If this letter were only about Gettysburg Review, I’d keep it private. However, what’s happening with the journal is part of a national trend. To my mind, cutting literary journals and academic presses is penny-wise and pound-foolish. Hopefully, the letter below explains how.

Dear President Iuliano,

Although I lived in Pennsylvania from 1992-2016, I’m pretty sure I’d never heard of Gettysburg College. It didn’t have a Division I basketball or football team, and if someone did mention it, I probably assumed it was a little college obsessed with Civil War studies and promptly dismissed it. 

Years later, I ran into Mark Drew at a writing conference in Pittsburgh.  He was representing the Gettysburg Review, which I had actually heard of, since it’s an upper-tier literary journal. I didn’t know the journal was associated with the college; after that, the college’s name took on a bit of a shine. It was more than just a battlefield. Mark talked up the college–especially the outstanding faculty and community. I decided to apply for the Emerging Writer Lecturer position and was accepted in 2018.

Teaching at Gettysburg College was a highlight of my career. I was blown away by the area and the faculty (many of whom I’m still in contact with today). I did some of my best teaching work there, and one of my students won the Earl Kresge Stock Writing Prize with an essay she’d written in my class.  In fact, I enjoyed my time at Gettysburg so much it’s the only employer I’ve ever donated money to.

After accepting a tenure-track professorship position, I continued to work as a staff member at Gettysburg Review.  Mark Drew and Lauren Hohle were wonderful mentors, and I appreciated how they reached out to continue a long-term relationship even after I’d left campus. Such relationships are important for intellectual communities and institutional advancement, as shown by a recent $10 million gift from a GC English major last week.

As you can tell, I’m passionate about Gettysburg Review, which is more than a shiny intellectual bauble. It’s an important recruitment tool (especially for prospective students and faculty).  The journal’s rich history adds luster to the college’s reputation. 

More importantly, as someone who teaches in West Virginia, I’m seeing an existential battle play out in higher education. I believe that in the near future and beyond, parents will want to send their kids to prestigious colleges that truly value intellectual concerns and the liberal arts.  As you know, these are foundational and endlessly adaptable skills that matter even more in a constantly shifting career landscape. Colleges that shift to a ROI-based vo-tech-y model will be a faceless, interchangeable mass. A dime a dozen. 

With each issue, Gettysburg Review brings intellectual heavy-hitters into the fold and shouts the college’s name into a national literary discourse. As far as student service goes, the journal also sponsors student internships, which provide unique and irreplaceable real-world experience (especially in Adams County).  I’m not a huge sports fan, but I did grow up in the 90s and recall a colorful basketball player named Dennis Rodman. It’s hard to measure his actual value to the team, since he didn’t score many points. However, he was invaluable on the court as a rebounder and was a big part of that team’s championship run.  There are many such athletes whose contributions are invaluable but difficult to measure. For example, when Troy Polamalu was not on the field, the Steelers’ stats dropped noticeably. 

I understand that college administrators have difficult jobs, and I understand the pressure that can accompany budgets and expenses. However, when making momentous decisions such as these, I hope you can include all the intangibles into your calculations.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Robert