As students continue to protest the dismissals of four journalism college employees, new documents obtained by The Diamondback suggest the college’s dean may have hoped to see a different style in the school’s administration.

In an e-mail sent Sept. 15, 2009, Journalism Dean Kevin Klose requested the names and résumés of possible replacements for existing employees.

“Meanwhile back on center court im looking for the pick of the very best young (yes that word) smart swift loyal savvy exec wanna-bees who could fill two slots i’ll gladly empty to accommodate them,” Klose wrote to Emily Hartz, who was the incoming assistant dean for business operations at the journalism college.

In interviews this week, Hartz and Klose both said they could not recall the e-mail. Klose has said the layoffs — those of assistant deans Steve Crane, 51, and Marchelle Payne-Gassaway, 38; public affairs director Matt Sheehan, 29; and Lucinda Fleeson, who directs a fellowship program at the college — were due to “financial issues.”

In October, Provost Nariman Farvardin wrote to Klose to recommend cutting administrative positions in the tough budget climate, “preserving the quality of our academic programs.” Farvardin has been out of the office this week and could not be reached for comment.

But journalism students have rallied in support of the dismissed employees, particularly Crane, who is teaching a graduate course this summer and who advises graduate students. A group of those students, including multimedia journalism graduate student Kerry Davis, met with Klose last week.

“After talking to the dean, we realize he had no plan to appoint anyone else as a graduate-student-only adviser,” Davis said.

Crane has “such a wealth of knowledge, and he runs so much that I don’t want to imagine what the school would be like without him,” Davis said.

Davis also created a Facebook group, “Reinstate Steve Crane at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism,” which had 15 members as of Wednesday night.

While many in the journalism college have declined to speak publicly about the layoffs, some faculty members — including January Payne, an adjunct professor in journalism and alumna of the college — have announced their support for those dismissed.

“It’s important to realize that Marchelle serves a lot of roles,” Payne said of Payne-Gassaway. “She’s kind of, like, a second mom to a lot of students.”

Payne also said she “could not imagine the University of Maryland journalism college without Steve Crane.”

Crane, himself, said he respects Klose’s decision.

“Budget cuts needed to be made. I understand that; there were no other options that were any better,” Crane said. “I’m obviously not happy to lose my job, but none of the other options was particularly palatable.”

Crane, who is still teaching his summer class, said he doesn’t yet have plans for the future.

“I’ll start thinking about what I’ll do when I grow up next week,” he said.

Sheehan has not spoken publicly about his dismissal except to wish his former colleagues well; Payne-Gassaway and Fleeson could not be reached for comment.

vafai at umdbk dot com