New Semitic Museum Personnel Announced

Five months after the lay-offs of 10 staff members, the hiring committee of the Semitic Museum yesterday released the names of its new assistant curator and assistant director.

The decision caps a four-month nationwide search for candidates to fill the two new positions created after an advisory committee recommended in October to restructure the financially strapped museum.

Former Semitic Museum Curator of Publications Joseph Greene, one of the staffers let go last November, was rehired as the museum's new assistant director. He is second in command under Museum Director Lawrence E. Stager '65.

James A. Armstrong, currently a Mellon Fellow in the department of anthropology at the Pennsylvania University Museum, was hired as assistant curator and will begin work September 1. He will take care of the collections.

Both Greene and Armstrong trained as Near Eastern archaeologists at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, where Stager taught for several years.

Greene and Armstrong are currently the museum's only staff members, replacing the body of ten that existed before the museum underwent what Stager and Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles have called a "restructuring."

Laid-off staff members disagreed with Knowles' and Stagers' reasons for the substantial staff reduction, insisting that the move was politically motivated.

In November, staffers strongly criticized stager for not including them in the committee's evaluation of the museum, for putting fund-raising on hold and for reading their personal faxed correspondence.

The staff members not rehired by the museum were entitled to severance pay and had the option of accepting outplacement services, according to Nancy L. Maull, administrative dean of the Faculty. None of the staff besides Greene has been rehired.

When asked why the museum laid off Greene inNovember and then rehired him in April, Stagercited University policy as an explanation.

"We had a total restructuring and we welcomedthem all to reapply," he said in explanation.University policy states that all other thingsbeing equal, former employees of the Universityshould be given strong preference in hiringprocesses.

But some of the laid-off staff members saidthey were not surprised that Greene was rehired.

"All of us were sure at the time when we werefired that Joe would be rehired. I think everybodywas fired to make it look fair," said NitzaRosovsky, the museum's former curator forexihibits who resigned last November. "I think heworks very closely with Larry Stager and I thinkthat Larry relies on him a lot. I think Joe isvery qualified for the job."

Another staff member echoed that lack ofsurprise.

"I have no question about his qualifications,"said Elizabeth Carella , former museum curator forphotographic history. "I predicted and many of uspredicted that Nancy Maull and her searchcommittee would search high and low in thebasement of the Semitic Museum and find JosephGreene."

Stager said the museum many hire more staffmembers in the next year or two if its budgetpermits it.

"I would hope within a year or two we wouldhave a well-established staff," said Stager, whois also Dorot Professor of the Archaeology ofIsrael. "I can't imagine that we'll ever be muchbeyond maybe three or four [staff members], butthat doesn't mean we wouldn't have a lot of gradstudents and work-study students."

Maull, who headed the museum's searchcommittee, said the members spent a weekinterviewing many qualified candidates.

"It was a wonderful group of candidates--veryinteresting and varied with a range of differentexperiences," Maull said yesterday. "The pool wasvery strong and the individuals are verytalented."

Both Greene and Armstrong said they are pleasedwith their new posts.

Greene, who said he began preliminary work inhis new position several weeks ago, said his newjob is full of challenges.

"I'm finding out new things every day aboutwhat needs to be done," Greene said.. "That'slife, starting in a new job."

Armstrong is looking forward to working inBoston and "assisting the department in itsscholarly and teaching mission by making thingsavailable."

"I'm very excited Armstrong said, "I've neverlived in the Boston area. I've heard nothing butgood things about and Cambridge."

Armstrong said his areas of focus coincide withthe museum's specialities.

"The strong points of the collection areancient Mesopotamia and ancient Syro-Palestine andthose are the areas that my training is in,"Armstrong added . "I think that my training makesme a really good fit for working with thematerials in the Museum.

When asked why the museum laid off Greene inNovember and then rehired him in April, Stagercited University policy as an explanation.

"We had a total restructuring and we welcomedthem all to reapply," he said in explanation.University policy states that all other thingsbeing equal, former employees of the Universityshould be given strong preference in hiringprocesses.

But some of the laid-off staff members saidthey were not surprised that Greene was rehired.

"All of us were sure at the time when we werefired that Joe would be rehired. I think everybodywas fired to make it look fair," said NitzaRosovsky, the museum's former curator forexihibits who resigned last November. "I think heworks very closely with Larry Stager and I thinkthat Larry relies on him a lot. I think Joe isvery qualified for the job."

Another staff member echoed that lack ofsurprise.

"I have no question about his qualifications,"said Elizabeth Carella , former museum curator forphotographic history. "I predicted and many of uspredicted that Nancy Maull and her searchcommittee would search high and low in thebasement of the Semitic Museum and find JosephGreene."

Stager said the museum many hire more staffmembers in the next year or two if its budgetpermits it.

"I would hope within a year or two we wouldhave a well-established staff," said Stager, whois also Dorot Professor of the Archaeology ofIsrael. "I can't imagine that we'll ever be muchbeyond maybe three or four [staff members], butthat doesn't mean we wouldn't have a lot of gradstudents and work-study students."

Maull, who headed the museum's searchcommittee, said the members spent a weekinterviewing many qualified candidates.

"It was a wonderful group of candidates--veryinteresting and varied with a range of differentexperiences," Maull said yesterday. "The pool wasvery strong and the individuals are verytalented."

Both Greene and Armstrong said they are pleasedwith their new posts.

Greene, who said he began preliminary work inhis new position several weeks ago, said his newjob is full of challenges.

"I'm finding out new things every day aboutwhat needs to be done," Greene said.. "That'slife, starting in a new job."

Armstrong is looking forward to working inBoston and "assisting the department in itsscholarly and teaching mission by making thingsavailable."

"I'm very excited Armstrong said, "I've neverlived in the Boston area. I've heard nothing butgood things about and Cambridge."

Armstrong said his areas of focus coincide withthe museum's specialities.

"The strong points of the collection areancient Mesopotamia and ancient Syro-Palestine andthose are the areas that my training is in,"Armstrong added . "I think that my training makesme a really good fit for working with thematerials in the Museum.