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#41
The State of Higher Ed / Re: Colleges in Dire Financial...
Last post by spork - March 27, 2024, 05:11:36 AM
Bluffton University will "merge" with University of Findlay.
#42
General Discussion / Re: NYT Spelling Bee
Last post by Langue_doc - March 27, 2024, 05:08:54 AM
Good morning!

QB. QB yesterday, last word was dunno.

psychotic/crunk--I think one has to be slightly psychotic to even think that crunk was a legit word, let alone come up with it.

Happy solving!
#43
The State of Higher Ed / Re: J.D. Vance: "Sanctuary Cit...
Last post by kaysixteen - March 26, 2024, 09:39:55 PM
More to the point-- it is illegal for any Americans to hire illegal aliens.
#44
General Academic Discussion / Re: What do admincritters do?
Last post by pgher - March 26, 2024, 07:32:14 PM
Quote from: simpleSimon on March 26, 2024, 05:28:31 PMIn 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.


Ugh. I am currently department chair and dealing with this sort of thing. In a perfect world, crises are dealt with at the lowest possible level. Conflict between two people in the same department should be handled by the chair. But sometimes, the tools available to the chair are insufficient for the problem, or are unsatisfactory for one or both parties. Then it escalates, and lands on the desk of the dean, provost, or chancellor.
#45
Research & Scholarship / Re: March Research Thread
Last post by Wahoo Redux - March 26, 2024, 06:30:29 PM
Quote from: darkstarrynight on March 26, 2024, 08:36:19 AM
Quote from: treeoflife on March 26, 2024, 08:08:15 AMManuscript was sent to the press. A project eight years in the making.

Wow, congratulations!
I have been absent on here because of two back-to-back out of state trips. Thus, no book manuscript writing got done (shocker). However, I did get named a research fellow for an organization last week which is cool. I got the proof for a forthcoming chapter. Also, my sabbatical manuscript that has been under review for almost 9 months shows the status of "awaiting final decision" and I sure as heck hope it is a R&R and not a reject!

And again: W00T!!!!
#46
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!!!!
#47
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.
#48
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.
#49
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.
#50
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!