As Gary Peters takes his seat in Congress, he leaves open his seat at CMU.

Peters’ election requires him to abdicate his position as Griffin Endowed Chair in American Government, a three-year tenure he began in fall 2007. He was slated to teach this spring a course on Michigan government.

The College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences should redouble its efforts to find a suitable interim chair for spring and to find a full replacement for fall.

Peters’ departure, though it creates an abrupt void in the political science department, should not require the department to cancel the course. Because Peters’ candidacy has been well-known since fall 2007, the college and department should have created a plan in case of Peters’ election.

The department and college should have drafted a list of possible interim chairs, who would be able to teach the course if needed. And even if there is no such list, it still is not too late to seek an interim candidate.

The Griffin Endowed Chair provides a valuable course in topics of political importance for Michigan. Political science students benefit greatly from the course, and canceling it would be a stark disservice to their educations.

More than 20 students were planning to take Peters’ course in spring, according to a prior Central Michigan Life article.

Similarly, the chair is responsible for arranging a political forum each semester. The forums benefit the campus community by bringing in a slew of political experts, each of whom can shed light on an important issue. The forums typically draw large crowds. Canceling the forum would affect more than students interested in Peters’ class – it would stifle a valuable conduit for political conversation on campus.

Gary Shapiro, dean of the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences, has said Peters’ departure could result in the cancellation of both his forum and his class, but we hope this option is not taken seriously. Finding an interim chair – who, if a strong fit, could be appointed chair for a full term beginning in fall – would much better serve students. It is not an unreasonable demand.

The Griffin chair is an important position on campus. The university should make every effort to ensure it is not vacant for an entire semester.

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