English dept. expected to name its new chair

Professor of English Leonard Tennenhouse will be the next chair of the English department, following the departure of current chair Ian Baucom, Tennenhouse confirmed Thursday. Baucom will vacate his position July 1 to become director of the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute.

George McLendon, dean of the faculty of Arts and Sciences and dean of Trinity College, said that when a chair leaves a department, administrators usually solicit suggestions from the faculty for a successor before extending an official offer. Although he did not mention Tennenhouse specifically as the new chair of English, McLendon noted that Provost Peter Lange and President Richard Brodhead will meet this morning to sign off on Baucom's successor.

"I want to continue with the practice of hiring and curriculum reform that Professor Baucom's administration had undertaken," Tennenhouse said. "He did a terrific job of encouraging disciplinary work and maintaining the department's reputation at being the cutting edge of the discipline."

The biggest challenge facing the English department is maintaining the high quality of academic instruction throughout the recession, Tennenhouse said.

"[It] is a bit daunting in the face of this economic climate... given the constraints everyone will have to work under," he said. "At the same time it's a very good faculty and a terrific group of students, so I'm optimistic."

Tennenhouse began his professorship at Duke this year and is a specialist in Renaissance literature, American literature and 20th century studies. Before coming to the University, he taught for 17 years at Brown University and was a professor of modern culture and media, English and comparative literature.

Although Tennenhouse is new to Duke, he said he plans to prepare for his new position and respond to the constraints the English department may face during the economic downturn.

Baucom said he could not comment for this story until the appointment process was finalized through the Provost's Office.