U.S. Historian Offered Post

The History Department voted yesterday to extend an assistant professorship to Ronald W. Yanowski, a specialist in late nineteenth century American social and cultural history, a senior department member said.

The move will likely bolster the lagging United States history wing of the department which in recent years has been depleted of both junior and senior faculty.

Yanowski, a graduate student at the University of California at Berkeley, was chosen from a pool of 360 scholars who responded to the department's nationwide search to fill two junior positions in United States history, said Professor of History William E. Gienapp, chair of the department's search committee.

"We thought he was best person [from the pool of candidates]," Gienapp said. "We are excited at the possibility that he might join us."

Gienapp also said yesterday that the search for a senior scholar in U.S. History is "still ongoing." He added that the department expects to bring candidates to campus this spring for guest lectures.

In addition Gienapp said the department hopes to conclude the search for a joint junior appointment in the history and history and literature departments in the near future.

Yanowksi, who is in the final stages of completing a dissertation titled Seeing the Cat: Georgism, the Single Tax, and Enthusiastic Reform in America 1879-1900, said in an interview yesterday that he has yet to receive a formal offer from the University, though he had unofficial "word" from History Department Chair Thomas N. Bisson earlier this week.

He said would not make a final decision until he receives a formal offer.

Gienapp said that the department hopes Yanowski will be able to teach courses in his specialty as well as the department's survey course in U.S. history, History 71, which was last offered in the fall of 1989.

"Our hope is that besides small discussion courses, [Yanowski] will teach part of the survey course in U.S. history as well as a course on the Gilded Age," Gienapp said.

Gienapp said that Yanowski's appointment is an important step in the department's attempt to rebuild its American history program.

"I think the American Wing is undermanned in that we need junior and senior [faculty] in order to increase our offering to concentrators andother undergraduates interested in Americanhistory," Gienapp said.

The last Americanist to be promoted from ajunior position in the History Department wasWinthrop Professor of History Stephan A.Thernstrom, who was offered tenure more than 20years ago. But Gienapp said yesterday thatYanowski's appointment won't be a dead-end job.

"We don't view this as a simple five-yearappointment. We hope to seriously consider him forpromotion," Gienapp said. "But, that depends onthe product."

Yanowski said yesterday that he was unaware ofthe department's record of handling juniorpromotions.

"I don't know the department that well," hesaid

The last Americanist to be promoted from ajunior position in the History Department wasWinthrop Professor of History Stephan A.Thernstrom, who was offered tenure more than 20years ago. But Gienapp said yesterday thatYanowski's appointment won't be a dead-end job.

"We don't view this as a simple five-yearappointment. We hope to seriously consider him forpromotion," Gienapp said. "But, that depends onthe product."

Yanowski said yesterday that he was unaware ofthe department's record of handling juniorpromotions.

"I don't know the department that well," hesaid