Yes, we are all terrible people working in terrible places for other
terrible people. Fortunately, we have those unworthy students in our
midst so that we can take out our frustrations on them. May the Lord
have mercy on our Souls.
Since I haven't read the article, is it safe to assume that few facts
are presented to support these "lessons"? Lesson #10 is a real hoot.
Shall we suck up or be ungrateful to the bosses? And #8--we must wish
for micromanagement.
>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 7/26/04 9:39:53 AM >>>
A friend of mine sent me this list of lessons from Howard Altman's "A
Baker's Dozen: Dirty Lessons I Have Learned in an Academic Career."
Change. July/August 2004: 50-53. In case you haven't read it:
Lesson Number One: The Academy can be a Very Lonely Place
Lesson Number Two: University administrators preach the virtues of
teamwork and collaboration, but evaluate faculty primarily in the basis
of
individual accomplishments.
Lesson Number Three: Colleagueship exists in the halls and, for the
most
part, in faculty meetings; it rarely exists in the classroom, library
carrel, or laboratory.
Lesson Number Four: Most faculty eagerly make invidious distinctions
between themselves and their colleagues.
Lesson Number Five: The gulf between junior faculty and senior faculty
is
often much too wide, to the detriment of both.
Lesson Number Six: University Administrators have little confidence in
the
ability of departments to evaluate the achievements of their members.
Lesson Number Seven: Graduate schools have traditionally done a poor
job
in preparing prospective faculty for the actual duties they will face
in
an academic position.
Lesson Number Eight: Administrators are, for all practical purposes,
invisible to faculty-especially at larger institutions.
Lesson Number Nine: Most faculty are convinced the university
administration doesn't care about what they think.
Lesson Number Ten: The loyalty of faculty members is bound much more
closely to their disciplines than to the institution that pays their
salary
Lesson Number Eleven: Faculty evaluation is ubiquitous and constant in
academe, yet most faculty learn little that is helpful from these
evaluations.
Lesson Number Twelve: Faculty development funding seems to be among
the
first items to be cut during times of fiscal belt-tightening.
Lesson Number Thirteen: Only we faculty members can change the system.
I would add: Lesson Number Fourteen: The loyalty of faculty is bound
more to their research and publication than to students.
Make it a good day.
--Louis--
Louis Schmier www.therandomthoughts.com
Department of History
www.halcyon.com/arborhts/louis.html
Valdosta State University
Valdosta, Georgia 31698 /~\ /\ /\
(229-333-5947) /^\ / \ / /~ \ /~\__/\
/ \__/ \/ / /\ /~ \
/\/\-/
/^\___\______\_______/__/_______/^\
-_~ / "If you want to climb mountains,
\ /^\
_ _ / don't practice on mole hills"
-\____
---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To unsubscribe send a blank email to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
---
You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
