The Southern Illinois University School of Medicine briefly employed its first poetry professor this fall, university records show.
Why would a medical school need to offer poetry? It probably wouldn’t unless the poetry teacher is the dean’s daughter, The College Fix reported.
Emily Kruse Carr, the daughter of medical school den Jerry Kruse, was hired for the job. But, university spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon said, he was not involved in hiring his daughter.
Carr, a creative writing professor and self-described “ecofeminist” and “beach witch,” was hired by the medical school as an assistant professor of medical humanities and medical education in August, according to her LinkedIn profile and university records, the news outlet reported. Her position appears to have been ended soon after once it was reported.
The university didn’t answer The College Fix’s questions about why Carr is no longer employed and if her position was temporary. But a page on Carr’s personal website lists four upcoming events at the medical school in 2024, suggesting she planned to stay longer the outlet reported.
Kruse also didn’t respond to The College Fix’s questions on whether he is involved in hiring practices and what steps were taken to ensure there was no conflict of interest in his daughter’s hiring.
Kruse and Carr are not accused of breaking any laws, as Illinois statutes give employees a lot of latitude.
Adam Andrzejewski, CEO of Open The Books, questioned “how and if creative writing serves a medical school’s core mission” and said the situation should make taxpayers wonder.
“There are 5,800 institutions of higher learning across America. What are the odds that Carr landed at the only institution that employs her father as dean and provost?” Andrzejewski told The College Fix. “Was Carr’s father part of the decision to create this new role and was there an open process to consider each candidate equally?”
While the university did not respond to The College Fix’s questions about Carr’s salary and duties, the national median pay for postsecondary teachers is just under $77,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Before being hired at the medical school, Carr taught creative writing at New College in Florida, according to Ms. Magazine. But she resigned in July after being named in an opinion article criticizing the dearth of ideological diversity at the school.
In the magazine, Carr described herself as “a beach witch, love poet, ecofeminist professor” who is “famous” for her poetry about abortion, anorexia, tarot, and divorce." She said she enjoys playing “tarot at the beach with my puppy,” and characterized her poetry as “dangerous.”
Her LinkedIn profile shows that she was hired at her father’s medical school a month later. Her profile states the position included serving as project manager for the medical school’s Story Slam project and overseeing 11 staff, student employees, and contractors. Story Slams are events that welcome individuals to share personal stories, often with audiences voting for which ones they like best.
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