universities and community colleges. The MFA degree would provide them with greater employment opportunities. Finally, Oregon will always have a need for literary artists to commemorate, critique, and comment on our distinct regional character.
3. Course of Study
a. Briefly describe proposed curriculum. (List is fine.)
i. Slash courses (i.e., 400/500-level) should be listed as such.
ii. Include course numbers, titles, credit hours.
Requirements for the MFA degree will include:
• 48 quarter/term hours of coursework;
• The completion of a creative thesis of high literary merit;
• A written examination, based on the thesis and an advisor-approved list of 30-40 texts studied during graduate coursework, in which students will be asked to address specific questions of literary history, theory, craft, and technique;
• An oral examination in defense of the written examination and creative thesis.
Credits
WR 521, 522, or 523 MFA Core Workshops (4,4,4) 12
WR Seminars (4,4) 8
Pre 1900 Literature (4) 4
Literature of Genre (4) 4
Elective in Literature, Critical Theory, Rhetoric and Composition (4) 4
Writing Electives (4,4) 8
(one of these courses must be a workshop or seminar in the program)
Thesis (8 credit hours to be arranged) 8
____
Total 48
At least 24 credits will be in courses restricted to graduate students. All courses below are 4 credit hours. *Indicates new course.
Core Workshops (students are required to take the Core Workshop three times in their chosen genre) 12 credits
WR 521 MFA Fiction Core Workshop* (4, 4, 4)
WR 522 MFA Poetry Core Workshop* (4, 4, 4)
WR 523 MFA Nonfiction Core Workshop* (4, 4, 4)
Seminars (8 Credits from the following or other similar discrete-numbered courses as approved by adviser)
WR 507 Seminar (4). Can be taken twice for credit. Topics will include: Fundamentals of Fiction, Forms (Poetry), Techniques in the Novel, The Longer Poem, Description, Writing Postmodern Fiction, Writing Hypertext Fiction, Reading for Writers, Research for Writers; Technique in the Short Story
WR 416/516 Screenwriting (4)
WR 428/528 Advanced News Writing (4)
WR 456/556 Forms of Nonfiction* (4)
WR 457/557 Personal Essay Writing* (4)
WR 458/558 Magazine Writing* (4)
WR 459/559 Writing the Memoir* (4)
Literature, Critical Theory, Rhetoric and Composition (12 credits from the following or other similar discrete-numbered courses as approved by adviser)
ENG 507 Seminar (4). Can be taken up to three times. With adviser approval, may fill pre-1900 requirement or genre requirement.
Pre-1900 Literature (4).
One course chosen from the following:
Eng 517 Middle English (4)
Eng 532, 533, 534 Old English (4)
Eng 426/526 Medieval Literature (4)
Eng 430/530 Sixteenth-Century Literature (4)
Eng 440/540 Seventeenth-Century Literature (4)
Eng 441/541 Topics in Renaissance Culture (4)
Eng 443/543 British Women Writers I (4)
Eng 445/545 19th Century American Women Writers (4)
Eng 450/550 Eighteenth Century Literature (4)
Eng 458/548 Romanticism (4)
Eng 460/560 American Literature to 1800 (4)
Eng 461/561 American Literature to 1900 (4)
Eng 475/575 Victorian Literature (4)
The following courses, can, with advisor approval, meet this requirement:
Eng 447/547 Major Forces (4)
Eng 448/449 Major Figures (4)
Eng 449/549 Cultural Studies (4)
Eng 467/567 Advanced Topics in American Literature and Culture (4)
Literature of Genre (4).
One course chosen from the following:
Eng 477/577 American Poetry (4)
Eng 478/578 American Poetry II (4)
Eng 484/584 Modern Drama (4)
Eng 485/585 Contemporary Drama (4)
Eng 486/586 Contemporary American Novel (4)
Eng 487/587 Contemporary American Short Story (4)
Eng 488/588 Contemporary American Poetry (4)
Elective in Literature, Critical Theory, and Rhetoric and Composition (4). One course chosen from any of the courses listed above, or any other graduate course in literature, critical theory, or rhetoric and composition (Eng 5XX).
Writing Electives (8 credits from the following or other similar discrete-numbered courses as approved by adviser)
At least 8 credits of a seminar or workshop in poetry, nonfiction, or fiction, chosen from the list below:
WR 507 Seminar (4). Can be taken twice for credit.
WR 410/510 Topics in Writing (4)
WR 412/512 Advanced Fiction Writing (4)
WR 416/516 Screenwriting (4)
WR 420/520 Writing: Process and Response (4)
WR 428/528 Advanced Newswriting (4)
WR 513 Fiction Writing (4)
WR 514 Poetry Writing (4)
WR 515 Poetry Writing II (4)
WR 552 Writing About Lives (4)
WR 553 Writing About Places (4)
WR 554 Writing About Events (4)
WR 555 Writing About Ideas (4)
WR 456/556 Forms of Nonfiction (4)
WR 457/557 Personal Essay Writing (4)
WR 458/558 Magazine Writing (4)
WR 459/559 Writing the Memoir (4)
Thesis (8 credits)
WR 503 Thesis
b. Describe new courses. Include proposed course numbers, titles, credit hours, and course descriptions.
Note: These eight courses are not precisely new; the first three are workshops, similar to what we now offer, but they would now be restricted to students admitted to the fiction, poetry and nonfiction strands respectively and have new course numbers. The other five courses have been taught as omnibus classes enough times that each requires its own course number.
WR 521 MFA Fiction Core Workshop (4)
This is a small, intensive course in which students will be required to write, revise, respond to their peers’ work, and read models in the genre.
WR 522 MFA Poetry Core Workshop (4)
This is a small, intensive course in which students will be required to write, revise, respond to their peers’ work, and read models in the genre.
WR 523 MFA Nonfiction Core Workshop (4)
This is a small, intensive course in which students will be required to write, revise, respond to their peers’ work, and read models in the genre.
WR 456/556 Forms of Nonfiction (4)
A course in which students learn to distinguish among various forms of nonfiction narrative, including essay, personal essay, memoir, and reviews and practice writing in these forms.
WR 457/557 Personal Essay Writing (4)
This course looks at the history and contemporary use of the personal essay as a mode of creative communication, giving students both an understanding of and practice in this approach to writing.
WR 458/558 Magazine Writing (4)
This course examines the development of both long- and short-form magazine pieces, as well as the business and economics of magazine publishing. Students will write and peer-critique articles in the styles and formats of a variety of publications and magazine departments.
WR 459/559 Memoir (4)
A course in which students learn to distinguish the peculiar characteristics of memoir from those of other nonfiction subgenres. Students read published memoirs as potential models of craft and technique and read peers’ work critically to offer constructive responses.
c. Provide a discussion of any nontraditional learning modes to be utilized in the new courses, including, but not limited to: (1) the role of technology, and (2) the use of career development activities such as practica or internships.
The MFA in Creative Writing will take advantage of technologies that allow students and teachers to conduct intensive mentoring, peer discussion, and sharing of texts online. Our writing courses already successfully employ WebCT, teleconferencing, class blogs, and e-mail, and the blog administered by our Writing Graduate Students Organization (WeGO); the MFA program would continue these practices.
Students in the MFA program will be encouraged to participate in the many internship opportunities that have distinguished PSU’s MA program from the beginning, including work with local magazines and newspapers such as Portland Monthly and Willamette Week, literary journals such as Burnside Review and Tin House, and organizations such as Literary Arts. Students can connect to a network of internship opportunities in media and other creative fields by using our recently established Graduate Internship blog administered by WeGO and the English Graduate Organization (EGO).
d. What specific learning outcomes will be achieved by students who complete this course of study?
The MFA Core Workshops will offer intensive study in a student’s chosen genre so students gain mastery of techniques and issues specific to that genre; and the small workshop format will create a strong cohort of writers with a shared purpose who understand creative writing not just as a mode of personal expression, but as a communal, public activity and a profession. Seminars will deepen and broaden students’ under-standing of particular sub-genres or topics. The literature courses will help students understand their own work in the context of literary history and will inculcate a critical and scholarly approach to a range of texts. This scholarly disposition will be demonstrated in the 30-40-text list, the oral defense, and the written examination, in which students will be asked to address specific questions of literary history, theory, craft, and technique. Coursework and requirements are geared toward helping students complete a creative thesis of high literary merit. In MFA programs in creative writing, the courses students take, in particular the workshop and seminar, and the examples set by mentors and other professors, provide the necessary models for students who may want to teach. Students who successfully complete their coursework, thesis, written examination, and oral defense will have the critical skills and experience that prepare them to enter the creative field as contributors to American letters.
4. Recruitment and Admission Requirements
a. Is the proposed program intended primarily to provide another program option to students who are already being attracted to the institution, or is it anticipated that the proposed program will draw students who would not otherwise come to the institution?
The proposed program promises to serve the considerable demand of individuals living within the greater Portland-Metro area who want to study and write fiction, nonfiction or poetry, and for whom the opportunity to earn a terminal degree in creative writing would be the reason for attending PSU. It will also serve students who might come to PSU for the MA program, but who then go elsewhere to pursue an MFA because they want a terminal degree, or they are forced to forego the terminal degree because for various reasons they are bound to Portland.
At the same time, PSU would expect to continue to attract students who appreciate the value of an MFA degree and are motivated by the prospect of living in a vital urban center. Portland has a national reputation as an attractive place to live and visit. The combination of academic excellence, geographic location, and general creative energy will produce a highly attractive mix that will meet the needs of the local population for an excellent graduate creative writing program and attract more well-qualified students to PSU. An MFA program will be a significant step in PSU’s transformation from a university with a regional attraction to one that attracts students nationally and internationally who want to live and study in a vibrant urban setting.
b. Are any requirements for admission to the program being proposed that are in addition to admission to the institution? If so, what are they?
In addition to PSU’s standard requirements for admission, including transcripts and letters of recommendation, applicants will submit a 15-to 30-page writing sample in the genre to which they are applying, and a one-page personal statement. These materials will be evaluated by faculty in the appropriate genre and are considered a critical factor in evaluating applicants’ creative potential and writing talent and thus their prospects for success.
c. Will any enrollment limitation be imposed? If so, please indicate the specific limitation and its rationale. How will students be selected if there are enrollment limitations?
Admission to the MFA program will be highly selective and based on faculty assessment of applicants’ writing samples, personal statements, and other application materials (see 4b above). The number of students admitted each year will depend on the available faculty and their capacity to serve in the labor-intensive role of mentor/advisor. Admissions will be limited to approximately 21 to 35 graduate creative writing students. Each full-time faculty member would advise 3 to 5 thesis students each year, which is considered an appropriate and manageable number for an MFA program.
While most students will enroll in the studio-based two-year MFA program on a full-time basis, the unique situation of PSU as an urban university demands flexibility that may be fully explored as the program matures.
5. Accreditation of the Program
a. If applicable, identify any accrediting body or professional society that has established standards in the area in which the proposed program lies.
There is no specific accrediting agency or professional society that has established applicable principles for graduate creative writing programs. However, the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) is recognized by most academic institutions in the United States conferring advanced creative writing degrees as the primary source of standards for MFA programs. AWP has issued a series of "Guidelines for Creative Writing Programs and Teachers of Creative Writing," which it updates annually, as well as an “AWP Director’s Handbook” and a "Hallmarks of a Successful Graduate Program in Creative Writing" document. These standards and guidelines provide the generally accepted benchmarks for MFA programs.
In addition, all programs at PSU are subject to oversight by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), the umbrella accreditation agency for universities throughout the region. The central goal of the organization is to “assure educational quality, enhance institutional effectiveness, and foster continuous improvement of colleges and universities in the Northwest region through analytical institutional self-assessment and critical peer review based upon evaluation criteria that are objectively and equitably applied to institutions with diverse missions, characteristics, and cultures.” These same principles will guide the Department of English in its construction and management of the MFA.
b. If applicable, does the proposed program meet professional accreditation standards? If it does not, in what particular area(s) does it appear to be deficient? What steps would be required to qualify the program for accreditation? By what date is it anticipated that the program will be fully accredited?
The program will adhere to the general principles mentioned above, as well as to the guidelines established by the AWP for creative writing programs. This includes stipulations regarding the number and qualifications of permanent faculty, class size, and curriculum.
c. If the proposed program is a graduate program in which the institution offers an undergraduate program, is the undergraduate program accredited? If not, what would be required to qualify it for accreditation? If accreditation is a goal, what steps are being taken to achieve accreditation?
There is no undergraduate major in creative writing at Portland State University.
Need
6. Evidence of Need
a. What evidence does the institution have of need for the program? Please be explicit. (Needs assessment information may be presented in the form of survey data; summaries of focus groups or interviews; documented requests for the program from students, faculty, external constituents, etc.)
The substantial community support for an MFA in Creative Writing at PSU attests to the need for this program. Members of Portland's creative services industries and arts establishments, including Cara Ungar-Gutierrez, executive director of Oregon Council for the Humanities, Ted Katauskas, editor of Portland Monthly, and Kate Sage and Rhonda Hughes, publishers of Hawthorne Books, are among many who have voiced strong support for the establishment of an MFA program at PSU. (Please see attached letters of support.)
In addition, students, faculty, and alumni have expressed strong and consistent support for an MFA in Creative Writing; it is widely recognized that an MFA, because it is a terminal degree, is an asset to graduates seeking employment, particularly when the degree is associated with a rigorous and intensive MFA program such as we propose. A June 2007 poll of current and graduating PSU MA in Writing students in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry showed a nearly unanimous (29 of 30 respondents) desire to institute an MFA. A significant majority (77%) would be more likely to recommend the program to others if it offered the MFA, and a majority (57%) have considered transferring to another university because PSU lacks an MFA, with many respondents noting that family and work commitments in Portland prevent their enrollment in MFA programs elsewhere in the state.
b. Identify statewide and institutional service-area employment needs the proposed program would assist in filling. Is there evidence of regional or national need for additional qualified individuals such as the proposed program would produce? If yes, please specify.
These needs are asserted in 2 (c) above. To reiterate briefly, good writers are always in demand, and particularly so in the rapidly changing, high-tech and creative climate of the Portland-Metro area. Urban theorist Richard Florida has described Portland as an epitome of the revitalizing force of a "Creative Class." A national study released in June 2007 by Americans for the Arts (Arts & Economic Prosperity III: The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations and Their Audiences) tallied 111 arts and culture organizations in the Portland area, supporting 10,321 local full-time jobs and creating over $318 million in economic activity. The remarkably rich literary character of the city of Portland makes it an ideal place for writers to work and live, so much so that Slate.com recently (9/11/07) proclaimed, "Portland's combination of affordability, natural beauty, and laid-back weirdness is an independent artist's dream." With an influx of authors already drawn to Portland by its preeminence on lecture and book tour circuits, the MFA at Portland State University will enhance the attraction of Portland as a literary center, as well as meet a need for artists and the "creative class" economy currently located here.
Such a program is sure to benefit the University, which is a major force itself in Portland's economy, with an economic impact of $1.068 billion in 2005. With an MFA curriculum, PSU would immediately increase the pool of excellent applicants of graduate students. The most qualified of these students would receive graduate teaching assistantships, thereby advancing undergraduate education in the department.
c. What are the numbers and characteristics of students to be served? What is the estimated number of graduates of the proposed program over the next five years? On what information are these projections based?
We expect that the program (poetry, fiction, and nonfiction) will enroll approximately 42 to 70 students. Half of these students would be in their first year, and half in their second year, so we would expect to graduate 21 to 35 MFA students each year. These figures are estimates, and will fluctuate between the various writing strands and in relation to the number of faculty and of full-time and part-time students enrolled at any given time.
The MFA program in Creative Writing will serve students from a variety of academic and cultural backgrounds, including non-traditional students which historically has meant older students who may also have family or work responsibilities. MFA programs nationwide tend to draw individuals from traditionally underrepresented cultural groups who wish to find and develop their literary voices and contribute to the communal cultural production of their ethnic, cultural, and religious heritage. PSU would participate more fully in this national trend with the institution of an MFA.
d. Are there any other compelling reasons for offering the program?
The establishment of a full-time resident MFA program in Creative Writing at PSU will help fill a significant gap in this literary city’s cultural and economic life. As PSU continues its transformation into a major urban educational institution, with analogues at San Francisco State and CUNY Brooklyn College, it is perfectly situated to create a strong, vital, and necessary creative writing program that will serve both the city and the University.
Moreover, there has been an explosion of interest in the last decade in memoir and nonfiction writing—New York Times Book Review editor Rachel Donadio has overseen her publication's shift towards nonfiction during what she describes as a cultural "nonfiction moment." The presence of three tenure-track professors in nonfiction presents PSU with the opportunity to create a program with a particular expertise in working with this exciting and new community of writers. The nonfiction program will attract students with interests in book-length works on a variety of social, personal, philosophical, and historical issues, in forms ranging from science writing to memoirs.
An MFA program also promises to bring greater visibility and opportunities to the English Department, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and to PSU. The University can also expect to benefit from having graduates trained in the writing and communications skills that an MFA program would provide. Some of these graduates will find jobs in various media outlets, and will be in a position to publicize PSU in newspapers, magazines, and other public forums.
e. Identify any special interest in the program on the part of local or state groups (e.g., business, industry, agriculture, professional groups).
As part of an urban university, the Department of English enjoys close ties to the artistic community and economic fabric of the city, and has already placed many students and graduates in writing-related positions throughout the metropolitan area. We have close ties with organizations including Literary Arts, the FC2 Collective (Fiction Writing 2, a group of experimental writers that holds its annual summer workshop at PSU), the Northwest Film Center (including, in this context, their screenwriting and filmmaking programs), the Burnside Review (a nationally-recognized, Portland-based poetry journal), the Tin House (one of the most prominent literary journals in the country, also based in Portland), Hawthorne Books (a national publisher based in Portland), Portland Monthly magazine, Poetry Northwest, PDX magazine, and many more.
In the past eight years, the MA in Writing at PSU has recruited and graduated students who have gone on to publish in prestigious periodicals, including Creative Nonfiction, The Denver Quarterly, Iowa Review, LA Times, Manoa, Outside, Smithsonian Magazine, Portland Monthly, Sunset, and Willow Review. Several students have won coveted fellowships from Oregon Literary Arts; others have won regional and national writing prizes and scholarships, and have been awarded admission to competitive writer residencies including Breadloaf, Caldera, SUNY, Skidmore, Fishtrap, and the Squaw Valley Writers Conference. Several of our students in fiction and nonfiction have acquired agents and published books, one of which was an Oregon Book Award finalist. Many students have gone on to earn MFAs at some of the country’s finest universities, including Columbia, Iowa, and Cornell.
Already, our students and graduates work as interns and employees in writing- related positions in business, professional offices, and nonprofits. In short, we are fully integrated into the literary life of Portland. An MFA program will help meet the need for excellent writers, help fulfill PSU’s mission of serving the city, and deepen PSU’s relationship with the larger community. (See 2c. above)
f. Discuss considerations given to making the complete program available for part-time, evening, weekend, and/or place bound students.
As an urban institution with close ties to the city, PSU is unique among the universities within the Oregon University System. Compared with Oregon State University and the University of Oregon, our student population is, on average, older (the average age of our graduate students is 34). Many of our students are employed in career-based jobs and have families and firm roots in the community. In short, our students are often placebound, but that very fact creates the possibility for a strong community of writers and a commitment to the program.
In recognition of the special characteristics of our student body, we are flexible with students about their full- and part-time status. PSU also offers a high percentage of late-afternoon, evening, and night, as well as weekend and online classes in order to meet students’ needs. Our MFA in Creative Writing would offer the possibility for a terminal degree to both full-time and part-time students, a rarity in such programs.
Outcomes
7. Program Evaluation
a. How will the institution determine the extent to which the academic program meets the objectives (section 2a) previously outlined? (Identify specific post-approval monitoring procedures and outcome indicators to be used.)
The Department of English at Portland State University regularly reviews its program through self-assessment practices endorsed by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. These reviews include analyses of curricular offerings, pedagogy, teaching effectiveness, and student achievement (publication, employment, awards, and more). We also ask students graduating with the MA to fill out a program assessment statement regarding their educational experience within the program. These modes of analysis will remain in place for the MFA, but they will have a sharpened focus aimed at determining the program’s utility and success.
In addition, the Department of English has recently expanded its post-graduation outreach efforts. We ask students to remain in contact with the department, and we reach out to the students through our public lectures and readings, and our student-coordinated, faculty-advised Writing English Graduate Organization. Such mechanisms permit us to maintain both formal and informal contact with our graduates.
We also informally evaluate the success of our graduates through student acceptances into MA, MFA, or Ph.D. programs nationwide, through student hires in fields in which they use their writing skills, and in students’ records of publications and awards. Instituting the MFA degree will provide the opportunity to formalize our current monitoring process with a more systematic evaluation and tracking procedure. As part of the University's periodic review of its graduate programs, the creative writing faculty, along with the English Department as a whole, will formulate a questionnaire for students to complete after graduation. This will provide the English Department with both personal evaluations and more objective information (i.e. employment or extended education successes) regarding its MFA graduates. This process would also help the Department maintain formal contact with a significant group of its alumni.
b. How will the collected information be used to improve teaching and programs to enhance student learning?
All questionnaires will continue to be regularly analyzed by the Department of English in its annual and triennial reviews, and in our ongoing assessment activities. This information will enable the English Department to keep apprised of timely changes in academia and in professional writing fields as well, and will enable the Department to modify its courses as needed to best serve its writing community.
8. Assessment of Student Learning
a. What methods will be used to assess student learning? How will student learning assessment be embedded in the curriculum?
Students’ creative work will be regularly analyzed and discussed both in workshops and individual conferences with faculty. In addition to regular conferences between student and instructor throughout the student’s academic career, thesis work in the student’s final year will be closely supervised in a mentorship arrangement. Students’ understanding and analysis of craft and the literature will be assessed through their engagement in class discussions and written analyses of cohorts’ and published works, as well as regular conferences between student and instructor.
b. What specific methods or approaches will be used to assess graduate (completer) outcomes?
Graduates of the program submit a copy of their completed creative thesis, which may be a novel, a collection of essays, a book-length nonfiction work, or a book-length collection of poetry. A committee of three or four faculty members reviews the creative thesis, a copy of which is kept in the department and university libraries. At the end of their studies, students will take a written examination that asks them to contextualize their own work in the context of literary history, and which requires them to draw upon their understanding and insights into aspects of craft, technique, literary history, critical theory, and particular works and writers; and, they will have an oral defense with their committee, in which they are asked questions related to their examination, their thesis, and their 30-40-text reading.
We will also maintain a database and contact list of graduates to assess their success in their respective fields (see 7.a above).
c. Is a licensure examination associated with this field of study?
No licensure examination is associated with this field of study.
Integration of Efforts
9. Similar Programs in the State
a. List all other closely related OUS programs.
Oregon State University and the University of Oregon offer MFA programs in Creative Writing. We expect that Portland State University’s program will not affect student enrollment in either of these programs. PSU will serve students who choose to be in a major metropolitan area and will continue to offer flexibility for students who are enrolled part-time. In addition, our program has a unique strength in nonfiction writing.
b. In what way, if any, will resources of other institutions (another OUS institution or institutions, community college, and/or private college/university) be shared in the proposed program? How will the program be complementary to, or cooperate with, an existing program or programs?
An MFA program at PSU will enhance and enrich other programs in the state, strengthening collegiality as we continue to collaborate with other colleges and universities, including, most recently, the University of Portland and Lewis & Clark College, in bringing visiting writers to Portland.
As noted in our attached letters of support from writing faculty at Oregon State University (Tracy Daugherty, chair, English Department), the University of Portland (Herman Asarnow, chair, English Department, and Brian Doyle), Lewis & Clark College (Kim Stafford, Mary Szybist), and Reed College (Peter Rock), we expect PSU's program to particularly complement Portland colleges and universities whose undergraduates want to remain in the area as they continue their education, and seek the terminal degree offered with an MFA program.
c. Is there any projected impact on other institutions in terms of student enrollment and/or faculty workload?
Given Portland State University’s location and constituency, there should be no impact on student enrollment or faculty workload at other institutions.
Resources
10. Faculty
a. Identify program faculty, briefly describing each faculty member's expertise/specialization. Separate regular core faculty from faculty from other departments and adjuncts. Collect current vitae for all faculty, to be made available to reviewers upon request.
Core Faculty (Tenure Track or Permanent):
Fiction:
Diana Abu-Jaber
Associate Professor
Ph.D., SUNY-Binghamton, MA University of Windsor
Areas of Interest: Fiction Writing, Post-Colonial Literature, First Generation Writers, Film
Studies. Publications include: Origins (W. W. Norton, 2007); The Language of Baklava (Pantheon, March 2005); Crescent (W. W. Norton, 2003); Arabian Jazz (Harcourt Brace & Company, 1993).
A. B. Paulson
Associate Professor
Ph.D., SUNY-Buffalo, MA University of Chicago
Areas of Interest: Fiction Writing, 19th and 20th Century American Fiction
Publications include: BigFootMoon: formerly the American Quarterly Review (in progress); Watchman Tell Us of the Night (Viking, 1985).
Nonfiction:
Paul Collins
Assistant Professor
MA College of William & Mary
Areas of Interest: Literary Nonfiction Writing, Memoir, Magazine Writing, Science Writing Publications include: The Trouble With Tom: The Strange Afterlife and Times of Thomas Paine (Bloomsbury, 2005); Not Even Wrong: A Father's Journey Into the Lost History of Autism (Bloomsbury, 2004); Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books (Bloomsbury, 2003); Banvard's Folly: Thirteen Tales of People Who Didn't Change the World (Picador, 2001); Community Writing: Researching Social Issues Through Composition (Erlbaum, 2001).
Debra Gwartney
Assistant Professor
MFA, Bennington College
Areas of Interest: Memoir, Literary Nonfiction, Magazine Writing and Editing
Publications include: Live Through This (Houghton Mifflin, forthcoming 2008);
Home Ground: Language for an American Landscape, co-editor with Barry Lopez
(Trinity University Press, 2006).
Michael McGregor
Associate Professor
MFA, Columbia University
Areas of Interest: Literary Nonfiction Writing, Fiction Writing, Journalism, Editing, Contemporary Nonfiction and Fiction
Publications include: "To Desire It" (essay/profile), Portland Magazine (2007);
"Into the Shadows” (personal essay), The Seattle Review (2005); “The Plain Truth: A Profile of Kent Haruf,” Poets & Writers (2004); “Romulus Linney: Under the Radar” (profile), American Theatre (2004); “Black Tie Optional: The E-Publishing Party” (issue essay), The Writer’s Chronicle (2001); “Fire Line,” StoryQuarterly (1999-2000) (winner of the Daniel Curley Award for Short Fiction and an Illinois Arts Council grant).
Poetry:
Michele Glazer
Assistant Professor
MFA, University of Iowa
Areas of Interest: Poetry, Poetry Writing, Cross-genre/cross-discipline creative collaboration
Publications include: Aggregate of Disturbances (University of Iowa Press, 2004); It Is Hard to Look at What We Came to Think We’d Come to See (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1997).
Primus St. John
Professor
Areas of Interest: Poetry Writing, Afro-American Writing, African Writing, Caribbean Writing, Chicano/Latino Writing
Publications: Communion: Poems, 1976-1998 (Copper Canyon Press, 1999); Dreamer (Carnegie-Mellon Press, 1990); Love is Not a Consolation: It is a Light (Carnegie-Mellon Press, 1982); Skin on the Earth (Copper Canyon Press, 1976).
Distinguished Visiting and Adjunct Faculty:
Marvin Bell, poetry
Professor Emeritus, University of Iowa (Flannery O'Connor Professor of Letters).
Publications include: Mars Being Red (Copper Canyon Press, 2007); Nightworks: Poems 1962-2000 (Copper Canyon Press, 2003); Iris of Creation (Copper Canyon Press, 2000); Ardor: The Book of the Dead Man (Copper Canyon Press, 1997); Stars Which See, Stars Which Do Not See (Copper Canyon Press, 1987).
David Biespiel, poetry
Publications include: Shattering Air (BOA Editions, 1996); Wild Civility (University of Washington Press, 2003).
Charles D’Ambrosio, nonfiction
Publications include: The Dead Fish Museum (Knopf, 2006); Orphans (Clear Cut Press, 2005); The Point (Little Brown & Co., 1995).
Craig Lesley
Senior Writer-in-Residence, Fiction
MA University of Kansas
Publications include: Burning Fence: A Western Memoir of Fatherhood (St. Martin’s Press, 2005); Storm Riders (Picador, 2000); The Sky Fisherman (Houghton Mifflin, 1995); River Song (Houghton Mifflin, 1989); Winterkill, (Houghton Mifflin, 1984).
Whitney Otto, fiction
Publications include: A Collection of Beauties at the Height of Their Popularity (Random House, 2003); Now You See Her (Random House, 2002); The Passion Dream Book (HarperCollins, 1997); How to Make an American Quilt (Villard, 1991).
b. Estimate the number, rank, and background of new faculty members who would need to be added to initiate the proposed program in each of the first four years of the proposed program's operation (assuming the program develops as anticipated). What commitment does the institution make to meeting these needs?
We will be requesting a tenure-track hire in the fiction strand in the first year of operation, and a tenure-track hire in the poetry strand in the second year. These hires would be at the level of assistant professor and they are in the accompanying budget. The new fiction hire is among the list of CLAS priorities in the 2008-2009 budget submitted to OAA.
The addition of a fiction line will make it possible to meet the considerable and growing demand by students wanting to write and study fiction. The addition of these two lines will ensure that there are sufficient faculty to do necessary mentoring, facilitate the enrollment of a greater number of highly qualified applicants, and further expand the specializations and experience we can offer to our students.
c. Estimate the number and type of support staff needed in each of the first four years of the program.
No additional support staff is needed beyond those used by the current MA program. The English Department has recently reconfigured its office staff so that we now have a Graduate Secretary at 1.0 FTE, whose duties currently include administering the MA in Creative Writing; up to half of her time will be devoted to administering the MFA program.
11. Reference Sources
a. Describe the adequacy of student and faculty access to library and department resources (including, but not limited to, printed media, electronically published materials, videotapes, motion pictures, CD-ROM and online databases, and sound files) that are relevant to the proposed program (e.g., if there is a recommended list of materials issued by the American Library Association or some other responsible group, indicate to what extent access to such holdings meets the requirements of the recommended list).
The American Library Association has not issued a list of recommended texts or resources for programs in creative writing. The Portland State University library, as well as the library of the Department of English, has adequate resources for creative writing students, who are engaged in the study of literature and writing.
b. How much, if any, additional financial support will be required to bring access to such reference materials to an appropriate level? How does the institution plan to acquire these needed resources?
Not applicable, see 11.a above.
12. Facilities, Equipment, and Technology
a. What unique resources (in terms of buildings, laboratories, computer hardware/software, Internet or other online access, distributed-education capability, special equipment, and/or other materials) are necessary to the offering of a quality program in the field?
No new resources are needed for the program. PSU has a well-established online education department, operating with WEB-CT (the leading program in the field), for those students using internet-based pedagogy.
b. What resources for facilities, equipment, and technology, beyond those now on hand, are necessary to offer this program? Be specific. How does the institution propose that these additional resources will be provided?
Not applicable since no new resources are needed.
13. If this is a graduate program, please suggest three to six potential external reviewers.
Catherine Brady, President, Associated Writing Programs and Assistant Professor, University of San Francisco (Fiction)
Robin Hemley, Director/Nonfiction Writing Program, University of Iowa (Nonfiction)
Sidney Wade, Associate Professor, University of Florida (Poetry)
Joanna Klink, Associate Professor, University of Montana (Poetry)
Laura Mullen, Professor, Louisiana State University (Poetry)
Dr. Steve Heller, Chair, Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program, University of California-Antioch (Fiction)
14. Budgetary Impact
a. On the “Budget Outline” sheet (available on the Forms and Guidelines Web site), please indicate the estimated cost of the program for the first four years of its operation (one page for each year). The “Budget Outline Instructions” form is available on the Forms and Guidelines Web site, as well.
Two additional tenure-track lines (fiction and poetry).
b. If federal or other grant funds are required to launch the program, describe the status of the grant application process and the likelihood of receiving such funding. What does the institution propose to do with the program upon termination of the grant(s)?
Not applicable.
c. If the program will be implemented in such a way as to have little or minimal budgetary impact, please provide a narrative that outlines how resources are being allocated/reallocated in order that the resource demands of the new program are being met. For example, describe what new activities will cost and whether they will be financed or staffed by shifting of assignments within the budgetary unit or reallocation of resources within the institution. Specifically state which resources will be moved and how this will affect those programs losing resources. Will the allocation of going-level budget funds in support of the program have an adverse impact on any other institutional programs? If so, which program(s) and in what ways?
The MFA program in Creative Writing would be a rearrangement of courses already being offered, as described in Section 3b. (page 6), relying on access to library resources currently available.
Graduate Assistant stipends represent a reallocation of monies currently used to appoint Graduate Assistants in the MA (Writing) program and those used to hire adjunct instructors, with a request in each of the first three years for two additional Graduate Assistantships per year to be funded from institutional reallocation. By the fourth year, we would expect to be raising funds privately with the goal of providing a GA or other form of financial assistance to every student entering the program. The cost of a single GA is $9,822. The availability of financial support to a large percentage of MFA students is considered a hallmark of a successful creative writing program, according to the Association of Writers & Writing Programs’ Director’s Handbook, and it is important in the establishment of a competitive MFA program.
The FTE for the MFA classes would be the same as the FTEs in the current MA classes.
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