Barkley, I agree with you, but also would ask what the
functional/dysfunctional limits of collegiality are in that case where the
chair truly serves the electors. It's rare but certainly happens as Michael
suggests. As a former department chair, I tried to do that, but it really
gets dicey what with all the personalities. I don't really think the
_Yeshiva_ decision changed matters for whether one is management or labor
given the lumpen issue.
In my experience at one institution, a personal dispute between spouses
created a multi-decade feud and limited the effectiveness of a rotating
chair process and ultimately marginalized the department within the
institution. I was fortunately only an observer as a one year leave
replacement faculty member and in fact think that I beat out the competitors
for the position because my national conference interview took place when
two sets of faculty search teams changed shifts in the hotel suite and were
thus all able to meet me at once, and therefore come to an easier consensus
on my candidacy when it got down to the final three candidates. At another
job, the only tenure appointment in a decade was given to someone who had
been the former graduate student of a senior faculty member primarily on the
condition that this person serve as department chair. Without even the usual
gossip rags of academe (the comical of higher ed, et al), there are plenty
of stories in the naked discipline (probably not 8 million, though).
Ann
----- Original Message -----
From: "J. Barkley Rosser, Jr." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2001 8:22 PM
Subject: [PEN-L:8695] Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: farewell to academe
> michael,
> The position of Department Chairs/Heads/Directors
> is really equivocal and difficult. Also, it varies greatly
> from place to place. In many Chairs are elected from the
> faculty and do serve them, as you say, are their leaders/
> protectors with respect to the higher administration. In
> others they are selected by the higherups and are their
> handmaidens/flunkies against the faculty. Ones labeled
> as "Heads" are more likely to be of this mold.
> There is even a variation as to whether or not they
> are labor or management. I also agree that there are
> many who fit that former mold, servants of their colleagues
> rather than their hired bosses.
> Barkley Rosser
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michael Perelman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Date: Monday, March 05, 2001 6:50 PM
> Subject: [PEN-L:8682] Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: farewell to academe
>
>
> >Is a department chair an administrator? If so, I have known some
excellent
> >ones. Our own chair goes out of his way to make life better for staff,
> faculty
> >and students. The key is that he sees his job as a service for others
> rather
> >than as a "leader."
> >
> >ann li wrote:
> >
> >> I really agree with you Carrol, having met a few of the people you cite
> who
> >> actually became college administrators after their service to the State
> (my
> >> favorite quotes for not returning to academe after government service
> come
> >> from George Schultz and Henry Kissinger). Better me than them, I say
> (since
> >> I don't have a lot of confidence in the governance abilities of tenured
> >> professors but I still believe in collective organization), and I do
find
> >> ( with all due respect to those on the list who are members of faculty
> >> unions ( I am also at this moment a member of such a union)) and
without
> >> scapegoating them, that the coziness of senior professors and
> administrators
> >> really is the problem and that there's not a lot of administrative
> >> corruption that hasn't been agreed to by the "permanent faculty" ( they
> both
> >> can still afford the daschas and the international conference junkets
> etc )
> >> since they share their spoils of capital accumulation (a la David
Noble),
> >> but then again I've read too much David Lodge perhaps over my 24 years
of
> >> higher ed academic employment. Lumpen is as lumpen does, and yes
> (although I
> >> have funny stories from my last job that show quite the contrary
> especially
> >> in the area of false consciousness, but that's best left off this list)
> they
> >> all are anti-working class, so we don't disagree, but like Jim implies,
> we
> >> have to pay our bills so whether administration is more corrupting than
> >> money is like comparing the ethics of lawyers, journalists and used car
> >> salespersons.
> >>
> >> Ann
> >>
> >> ----- Original Message -----
> >> From: "Carrol Cox" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >> Sent: Monday, March 05, 2001 1:48 PM
> >> Subject: [PEN-L:8663] Re: Re: Re: farewell to academe
> >>
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > ann li wrote:
> >> > >
> >> > > I, too have mixed emotions about our status as "cultural workers"
in
> >> > > academe, since I was a dean last year and now am teaching
part-time,
> >> > > partially in the reserve army of distance learning educators,
waiting
> >> for
> >> > > yet another opportunity in administration, hoping to make a
> difference,
> >>
> >> > >
> >> >
> >> > I don't know -- university administration (regardless of intentions)
is
> >> > close if not over the borderline of that lumpen-bourgeosie consisting
> of
> >> > cops, prison guards, CIA, career military officers, upper corporate
> >> > management in which the position, not how it is carried out, is
> >> > anti-working class. I've been connected with universities for 54
years
> >> > now and have never met an administrator who I would care to take my
> >> > coffee breaks with. There may be exceptions, but adminstration is
more
> >> > corrupting than money.
> >> >
> >> > Carrol
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >
> >--
> >
> >Michael Perelman
> >Economics Department
> >California State University
> >[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >Chico, CA 95929
> >530-898-5321
> >fax 530-898-5901
> >
> >
>
>
