Intellectual Property, Mandatory ETDs, and Literary Works of Art A case study of the Creative Writing Program at Bowling Green State University by Dr. Jude Edminster

Overview  ETD pilot program at BGSU  Ohio Learning Network grant  Creative Writing Program at BGSU  Program concerns about ETDs regarding –student success –impact on recruiting and retention –graduate teaching mission  Conclusions and recommendations

ETD Pilot Program at BGSU  Formation of ad hoc university committee to study ETDs  Submission of committee conclusions and recommendations to the Graduate College  Commencement of one-year pilot program with participation of 3 departments  Decision to require ETDs beginning in 2005

Ohio Learning Network Grant  Collaboration of Rhetoric and Writing and Scientific and Technical Communication programs to submit proposal  Award of $20,000 grant  Implementation of proposed “Digital Studio”

Creative Writing Program at BGSU  Creative Writing is a fine arts niche program (MFA) of high national standing dedicated to producing literary artists who publish. –Students and graduates published 64 books in the last 5 years with literary and commercial presses –Authors received numerous national literary prizes –Program is home to the Mid-Atlantic Literary Review  Program director’s request to withdraw from the 2004 ETD pilot program was granted by the Graduate College.  Any continued exclusion from mandatory submission would require further petition in –

Program Concerns About ETDs— Student Success  Creative writers have special needs that differ substantially from those of scholars.  Most literary and commercial publishers prize “first right of publication” above all, many including first electronic rights.  ETDs require authors to relinquish “first rights,” thus precluding them from submitting to many publication venues.  The current ETD publication delay policy of 2 years is inadequate.  No publication delay policy is workable for an MFA thesis.

Program Concerns About ETDs— Recruitment and Retention  21 out of 22 competing universities with MFA degrees do not mandate ETDs.  If publication of their theses on the WWW significantly impedes their publication efforts, why would students choose to apply to BGSU’s MFA program?

Program Concerns About ETDs— Graduate Teaching Mission  The “ethos” of authorship in the creative writing community foregrounds the debatable existence of authors’ “natural” right to ownership of their texts.  Requiring students to submit their artistic work as ETDs precludes faculty from teaching in ways that are consistent with the core ethics of their profession.

Conclusions and Recommendations  Modify the ETD for creative writing programs’ special needs –Abstract only option –Password protection option –Non-download option –Paper only option –Abstract plus excerpt option*