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#91
Research & Scholarship / Re: March Research Thread
Last post by Wahoo Redux - March 26, 2024, 06:29:19 PM
Quote from: treeoflife on March 26, 2024, 08:08:15 AMManuscript was sent to the press. A project eight years in the making.

W00T!!!!
#92
General Academic Discussion / Re: What do admincritters do?
Last post by Ruralguy - March 26, 2024, 05:28:44 PM
Its a cute comment, but politics tend to be quite viscous when the stakes are *high* as well.
That probably wasn't as much the case when this quip first crossed Kissinger's mind.
#93
General Academic Discussion / Re: What do admincritters do?
Last post by simpleSimon - March 26, 2024, 05:28:31 PM
Quote from: Parasaurolophus on March 22, 2024, 11:45:45 AMSo... I have no idea what the upper administrative echelons do, either nominally or in practice. Like... Wtf is a provost for?

  • President/Chancellor: ...fundraiser-in-chief? PR? Hands out diplomas...
  • Provost:
  • Dean: approves stuff--hires, courses, overloads, etc. Do they ever deny stuff? Anything else?

I assume I've missed a pile, but I don't even know what. The registrar, I guess, but at least I have some idea of what they do.

If you take a moment to think about who the president reports to you have a window into what s/he does.  In addition to ceremonial duties presidents spend a lot of time creating and making presentations to their boards.  The board requires regular reports on things like admissions & enrollment; academics assessment, and accreditation; athletics; fundraising and advancement; revenue streams, the budget, and related fiscal matters; community partnerships and external contracts, faculty hiring, persistence, and research productivity; legal/risk management; operations and information technology; real estate, strategic planning etc.  If the institution has professional schools such as medical school, law school, business school, pharmacy, dentistry or all of the above, you can quickly see how this portfolio balloons.

The majority of faculty have little cause to think about this, but most universities have a substantial real estate portfolio for example.  In addition to the main campus site, many schools own property offsite such as one or more regional campuses.  Some of these are in leased spaces while others are owned by the institution.  Still other property may simply be land that is, for now, undeveloped.  The financial status of the real estate portfolio has to be constantly monitored and reported on.  Schools are always looking for buying opportunities (growth) so the board always wants to hear about the status of those plans, when they will be realized, and at what cost.  Obviously, we are talking about tens of millions of dollars or more.

In a school of any size someone somewhere is doing something wrong (falsified research, drugs, affairs with students, financial mismanagement, athletes who cannot read, etc.)  How many of these potential crises are being effectively managed and which ones are likely to go public?  Crisis management is essential and keeping boards in the dark is one way for a president to get on their bad side.

Most board meetings are closed, but if you ever have an opportunity to attend an open one it can be quite illuminating—especially if you are in the administrative pipeline or aspire to be.
#94
Research & Scholarship / Re: March Research Thread
Last post by Parasaurolophus - March 26, 2024, 04:49:03 PM
Quote from: Parasaurolophus on March 26, 2024, 08:35:19 AMFeeling better today, so I'll write up a referee report and return to checking my translation. Doubt I'll finish checking everything before I have to send it in, but I'll be close, and that's good enough.

Report done, checked a decent bunch. Might make it to the end after all; we'll see what tomorrow brings.
#95
General Discussion / Re: What's your weather?
Last post by hmaria1609 - March 26, 2024, 03:36:09 PM
Not to mention the start of tourist season in DC!
#96
The State of Higher Ed / J.D. Vance: "Sanctuary Cities"...
Last post by Wahoo Redux - March 26, 2024, 02:22:42 PM
Ohio U.S. Senator JD Vance Introduces Bill to Prohibit Universities from Hiring Illegal Aliens

QuoteOhio U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) and Indiana U.S. Representative Jim Banks (R-IN-03) have introduced a bill that would prohibit universities that receive federal funding from hiring illegal aliens.

The bill, titled the College Employment Accountability Act, would specifically amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to "prohibit an institution of higher education that employs unauthorized aliens from receiving funds from federal student assistance or federal institutional aid"

Institutions of higher education would have to participate in the E-Verify Program, which is a federal program that checks the immigration status of all employees, in order to receive federal funds under the bill.

Do universities hire a lot of "illegal aliens?"

#97
General Academic Discussion / Re: What do admincritters do?
Last post by dismalist - March 26, 2024, 02:03:21 PM
Quote from: Kron3007 on March 26, 2024, 01:44:17 PM
Quote from: marshwiggle on March 25, 2024, 08:03:28 AM
Quote from: ciao_yall on March 25, 2024, 07:41:31 AMHad this conversation with a colleague the other day about the recent cycle of narcissistic Presidents my current institution has had at the top. I think one has to be a bit of a narcissist to decide to become a college President. The question is whether the person is good at controlling these impulses.

Or, as the saying goes, the higher a monkey climbs, the better you can see its behind.

This is even more the case when it comes to leading a country. What makes a person think "The best person to lead the entire nation is ME."? By definition, it requires a person who has a pretty elevated self-conception.



I always theorized this is somewhat true even at the faculty level.  Maybe narcissistic is not exactly right, but I feel there is a disproportionate level of crazy among faculty.  I have always wondered if the system is selecting for it, or inducing it.

When talking about upper administration, you are now selecting for specific traits among this odd slice of humanity.

And remember Henry Kissinger's dictum: Academic politics is so vicious because there's so little at stake.
#98
General Academic Discussion / Re: What do admincritters do?
Last post by Wahoo Redux - March 26, 2024, 01:47:47 PM
Quote from: Kron3007 on March 26, 2024, 01:44:17 PM
Quote from: marshwiggle on March 25, 2024, 08:03:28 AM
Quote from: ciao_yall on March 25, 2024, 07:41:31 AMHad this conversation with a colleague the other day about the recent cycle of narcissistic Presidents my current institution has had at the top. I think one has to be a bit of a narcissist to decide to become a college President. The question is whether the person is good at controlling these impulses.

Or, as the saying goes, the higher a monkey climbs, the better you can see its behind.

This is even more the case when it comes to leading a country. What makes a person think "The best person to lead the entire nation is ME."? By definition, it requires a person who has a pretty elevated self-conception.



I always theorized this is somewhat true even at the faculty level.  Maybe narcissistic is not exactly right, but I feel there is a disproportionate level of crazy among faculty.  I have always wondered if the system is selecting for it, or inducing it.

When talking about upper administration, you are now selecting for specific traits among this odd slice of humanity.

I would agree but I used to work as a corporate monkey.

There is plenty of just this kind of crazy out there too, just less intellectualized, more incentivized.

Whatever we see in academia is pretty much human nature in very particular circumstances.
#99
General Academic Discussion / Re: What do admincritters do?
Last post by Kron3007 - March 26, 2024, 01:44:17 PM
Quote from: marshwiggle on March 25, 2024, 08:03:28 AM
Quote from: ciao_yall on March 25, 2024, 07:41:31 AMHad this conversation with a colleague the other day about the recent cycle of narcissistic Presidents my current institution has had at the top. I think one has to be a bit of a narcissist to decide to become a college President. The question is whether the person is good at controlling these impulses.

Or, as the saying goes, the higher a monkey climbs, the better you can see its behind.

This is even more the case when it comes to leading a country. What makes a person think "The best person to lead the entire nation is ME."? By definition, it requires a person who has a pretty elevated self-conception.



I always theorized this is somewhat true even at the faculty level.  Maybe narcissistic is not exactly right, but I feel there is a disproportionate level of crazy among faculty.  I have always wondered if the system is selecting for it, or inducing it.

When talking about upper administration, you are now selecting for specific traits among this odd slice of humanity.
#100
General Academic Discussion / Re: What do admincritters do?
Last post by Kron3007 - March 26, 2024, 01:41:51 PM
From what I see lately, they travel around as a delegation visiting pretty cool places.  Kind of makes me want to climb the ladder!  Too bad I hate all of the bureaucratic administrative tasks I have been exposed to thus far...