Save the Villa Spelman
Information for the supporters of the movement to stop the Johns Hopkins University from selling the Villa Spelman.
March 14, 2006
Students deliver request to Dean Falk
Following is a letter from students in the humanities departments given to Dean Falk today, March 14, requesting that the University not only stop the sale of the Villa Spelman but renovate it and work to build the program there. The over 50 signatures that accompanied it have been removed for posting.
Dear Dean Falk,
We, the undersigned graduate students in the Departments of History of Art, Romance Languages and Literatures, History, Philosophy, English, Anthropology, Political Science, Classics, German, the Information Security Institute (ISI) and the Humanities Center are writing to state our position regarding the Villa Spelman. We understand that as of this moment sale of the Villa has not been finalized, but wish to take this opportunity to outline what we believe would be an ideal course of action regarding the Villa.
The Villa Spelman has played a pivotal role in the intellectual life of Florence for over twenty five years, hosting weekly Italian Studies seminars led by the finest Renaissance scholars from around the world as well as frequent conferences, whose published proceedings represent cutting-edge research on medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque studies. Its sale would put at risk this celebrated program and the many other projects associated with the Villa Spelman, including the recently introduced undergraduate program. The Villa Spelman is unique among institutions run by American universities in Florence for its rich and varied set of programs, each of which plays a vital role in educating Hopkins students and showcasing Hopkins to a European audience as a serious center for intellectual activity.
The Villa presents an optimal site for Johns Hopkins in Florence. Housed in a Renaissance building, it features a seminar room that is large enough to accommodate seminar participants with appropriate space for slide presentations. A large reception room serves as an informal gathering point following presentations where students make vital contacts with established scholars in their field. The graduate work facilities at the Villa currently offer free high-speed internet, a desirable feature for students living for relatively short periods in Italy and thus unlikely to be able to set up internet facilities at home, in a quiet environment with desk space for laptops. Equivalent structures, with large seminar rooms and technological infrastructure, are extremely difficult if not impossible to find in central Florence, and are prohibitively expensive.
Further, the support staff of the Villa provides important services for graduate students. Staff members write letters of introduction (which are required for entry to every library and museum in Italy), help in finding accommodation in Florence, and handle daily concerns related to both library research and the organization of the seminars. They also provide invaluable help in emergencies, both scholarly and personal, when skillful bureaucratic maneuvering, fluency in the Italian language, and vital personal contacts are required.
The Villa Spelman has also provided invaluable teaching opportunities to Hopkins graduate students. In an academic job market flooded with many qualified candidates, the opportunity for History of Art graduate students to teach on-site (and directly with art objects) has made Hopkins graduates stand apart. Furthermore, the Villa’s intimate setting cultivates an atmosphere in which graduate students act as mentors to undergraduates, advising them in their academic and professional pursuits.
We believe that the university should take advantage of this wonderful resource and its reputation in Europe by transforming the Villa into an ideal graduate study institution. This would convey Hopkins’ commitment to the Humanities, a field of study in which the university has traditionally been a leader. It would also signal Hopkins’ support for its graduate students by allowing them to continue to benefit from the Villa’s renowned reputation in Florence. We request:
1) that the villa be renovated, not just repaired, to better enable the student experience. Existing buildings on the grounds can be turned into graduate student housing. We feel such a renovation is preferable by far to sale, considering the tremendous advantages of the facilities to the program.
2) that the University consider establishing a consortium with other universities. Outside institutions can help fund the renovations and allow their graduate students to participate in and further enrich the seminars.
3) that graduate student representatives from the Arts and Sciences be included in continuing discussions about changes to the Villa and to the program. As many of us have first-hand knowledge of the Villa Spelman and its workings, we would be valuable participants in future conversations.
4) that these graduate student representatives and faculty be brought together to consider the ways in which the Villa might be used by departments not directly involved in Renaissance studies.
The GRO has endorsed our endeavor to save the Villa Spelman, to secure the future of the programs in Florence and to enter into a productive dialogue with the administration on this topic.
Dear Dean Falk,
We, the undersigned graduate students in the Departments of History of Art, Romance Languages and Literatures, History, Philosophy, English, Anthropology, Political Science, Classics, German, the Information Security Institute (ISI) and the Humanities Center are writing to state our position regarding the Villa Spelman. We understand that as of this moment sale of the Villa has not been finalized, but wish to take this opportunity to outline what we believe would be an ideal course of action regarding the Villa.
The Villa Spelman has played a pivotal role in the intellectual life of Florence for over twenty five years, hosting weekly Italian Studies seminars led by the finest Renaissance scholars from around the world as well as frequent conferences, whose published proceedings represent cutting-edge research on medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque studies. Its sale would put at risk this celebrated program and the many other projects associated with the Villa Spelman, including the recently introduced undergraduate program. The Villa Spelman is unique among institutions run by American universities in Florence for its rich and varied set of programs, each of which plays a vital role in educating Hopkins students and showcasing Hopkins to a European audience as a serious center for intellectual activity.
The Villa presents an optimal site for Johns Hopkins in Florence. Housed in a Renaissance building, it features a seminar room that is large enough to accommodate seminar participants with appropriate space for slide presentations. A large reception room serves as an informal gathering point following presentations where students make vital contacts with established scholars in their field. The graduate work facilities at the Villa currently offer free high-speed internet, a desirable feature for students living for relatively short periods in Italy and thus unlikely to be able to set up internet facilities at home, in a quiet environment with desk space for laptops. Equivalent structures, with large seminar rooms and technological infrastructure, are extremely difficult if not impossible to find in central Florence, and are prohibitively expensive.
Further, the support staff of the Villa provides important services for graduate students. Staff members write letters of introduction (which are required for entry to every library and museum in Italy), help in finding accommodation in Florence, and handle daily concerns related to both library research and the organization of the seminars. They also provide invaluable help in emergencies, both scholarly and personal, when skillful bureaucratic maneuvering, fluency in the Italian language, and vital personal contacts are required.
The Villa Spelman has also provided invaluable teaching opportunities to Hopkins graduate students. In an academic job market flooded with many qualified candidates, the opportunity for History of Art graduate students to teach on-site (and directly with art objects) has made Hopkins graduates stand apart. Furthermore, the Villa’s intimate setting cultivates an atmosphere in which graduate students act as mentors to undergraduates, advising them in their academic and professional pursuits.
We believe that the university should take advantage of this wonderful resource and its reputation in Europe by transforming the Villa into an ideal graduate study institution. This would convey Hopkins’ commitment to the Humanities, a field of study in which the university has traditionally been a leader. It would also signal Hopkins’ support for its graduate students by allowing them to continue to benefit from the Villa’s renowned reputation in Florence. We request:
1) that the villa be renovated, not just repaired, to better enable the student experience. Existing buildings on the grounds can be turned into graduate student housing. We feel such a renovation is preferable by far to sale, considering the tremendous advantages of the facilities to the program.
2) that the University consider establishing a consortium with other universities. Outside institutions can help fund the renovations and allow their graduate students to participate in and further enrich the seminars.
3) that graduate student representatives from the Arts and Sciences be included in continuing discussions about changes to the Villa and to the program. As many of us have first-hand knowledge of the Villa Spelman and its workings, we would be valuable participants in future conversations.
4) that these graduate student representatives and faculty be brought together to consider the ways in which the Villa might be used by departments not directly involved in Renaissance studies.
The GRO has endorsed our endeavor to save the Villa Spelman, to secure the future of the programs in Florence and to enter into a productive dialogue with the administration on this topic.
posted by Ryan Gregg at 5:03 PM