**** Note: This letter is still in the works and I have no intention of actually sending it to the Graduate School. I was angry and needed to vent and this is how I do it. More citations to come, I’m sure. ****
Dear Cornell Graduate School,
Two things happened recently. One: I received notice that I can no longer register as a student at your institution. Why? Because, having now completed my 7th year of doctoral training in the esoteric field of science and technology studies (STS) – which I also recently learned has a median time-to-completion rate of 8 years, the highest of any Cornell graduate field – and given that you are now strictly enforcing a time-to-completion policy stating that once I pass my 7th year I am now fu**ed and you would like me to get the fu** out, please –
Excuse me. What I meant to say is that I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the recent mandate imposing a strict 7-year time limit on the completion of graduate degrees at your institution. While I understand the importance of efficiency and timely completion in academic pursuits in a capitalistic society that is overly concerned with efficiency and timeliness, I believe such a mandate undermines the very essence of how expertise is cultivated, especially in a field like STS, in which the study of the very essence of how expertise is cultivated easily takes 8 years. (See figures 1 and 2).
Figures 1 and 2: Time to Degree and Distribution of Time to Degree, 2019 – 2023
Your December 2022 decision to begin enforcing a strict 7-year time limit to degree fails to consider the nature and historical trends in research and scholarship in the arts and humanities. Plus, you seem to have forgotten about how a little thing like a global pandemic easily delayed students’ trajectories by 1-3 years. Unlike in STEM disciplines, where the focus is often on quantitative methodologies and lab-based experimentation, the social sciences and humanities heavily rely on qualitative methods, interdisciplinary approaches, and nuanced analyses that require ample time for exploration, reflection, and iteration.
Historically, doctoral degrees in the social sciences and humanities have averaged between 7 to 10 years to completion. This extended duration is not a result of inefficiency or lack of commitment on the part of students, but rather a reflection of the depth and complexity of the subject matter, as well as the rigorous training required to master the requisite research methods and theoretical frameworks.
Moreover, the pressure to conform to STEM standards, driven by the neoliberalization of higher education, is further exacerbating the challenges faced by students and faculty in the social sciences and humanities. The relentless pursuit of efficiency and quantifiable outcomes, characteristic of STEM-centric models, overlooks the inherently qualitative and interdisciplinary nature of many social science and humanities inquiries.
By mandating a rigid 7-year time limit, Cornell University risks devaluing the intellectual richness and depth that characterize graduate education in the social sciences and humanities. Such a policy not only undermines the integrity of these disciplines but also jeopardizes the cultivation of true expertise and scholarship.
I urge the administration to reconsider this decision and instead foster an academic environment that values intellectual exploration, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the nuanced understanding that can only be achieved through sustained engagement with complex subject matter. Flexible timelines that accommodate the diverse needs and methodologies of social science and humanities research are essential for maintaining the vitality and relevance of these fields within the academic community.
Oh! And I forgot to mention the second thing that happened to me recently. Today, actually. The whole reason why I started this letter to you. I was going through my old journals and just so happened to stumble upon an entry I wrote on this very day, fourteen years ago. I wrote something back then that I think will be of interest to you (it was definitely of interest to me):
Speaking of senior year, I am unsure about what I want to do with myself after I graduate [from Oberlin College]. I went to a graduate school talk yesterday and learned that to get a master’s degree can take up to four more years of school. And to get a PhD takes eight to ten years [emphasis added]. I’d be lucky to be finished with school by the time I’m 30. Imagine that. [33-year-old me can easily imagine it.] Clovis White, who is the Mellon Mays Fellowship coordinator as well as a sociology professor, gave the grad school talk. When he got towards the end, he asked us what our passions were, because only those who are passionate about their field and are persistent are the ones who make it through grad school. The road is difficult, full of hard work and struggle. (Sounds like this last semester except worse.)
I am passionate and persistent, and I know that if I decide to get a PhD that I could do it. I have come to terms with the fact that my best skills are academic [sorry high school dream of being a triple threat on Broadway]. And what should I expect? I’ve been trained in the Academy since I was five years old. I’m a bookworm, I haven’t stopped writing since I first learned how, and I love to learn. Fine. I have the training and potential. And I can’t say I hate the thought of staying in school for another decade, because I love an excuse to nestle up in a library.
The trouble is that it all feels so selfish. To pursue knowledge for knowledge’s own sake is not enough. There are too many practical problems in the world. To isolate myself in ivory towers while others struggle just to get by…I’m having trouble seeing how me going to grad school will help neighborhoods like Wilkes Villa here in Elyria [Ohio] or [home in] North Miami [Florida] or stop the destruction of ecosystems. Could I be doing more on the grassroots level during the next decade than I could by doing research?
I suppose I could be doing research for grassroots organizations and movements. I could do research about topics that my community cares about. By placing myself within the Academy, I have the ability to shape it, to bring to it the problems that my people and their ecosystems face. Clovis said knowledge really is power. So if I earn a PhD, I can have more influence in creating the positive change I want to see in the world than if I stopped now. How I’m not very sure. All I know is I don’t want to simply tie myself to a tree or hold up a picket sign.
No one in my family has earned a PhD. Not parents, grandparents, great grandparents. [My Abuela and Abuelo on my mother’s side are illiterate – an indicator not of their intelligence but rather of their access to formal education.] So if I could, I would represent them and their struggles. Though I may not come from a wealthy family, I am incredibly privileged. It is through the generosity of others, through hard work the hard work of my parents and grandparents and great grandparents, and the support of those who love me and believe in me, that I am able to sit here at this table and write. It is an honor and a blessing to be a Mellon Fellow, which people keep telling me means I have support and security for life if I continue on the path of academia in my field [not so sure about that these days].
There must have been a reason why the only college I applied to is the one that has produced the most PhDs after graduation.[1] There must be a reason why I have been able to excel academically the way I have. Why go against the signs? I just need to be inspired and encouraged, reassured that I can do good by going through graduate school.
Thank you for considering my concerns. I am hopeful that together we can uphold the principles of academic excellence and intellectual freedom that are integral to Cornell University’s mission: any person, any study.
Yours,
Lissette
Lissette Lorenz 
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