Time
It's amazing to me, how much time I have on my hands now. Of course, I haven't really started grading yet, and that will be time-consuming, but right now I've got gobs of time left over from school. I'm able to do more work around the house, and actually exercise. All this, and I'm teaching far more than I've ever taught in a semester. How can I do this? I think the secret here is service. As an adjunct, I don't have to do any service to the institution, just show up, teach, and collect my paltry paychecks. I realize now just how much of my time at EKU was spent on non-teaching work. All this time I have now, it was all sucked up by the institution. Hey, that's the way the game is played. I'm not complaining about it, just amazed that it works as well as it does.
USCS is an interesting place -- I especially like the 30% minority makeup of the student body. It will take me some getting used to, after EKU, but I'm really excited about it. The school is undergoing great growth; it's the fastest-growing university in SC. Faculty are crammed in everywhere -- I'm in a converted room that until last week housed the soda machine. We're teaching in the library, teaching in the media rooms, practically teaching in the halls. I get a good guerilla feeling from the place, like they're doing this all on a shoestring (I've been talking with some people from IT, and they're sorely understaffed, with no funds for new hires). But people are interesting, willing to work, and working hard.
GT is different. I really enjoy the people, and especially enjoy these students. I've got a class full of non-traditional students who run the gamut in skills but are all committed to their work and their betterment. I can live with that. I'm teaching online and at a branch campus, so I don't think I see the institution as a whole at its best. I think that people are committed, and working hard, but there are policies and strictures in place that get in the way of doing a good job. I'm sure that things will eventually work out, and if they don't, I'll roll with it.
I find myself playing "what if?" quite a bit. What if I had stayed at EKU? What would I be doing right now? How would I be feeling? Would I still be as frustrated? Will the institution ever commit to faculty retention? Did my leaving make any difference? Will people like Kevin and Paula ever have a chance to make a decent wage? When I think of these things, I realize that I made the only move I could; if I were still there I would be so frustrated and angry that it would kill me as it did before. From a few hundred miles away I can say that I chose the better way. I'm bringing home as much as an adjunct as I was as an associate prof with tenure (Amanda says I'm actually making more here, so I guess I am). I've got more free time. I've got less stress. I've got the time to be a husband. I've got the time to be a friend. I've got the time to write, to think, to work. Yeah, it's all about time here now.
Thursday, August 22, 2002
IT Woes
In May of 1555, Pope Marcellus, a friend of the Jesuits, died and Paul IV assumed the papacy. Paul was a bitter man who hated Spain and everything Spanish. Ignatius of Loyola, a Spaniard, was shepherding his little order, the Societatis Jesu, through the snares of counter-Reformation Europe, but the Jesuits in Rome were reduced to dire poverty by papal enmity. When pressed by his companions to speak about the new Pope, Ignatius responded, "Let us speak of good Pope Marcellus."
I could write about the Keystone Kops that staff the IT department at one of my workplaces, but I won't. I could write about the arcane and byzantine hoops one must jump through just to get what most faculty throughout the country take for granted. But I'd rather write about the great IT people at EKU. If there's one thing I'll miss down here in SC, it's the overwhelming competence of the IT staff at EKU. It seems like there was someone who actually thought about what faculty needed when they set up the IT infrastructure at EKU. The policies made sense, they faculty and students were supported, and if someone was throwing curveballs, you can bet that there would be answers soon. But more than the infrastrcuture and the skills, there was a desire, on the part of almost everyone I dealt with in IT, to be helpful, to allow me to do my job in the best way possible by providing me with the support I needed.
I certainly took that for granted when I was there. I realize now that I got far more cooperation from IT than I ever got from any other area at the University. I know that such a structure is enforced from the top, and I appreciate that. The grunts, the people on the front lines, reflect the attitudes of those above them. And those attitudes were always positive, always considerate, always willing to go the extra mile, to get the workaround, to make things right.
In fact, I just sent them an email. Here's the text:
Gentles,
You people have spoiled me. That's all there is to it -- I'm spoiled rotten. As I start a new semester here at three different schools, I want you to know that you have set the bar high for other IT departments. I've been messing with a variety of IT folks down here for a couple weeks now, and believe me, you guys rock.
Not only do you have the infrastructure and the policies and procedures that actually support students and faculty, but you also have a willingness to help, and that, I'm finding out, is the most important thing.
I hope that I told you this when I was around, but just in case I didn't, I want you to know that your work, your thoughtfulness, your desire to do things right,and your commitment to surpassing expectations are all far superior to anything I've encountered. Now that I'm seeing how the rest of the world operates, you all stand out in sharp contrast.
I hope that you have a good semester. Work down here will be fine, but I will sorely miss you, not just for the services you provided, and for the many kindnesses you showed me, but for the fact that you were, to a person, knowledgeable, friendly, approachable, and committed.
Take care,
Joe
In May of 1555, Pope Marcellus, a friend of the Jesuits, died and Paul IV assumed the papacy. Paul was a bitter man who hated Spain and everything Spanish. Ignatius of Loyola, a Spaniard, was shepherding his little order, the Societatis Jesu, through the snares of counter-Reformation Europe, but the Jesuits in Rome were reduced to dire poverty by papal enmity. When pressed by his companions to speak about the new Pope, Ignatius responded, "Let us speak of good Pope Marcellus."
I could write about the Keystone Kops that staff the IT department at one of my workplaces, but I won't. I could write about the arcane and byzantine hoops one must jump through just to get what most faculty throughout the country take for granted. But I'd rather write about the great IT people at EKU. If there's one thing I'll miss down here in SC, it's the overwhelming competence of the IT staff at EKU. It seems like there was someone who actually thought about what faculty needed when they set up the IT infrastructure at EKU. The policies made sense, they faculty and students were supported, and if someone was throwing curveballs, you can bet that there would be answers soon. But more than the infrastrcuture and the skills, there was a desire, on the part of almost everyone I dealt with in IT, to be helpful, to allow me to do my job in the best way possible by providing me with the support I needed.
I certainly took that for granted when I was there. I realize now that I got far more cooperation from IT than I ever got from any other area at the University. I know that such a structure is enforced from the top, and I appreciate that. The grunts, the people on the front lines, reflect the attitudes of those above them. And those attitudes were always positive, always considerate, always willing to go the extra mile, to get the workaround, to make things right.
In fact, I just sent them an email. Here's the text:
Gentles,
You people have spoiled me. That's all there is to it -- I'm spoiled rotten. As I start a new semester here at three different schools, I want you to know that you have set the bar high for other IT departments. I've been messing with a variety of IT folks down here for a couple weeks now, and believe me, you guys rock.
Not only do you have the infrastructure and the policies and procedures that actually support students and faculty, but you also have a willingness to help, and that, I'm finding out, is the most important thing.
I hope that I told you this when I was around, but just in case I didn't, I want you to know that your work, your thoughtfulness, your desire to do things right,and your commitment to surpassing expectations are all far superior to anything I've encountered. Now that I'm seeing how the rest of the world operates, you all stand out in sharp contrast.
I hope that you have a good semester. Work down here will be fine, but I will sorely miss you, not just for the services you provided, and for the many kindnesses you showed me, but for the fact that you were, to a person, knowledgeable, friendly, approachable, and committed.
Take care,
Joe
Friday, August 16, 2002
Starting Over
It's a new academic year, a new place, a new work situation, a new blog, and ultimately, a new life.
I'm finally getting installed down here in Taylors, SC, where I'll be teaching at Converse College, University of South Carolina Spartanburg, and Greenville Tech. I'm really running the gamut here, with courses at a two-year school, a very small four-year liberal arts school, and "South Carolina's Metroplitan University." I'll be a road warrior, a la George Brosi, but I'll survive. The important thing is that Amanda loves her job, loves the people she's working with, and can see herself staying here until retirement. That's fine by me, because I've already got nibbles from places about a full-time position for next year. The puzzle for me now is this -- I'm bringing home as much adjuncting as a slop hire for part-time work as I was as a full-time associate prof with tenure in Kentucky. And with this comes no service responsibility (something I spent a GREAT deal of time on in KY) and no pressure to put out anything. This is going to be a great year, I think. I just don't know what to do with all the free time.
Our apartment is pretty cool, with a lot of space. We live about a seven-minute drive from A's workplace, and I've got commutes of various lengths to my places. I don't mind it because the traffic is cool here. The animals have adjusted very well, especially the cats, who seem to be banding together more and more to fight the dog. Again, that's fine by me. I just dumped over 2K into the Saturn (new tranny), to make it roadworthy for the commuting I'll be doing. That's about the only bummer since we've been here.
On the plus side, it looks like Sue Smith has sold the place in Richmond. We won't get rich off of the deal, but we will get out of debt and have a bit to put down on the next house. We're looking at stuff down here, and there's plenty of new building, so we'll have a great deal to chose from. It doesn't look like I'll be a townie any more, but who knows where we'll end up?
One of these days I'll have enough stamina to talk about the GSP program, and what a great thing it was. Someday soon . . .
It's a new academic year, a new place, a new work situation, a new blog, and ultimately, a new life.
I'm finally getting installed down here in Taylors, SC, where I'll be teaching at Converse College, University of South Carolina Spartanburg, and Greenville Tech. I'm really running the gamut here, with courses at a two-year school, a very small four-year liberal arts school, and "South Carolina's Metroplitan University." I'll be a road warrior, a la George Brosi, but I'll survive. The important thing is that Amanda loves her job, loves the people she's working with, and can see herself staying here until retirement. That's fine by me, because I've already got nibbles from places about a full-time position for next year. The puzzle for me now is this -- I'm bringing home as much adjuncting as a slop hire for part-time work as I was as a full-time associate prof with tenure in Kentucky. And with this comes no service responsibility (something I spent a GREAT deal of time on in KY) and no pressure to put out anything. This is going to be a great year, I think. I just don't know what to do with all the free time.
Our apartment is pretty cool, with a lot of space. We live about a seven-minute drive from A's workplace, and I've got commutes of various lengths to my places. I don't mind it because the traffic is cool here. The animals have adjusted very well, especially the cats, who seem to be banding together more and more to fight the dog. Again, that's fine by me. I just dumped over 2K into the Saturn (new tranny), to make it roadworthy for the commuting I'll be doing. That's about the only bummer since we've been here.
On the plus side, it looks like Sue Smith has sold the place in Richmond. We won't get rich off of the deal, but we will get out of debt and have a bit to put down on the next house. We're looking at stuff down here, and there's plenty of new building, so we'll have a great deal to chose from. It doesn't look like I'll be a townie any more, but who knows where we'll end up?
One of these days I'll have enough stamina to talk about the GSP program, and what a great thing it was. Someday soon . . .
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