MARIANA CRUZ
Special to The Leader
Warning: This article contains strong language.
Sculpture professor Peter Tucker went on sabbatical for the Fall 2024 semester.
After a semester of knowing that half of the programs in the Visual Arts and New Media (VANM) department will be discontinued, he got a grant to buy supplies and equipment.
“It started so fantastic. I was so productive. Then shit hit the fan,” he said.
In the middle of his sabbatical, Tucker received less than a 24-hour notice to meet with human resources, the provost and United University Professions, the union representing faculty and professional staff on campus. He already knew what that meant for him and his job.
On Sept. 13, he was told that his time at SUNY Fredonia would end after the Spring 2025 semester.
Tucker started his career working as an administrator for a private school in Austin, Texas.
When he was 27 years old, he attended his friend’s evening art classes as often as he could. Tucker began to consider art school and asked his friend’s thoughts.
His friend said, “All I learned in art school was how to look at the world differently.”
That was enough for Tucker to return to school for a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and then attend graduate school at the University of Austin.
He had experience working at both smaller and larger schools, so he intentionally focused his job search on smaller schools that offered him the opportunity to connect one-on-one with students, that would allow for him to make a change.
Tucker’s first trip to Fredonia was during a snowstorm that trapped him for a day after interviewing for the art department. Despite this rocky introduction, Tucker said he was drawn to Fredonia because he loved the facilities, the town and the faculty.
He said, “When I got the call to interview here, my wife said, ‘We are not moving to Western New York.’”
They indeed moved to Western New York, where Tucker has lived and worked for the past 16 years, teaching foundational and 3D art classes. He has been heavily involved in the recruitment process for the VANM department, and active in the local community outside of the college.
There are certain things that Tucker is sure will change about the reputation and status of Fredonia after discontinuing four visual arts and new media programs.
“We are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, so with four programs gone, it will certainly hurt our standing and we will lose our accreditation,” Tucker explained.
His fear also extends to the fact that future students will not get the same opportunities and experiences that current and past students have and that a BFA from Fredonia will no longer have the same “flashiness” as it once did.
According to Tucker, part of the great experience he has had at Fredonia comes from the ability to connect with his students and watch them grow up.
“I take such pleasure in seeing the growth of students. It’s just a great reminder of why we do what we do, to see students come into their own and find their own voice, to grow up and mature,” he said.
Many students, alumni, faculty and staff have reached out to Tucker since the news came out about his job. Several art students are furious about the fact that Tucker is abruptly losing his job and hope that something can be done for him to stay at Fredonia.
“I get texts every day.” Tucker explained, “It’s really lovely. It’s a testament to the community that Fredonia used to be.”
Maya Kulick, an animation/illustration and sculpture major, said, “He’s one of those professors that you can tell is in it to actually teach because he loves it … When I heard he was being fired, I was very upset and disappointed.”
Students for Fredonia (SFF) was formed immediately after the budget cuts were announced in 2023. Tucker was proud to see that so many students had recognized what was going on in their community and had decided to stand against it.
Tucker revealed, “I was probably in tears at the last protest because it makes me hopeful for the future in a ‘big picture’ way.”
In February, Tucker traveled to Albany with SFF.
“I had to [go] because all these students are speaking up for Fredonia,” he said, “Their approach has been positive, to not diminish what this place is, but to celebrate what Fredonia has and can be.”
Tucker does not know what will happen in the future. He knows that he still has to teach classes next semester, despite the fact that he likely won’t return for the fall. He knows that he, his wife and his two daughters are worried about whether they’ll have to move somewhere else.
“It’s frustrating because my children grew up here,” Tucker said, “I took this job so that I could have a stable situation to raise my family in a quaint, small town.”
He knows that the reputation and standing of Fredonia will never be the same as what it was before the current administration.
“I just can’t imagine working anywhere where people have no respect for you.”
Tucker compared the current administration to “bad houseguests.” He believes that they have not been here long enough to have the respect of the faculty, staff and students.
“The entire upper level of this university is deeply flawed and are not part of this community in any way, shape or form,” he said.
“I don’t know what the likelihood of me getting my job back is. None of us know where the end of this is, besides the tremendous damage [the administration] has done to the university. It is constantly sad to see them destroy what was such a great place.”