International studies director resigns to pursue work in Iraq

Elizabeth Snyder, director of international studies and tenured German professor officially resigned, effective Dec. 31, after personal contemplation and responses from university administrators following a request to teach an online course from northern Iraq next semester.

“It was a hard decision to make,” Snyder said. “I think it took enormous amounts of reflection, but I think, most importantly, it involved ongoing conversations with my students because that has been and always will be the most important thing to me.”

Originally hired to teach German, Snyder said she had no intention of becoming international studies director.

“It wasn’t really until I started thinking about the linkages between my German training, which deals with conflict and post-conflict environments, and transferring that knowledge of the European theater to developing country context,” the Harvard graduate said. “Of course, when I went overseas, that just solidified my plans. I felt like when I came back that I was really dedicated to teaching international studies.”

This year, Snyder learned about a peace-building initiative in northern Iraq.

Snyder said the fieldwork in Iraq aligned itself with the international studies courses she would teach on local and global peace building and refugee rights.

Seeing this union of fieldwork and curriculum, Snyder proposed teaching from Iraq via online classes.

“I realized that it was experimental and something new, but I thought, given the fact that we are actively engaged in northern Iraq, that I had the opportunity to do something quite innovative for four months. I really just felt like it was worth pursuing,” Snyder said.

Snyder said she had prior experience with online courses due to hybrid German courses for the German studies consortorium.

The German studies consortium is a partnership between seven of the 16 public colleges in North Carolina to share resources for the enhancement of German studies.

For Snyder, this included teaching online German classes to students at Western Carolina University, East Carolina University, UNC Wilmington and UNC Greensboro.

“When I hit the ground running, I was already learning how to create Web sites for my classes. As the years progressed, I became more of an advocate for best practices in online learning,” Snyder said. “With that knowledge base, I thought “Wouldn’t it be interesting to follow a lead in which I had to be in northern Iraq for four months and, instead of being on leave and not having access to my students and not teaching them at all, I thought I could bring together my knowledge of online learning, my sense that when it’s done well it can be really, really effective and my passion with field-based learning, which I think is real essential for the field of international studies.”

Ed Katz, associate provost and vice chancellor for university programs, said he saw the connection that Snyder had with her fieldwork and coursework.

“I think she brought a commitment to ways to internationalize the curriculum here for students by opening up opportunities for them to engage in international issues and to participate in curricular linkages and study abroad opportunities,” Katz said.

Despite the linkages, administrators said they could not grant Snyder’s request for unpaid leave to teach in Iraq and remain international studies director.

“You have formally requested a leave without pay from your position as director of international studies so that you can participate in a peace-building initiative in Iraq. As a result of our discussion, I am willing to grant you a leave without pay for one semester from your faculty position. However, I am not able to approve your leave without pay from the position of director of international studies. We need a director of international studies here every day, fully committed to the curriculum, faculty, students and the vast array of programming under our auspices. Please be assured that I did not suggest removing you from the directorship of international studies as much as I gave you a choice about whether to continue serving as the director or to take an unpaid leave,” Provost Jane Fernandes said in an e-mail to Snyder on Oct. 26.

Snyder said she chose unpaid leave, but does not intend to return to UNC Asheville.

“I feel like the institution probably would not be seeking to get me back after I leave, and, to be totally honest, I can’t think of any examples of faculty that have left and come back,” she said.

According to sophomore international studies student Emma Hutchens, Snyder’s resignation will be a larger loss than the administration understands.

“The international work that she does is gutsy, like everything else that she does,” Hutchens said. “She is well-informed, open-minded, brave and compassionate. Someday I hope to do work very much like what she does now.”

But according to Hutchens, it isn’t just the work that Snyder does for international studies that will be missed.

“She refuses to sit behind a desk, like the administration wants her to, because that would be falling short of her potential as a professor and as an international mover and shaker,” Hutchens said. “It is that quality that intimidates our administration and makes her someone any university should beg to have as a faculty member.”

In the meantime, Fernandes said the administration is looking to hire someone to take over Snyder’s position as international studies director before the spring semester begins.

The search will begin in-house with UNC Asheville faculty before looking at other candidates.

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