In a move that could affect the landscape of one of the world's leading philosophy departments, Professor Colin McGinn is leaving Rutgers for the University of Miami.
McGinn will leave the philosophy department in January and take a full-time position with Miami. For some in the academic community, the decision was unexpected.
"It's pretty surprising when a senior faculty member moves from a top department to a department that is not really in the top 40," said Brian Leiter, the editor of the Philosophical Gourmet Report. Rutgers-New Brunswick is currently ranked second domestically, while Miami is a runner-up for the top 50.
McGinn, a professor at the University since 1990, said his departure has more to do with the warmer climate in Florida than any intellectual perks Miami can offer.
"I suppose the main factor is the weather," McGinn said. "The weather has a particular significance because I like water sports. Miami is a year-round water sports place. You can be out on the water all the time."
McGinn said Miami approached him about a year ago to change departments, originally offering a part-time position so he could teach during the winter.
When McGinn visited Miami in February, he said he was so impressed with the warmer weather that he suggested to its department that he just take a full-time position - an offer even Miami wasn't expecting.
"I would say it was a pleasant surprise," said Harvey Siegel, chair of the philosophy department at Miami.
McGinn said moving from a distinguished department like Rutgers is a downside, but teaching at Miami only part time would have caused too many complications.
"[Miami] is definitely not as good as Rutgers is," McGinn said. "But I have to weigh how much that matters to my daily life."
The decision, however, could have long-lasting implications for the department. For one thing, McGinn, a philosopher of the mind, is well known in the field.
"He's virtually impossible to replace," said Peter Klein, a University professor of philosophy. "I can't think of anyone with his combination of talent and what he does for the department."
Even further, the timing of his decision, coupled with the impending retirements of other lead philosophers, could leave Rutgers' high ranking vulnerable.
"It's something to be concerned with," McGinn said.
One of the University's most distinguished philosophers, Jerry Fodor, has been rumored to be on the verge of retirement.
Fodor said he has been contemplating retirement, but he will not be leaving anytime soon.
"I've certainly been considering it but it would be nice to be able to afford it," Fodor said. "I have no immediate plans for retirement and I'll be around for several years."
Most are confident, though, that McGinn's departure will not have a significant impact on diminishing the philosophy department's status.
Richard Foley, a former chair of the department and one of the people that propelled it to its illustrious status, said the department's position is entirely stable.
"Although Colin will be missed individually, his departure will not seriously affect the standing or trajectory of the department, which is positioned to be a leading philosophy department for years to come," said Foley, the current dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at New York University.
And within the world of academia, professors switching departments is nothing new. Stephen Schiffer, the chair of the NYU philosophy department - the only department ranked ahead of Rutgers - said a move like this is par for the course.
"I don't think it will make a significant difference," Schiffer said of McGinn leaving. "I doubt we'll notice the difference next year. We lost Christopher Peacocke to Columbia, and I don't think it affected us one bit - we're still No. 1."
Leiter indicated the move will have no perceptible impact on Rutgers' high rank, and it would take a slew of departures to move the department from its position.
"His departure could have an impact, but it won't in this case," Leiter said. "Colin McGinn is a very distinguished philosopher, but he's not the most distinguished philosopher in that department."
McGinn joined the department in 1990, after teaching at Oxford. He earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy from Oxford and won the prestigious John Locke Prize in 1973.
He is most famous for arguing humans are incapable of fully comprehending their own consciousness - a theory as powerful as it is controversial.
McGinn, currently on leave, will teach an undergraduate course on literature and a proseminar for graduate students at the University in the fall semester.
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