ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, September 14, 1996 TAG: 9609160044
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE STAFF WRITER
JON J. POLIFRONE, a Virginia Tech professor and noted composer, is taking his music off Va. shelves after getting mediocre teaching reviews.
One of the region's most noted classical composers wants his music off Virginia's airwaves and music store shelves, saying his "image" as a composer among his colleagues led to a mediocre job evaluation at Virginia Tech.
Music professor Jon J. Polifrone, whose 1991 "Requiem: For Those We Love" earned him a fourth Pulitzer Prize nomination, sent a letter to 2,500 people around the country late last month explaining what he calls "the coming absence of my music in this community."
"In my last faculty evaluation," he wrote on Aug. 25, "it was made clear to me my `image' within the music department among my colleagues, the students and community people was that of a composer - `That composition is my life's work.' Apparently, this does not sit well with the personnel committee of the department."
Polifrone is particularly upset about what he views as criticism of his teaching, which he's been doing for years. At 59, he's also worried about the university's new post-tenure review policy, in which two negative reviews could lead to dismissal.
"I just want to be left alone to do my research and to teach," said Polifrone, who came to Tech in 1980 from the University of Nebraska. Research, teaching and service are considered the key portions of a faculty member's job.
The head of Tech's music department, John Husser, said Polifrone is overreacting, and that his final review will not trigger the post-tenure review process.
"I can't imagine that the review he got, in anybody's mind, would [be] view[ed] as not meeting minimal expectations. If it is, we're all in trouble. We need to be able to say something that's a little bit negative without thinking that's going to be a reason to kick in post-tenure review," Husser said, referring to the second of Polifrone's two reviews.
And, Husser said, there's nothing in Polifrone's evaluation that says he should stop composing, adding "there seems to be a difference of opinion."
Under the heading of "teaching," Polifrone's first evaluation last spring begins, "What to do? Need to think creatively here! Underworked and overpaid. Not really prepared for anything."
The evaluation was rewritten, however, to call his teaching style "very off-the-cuff and colorful. While some students find this quite engaging, others would prefer a more predicable, structured approach."
Husser explained that the first evaluation was a collection of comments, sometimes contradictory, compiled by a committee. It was the first year the committee had done evaluations under a new system, he said. Within 18 hours of the time the first evaluations went out, they were rewritten, Husser said.
Bob Bates, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, could not be reached Friday for comment.
Polifrone's second evaluation, dated April 23, highly praises his work as a composer, but says he needs to do more teaching and service. "His image as a faculty member would be greatly enhanced by becoming more involved in the day-to-day activities of the department and more supportive of the work of colleagues and students," the evaluation states.
Polifrone is filing a grievance over his evaluations with a campus committee. Among his concerns is a possible threat to his position due to a light teaching load.
Course teaching assignments in the music department are issued by the head of the department. Husser said he's always tried to accommodate Polifrone's work as a composer, sometimes assigning him one course a semester. With budget cuts and bigger enrollments, however, everyone will be teaching an average of three courses, he said.
Polifrone said he is now teaching two courses plus a number of private Tech students who receive credit for their instruction.
"He's very unhappy with the way he's been treated recently, and he's taking those actions he believes are necessary to protect himself," said David Paxton of Roanoke, a lawyer Polifrone has consulted.
Polifrone came to Tech as the head of the new music department. He has composed 790 pieces, published about 60 of them, and says he owns copyrights to all. He currently is working on an opera with Craig Fields, a conductor who also is a Tech music professor.
Fields praised Polifrone's musicianship.
"Where Polifrone shines is his ability to tap into emotion through melodic writing," Fields said. "He is able to write very beautiful and evocative kinds of tunes and melodies."
As for Polifrone's order to take his music from Virginia Tech's own shelves, Husser said he doesn't know yet what to do.
"I haven't talked to legal counsel, [who] called me and said `We need to talk,'" Husser said. "I don't know enough about copyright law to know what is and isn't the rights of the copyright holder."
Besides, Husser said, "I can't get all the music off all the shelves in the state of Virginia."
Tech President Paul Torgersen, who also received Polifrone's letter, said he would leave the issue to the music department.
"I felt sad this sort of a situation had developed," Torgersen said.
At WVTF, the public radio station operated by Tech's foundation, classical music director Seth Williamson said he wishes the composer would reconsider.
The station gets lots of requests for the prologue of the "Requiem," he said.
"I'm just sort of thinking about it," Williamson said. "I need to talk to Jon [Polifrone] about this a little more."
Meantime, Polifrone said he can hardly stop writing music these days. He expects upcoming performances of his work in London, China and Chicago. The "Requiem," which premiered to a standing-room-only crowd at Blacksburg Presbyterian Church in 1993, was hailed as "magnificent" by a Chicago Tribune reviewer following a May performance there.
"It's not going to hurt my career one bit," Polifrone said. "There's 49 other states."
LENGTH: Long : 111 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN KIM/Staff. Jon J. Polifrone watches a rehearsal atby CNBVirginia Tech. His 1991 "Requiem" earned him his fourth Pulitzer
Prize nomination. color.