A Creature of Our Own Making: Reflections on Contemporary Academic Life

Contents

ContentW Introduction 1 1 CaQTuW CuPture What Conspiracy? 7 Avoiding Academe’s Ax Murderers 10 How to Get What You Want in Academe 13 That’s Your Opinion 16 Holding Ourselves Accountable 19 If Universities Were Democracies 22 Creating a Culture of Respect 25 A Culture of Openness 28 To Party, or Not to Party 31 Yes, Big Brother Is Watching 34 2 8Le Craft of AHQiniWtration How to Join the Dark Side 39 The Importance of Protocol 42 The Administrator as Magician 46 The Burden of Confidentiality 48 Avoiding the Hunker-Down Strategy 51 Resist the Rush to Judgment in Disputes 54 viii / Contents Why Rules Matter 56 We Can’t Do That Here 59 The Delicate Art of Rejection 62 Let’s Just Do Our Jobs 65 The Cost of Doing Business 67 The Unkindest Cut of All 70 If Only I Knew Then . . . 73 3 CaQTuW 6eforQ Carnegie Matters 79 Growing Pains 82 Why Universities Specialize 85 Why Universities Reorganize 88 The Importance of External Boards 91 Certifying Online Research 95 Why Universities Are Streamlining Their Curricula 98 Should We Ditch Football? 102 How Not to Reform Humanities Scholarship 105 4 *aGuPt] ConGernW The Limits of Academic Freedom 109 Exactly What Is “Shared Governance”? 112 When to Dissolve a Faculty Senate 115 It Is Who You Know, And Who Knows You 119 Creating a Culture of Recognition 122 How We Value Faculty Work 126 We Really Like You 129 A Creature of Our Own Making 133 How Not to Measure Faculty Productivity 136 Fight Your Own Battles 139 How to Run a Meeting 142 Contents / ix 5 *aGuPt] 6eGruitQent Don’t Just Search, Recruit 147 Why Settle for Second Best? 150 The Proper Way to Court 153 But She Was Our Top Choice 157 The Academic Job Search and the Internet 159 I’m Your Millstone 163 6 7TeGiaP 8oTiGW Commencement Matters 167 Can You Spare A Dime? 170 The Ethics of Technology 173 E-mails Are Forever 176 Keeping Your Emeriti Close 179 What Deans Expect of Department Heads 182 How Not to Evaluate Your Department Head 184 Investigate Me, Please 188 Safety First 190 Index 195 ...