What really matters now

What really matters now is compassion. What really matters now is that our students are well enough and supported enough to resume their academic learning when the storm has passed. They are learning now. They are saturated with learning. They are in an environment in which they have never been. They are separated from their…

A university administrator in a pandemic, or Barney Miller on Moonbase Alpha

Trying to administer a student affairs portfolio in the middle of a pandemic feels a bit like being Barney Miller on Moonbase Aplha. Both Space 1999, which features the moonbase, and Barney Miller, I now realize, were important formative childhood influences for me. As a full-on, unapologetic Gen Xer, television was a crucial part of…

In the middle of an emergency response, pause and reflect

Emergency response starts with values, priorities, and goals. Our values, on which we try to reflect when we’re not in the middle of an emergency response, emphasize the importance of life and of the public good. From our values emerge priorities in an emergency. Protect people, including the responders, protect communities, protect the infrastructure that…

The cult of overwork in academia: A confessional post

This week, Krista Mila (@microbialkryta) provides an excellent discussion of why academics need not and should not work 80 hours per week. This is important reading for all academics, especially our early career colleagues and our students. There are reasons why the 80 hour worker has become iconic in academia. I will discuss some of…

Silos are a feature of university organization, not a bug

Any senior administrative retreat in a university is likely to feature lamentations about siloing of the disciplines, faculties, and administrative services. People will call for de-siloing. The timid will call for multidisciplinarity, the bold for true interdisciplinarity. Everyone will agree that reward structures for faculty, staff and students must be changed to encourage collaborative and…