My course is a big success but my deaprtment head is not happy with me

[hamburger]

Downer has it about right. The dept. head doesn't trust the OP. So, she's a bit alarmed that "something" not under her control might "happen" in front of media eyes.  Its probably a bit too alarmist, so she should probably just let it go and say something like "Oh, I heard about your event . I would have loved to have attended but only new about it after the fact. I'd like to about these sorts of things in advance. Thanks!"

She knew at the beginning of the semester that I wanted to promote the course and make the course well-known. I also told her the day before the event. In addition, the day before the event I told the coordinator that I wanted to invite students in the department to join the event. However, she ignored me. Then, before the event, she showed up with a staff asking him to stay to take photos and videos to post on the department's website.

[mahagonny]

The department head is not an academic.

Just trying to get some factual background here: would your department head agree with this statement?

Downer has it about right. The dept. head doesn't trust the OP. So, she's a bit alarmed that "something" not under her control might "happen" in front of media eyes. 

For example, a perception that the department head is not an academic?

[mahagonny]

Likewise I don't trust nor respect the current and the former heads given their behaviour.

A lot of the time (though probably not always) you don't have to like, trust or respect anyone in order to get them to sign on to let you do something for an educational purpose. You just have to act and speak in ways that show the respect that their station in life (and the system) normally accord them. Of course, if you can't stand to do that then you can't. I am a little surprised that a person with your amount of education doesn't or can't mentally compartmentalize.

[Hegemony]

I got similar publicity for one of my classes, and the head of department and dean both were thrilled.

I'd guess that things work differently in OP's department, a fact that I could not have guessed beforehand either.  I guess the only thing to do is to say, "I'm very sorry, I didn't realize that publicity was unwanted. I won't do it again."

[hamburger]

I got similar publicity for one of my classes, and the head of department and dean both were thrilled.

I'd guess that things work differently in OP's department, a fact that I could not have guessed beforehand either.  I guess the only thing to do is to say, "I'm very sorry, I didn't realize that publicity was unwanted. I won't do it again."

I am also confused... I think she wants publicity because before the event, she sent a coordinator and a staff to the venue. Coordinator then asked the staff to stay throughout the event to take photos and videos to post on the department's website.

Several colleagues have told me that the school respects people from the industry rather than people with a PhD. Having a publication means nothing to the school. Even some students posted on the internet that the school hired non-PhD to teach. A student cited somebody working in the basement at home and paid to open a company is already qualified to teach here.  I know people who has never been to grad school but has worked in the industry got the same hourly rate as I do. I am sure there are people who got even higher hourly rates than me and other PhD holders.

[Hegemony]

Well, we already know the place is unusual, so live and learn.

[hamburger]

Likewise I don't trust nor respect the current and the former heads given their behaviour.

A lot of the time (though probably not always) you don't have to like, trust or respect anyone in order to get them to sign on to let you do something for an educational purpose. You just have to act and speak in ways that show the respect that their station in life (and the system) normally accord them. Of course, if you can't stand to do that then you can't. I am a little surprised that a person with your amount of education doesn't or can't mentally compartmentalize.

I used to respect them but they have lost my respect.

[nescafe]

I got similar publicity for one of my classes, and the head of department and dean both were thrilled.

I'd guess that things work differently in OP's department, a fact that I could not have guessed beforehand either.  I guess the only thing to do is to say, "I'm very sorry, I didn't realize that publicity was unwanted. I won't do it again."

I don't know what the OP's discipline is, but I've seen it play out both ways in public History. To my mind, this is one of the core vulnerabilities of doing community-engaged teaching/learning. It's maddening when the rules seem to suddenly shift like this, after-the-fact.

FWIW when I was scolded similarly over publicity for a campus event like this, that same dept chair greeted my book contract with hostility. This is probably more about the personality politics of the chair, or maybe the campus politics they are subjected to at the higher levels.

[mahagonny]

Likewise I don't trust nor respect the current and the former heads given their behaviour.

A lot of the time (though probably not always) you don't have to like, trust or respect anyone in order to get them to sign on to let you do something for an educational purpose. You just have to act and speak in ways that show the respect that their station in life (and the system) normally accord them. Of course, if you can't stand to do that then you can't. I am a little surprised that a person with your amount of education doesn't or can't mentally compartmentalize.

I used to respect them but they have lost my respect.

Either you don't get my point or you don't think it's interesting. Consider this: many people work for people they have lost respect for, but want the money, so they accept the situation, smile, get the money and go home. But your relationship to this place is more complex, because you want it that way. You say you respected the chair until she started treating you weirdly. But now you say she's unqualified. So it really wouldn't matter how she acted, would it? You think it's wrong that when you were hired, they looked for, and found, you and your PhD, and said 'fine. Qualified' while someone else without PhD is chair. So I'm not at all sure when your disrespect for this person began. Of course, you resent the whole system, because it sorts people into the categories of 'legitimate person' and 'also-ran; the best we can afford right now.' You should, because it sucks.
Is there something fishy going on? If you think the chair is unqualified, perhaps others do, including people who can be a bigger pain-in-the-ass than you can. So she may have her guard up already, and anyone who gets some acclaim is a potential threat. But you don't appear to be trying to stay out of the fray as much as possible, which is what most part-timers would do. 

In other schools I taught and studied, all department heads were academics and have long publication records. Why this CC hired non-academic with a diploma or undergraduate degree to be department heads?

[onthefringe]

And if the school social media got content to promote about the school in general, then, that's a good thing. All publicity is good publicity.

Leaving aside the fact that if we take hamburger at their word their place of employment is full of unreasonable crazy people, this is simply not true.

Just a couple of examples of faculty who have gone through their university's media people to generate not-positive publicity for their department:

gyres at Case Western

chocolate milk and concussions at U of Maryland

Two of many reasons why my U wants all their publicity opportunities coordinated ...

[ciao_yall]

And if the school social media got content to promote about the school in general, then, that's a good thing. All publicity is good publicity.

Leaving aside the fact that if we take hamburger at their word their place of employment is full of unreasonable crazy people, this is simply not true.

Just a couple of examples of faculty who have gone through their university's media people to generate not-positive publicity for their department:

gyres at Case Western

chocolate milk and concussions at U of Maryland

Two of many reasons why my U wants all their publicity opportunities coordinated ...

It was the school's social media. It was probably students doing some of the work.

This wasn't a press event. The media were not called.

One simply cannot control every media mention.

[hamburger]

And if the school social media got content to promote about the school in general, then, that's a good thing. All publicity is good publicity.

Leaving aside the fact that if we take hamburger at their word their place of employment is full of unreasonable crazy people, this is simply not true.

Just a couple of examples of faculty who have gone through their university's media people to generate not-positive publicity for their department:

gyres at Case Western

chocolate milk and concussions at U of Maryland

Two of many reasons why my U wants all their publicity opportunities coordinated ...

It was the school's social media. It was probably students doing some of the work.

This wasn't a press event. The media were not called.

One simply cannot control every media mention.

Correct! It was only school's social media. I could have contacted news agencies outside school but I didn't.

[hamburger]

Likewise I don't trust nor respect the current and the former heads given their behaviour.

A lot of the time (though probably not always) you don't have to like, trust or respect anyone in order to get them to sign on to let you do something for an educational purpose. You just have to act and speak in ways that show the respect that their station in life (and the system) normally accord them. Of course, if you can't stand to do that then you can't. I am a little surprised that a person with your amount of education doesn't or can't mentally compartmentalize.

I used to respect them but they have lost my respect.

Either you don't get my point or you don't think it's interesting. Consider this: many people work for people they have lost respect for, but want the money, so they accept the situation, smile, get the money and go home. But your relationship to this place is more complex, because you want it that way. You say you respected the chair until she started treating you weirdly. But now you say she's unqualified. So it really wouldn't matter how she acted, would it? You think it's wrong that when you were hired, they looked for, and found, you and your PhD, and said 'fine. Qualified' while someone else without PhD is chair. So I'm not at all sure when your disrespect for this person began. Of course, you resent the whole system, because it sorts people into the categories of 'legitimate person' and 'also-ran; the best we can afford right now.' You should, because it sucks.
Is there something fishy going on? If you think the chair is unqualified, perhaps others do, including people who can be a bigger pain-in-the-ass than you can. So she may have her guard up already, and anyone who gets some acclaim is a potential threat. But you don't appear to be trying to stay out of the fray as much as possible, which is what most part-timers would do. 

In other schools I taught and studied, all department heads were academics and have long publication records. Why this CC hired non-academic with a diploma or undergraduate degree to be department heads?

I need to clarify that I have no issue with administrators from a completely different field and without a PhD to be a department head as long as they are fair, friendly and supportive to people with a PhD.  However, it is not the case here.

My department got a new Head this semester. Before that, we only had an interim Head. From what I heard from colleagues, the interim Head graduated from the same CC and prior to getting this position via personal connection, she was an ESL teacher. At the beginning, I kind of respected her imagining how hard it could be for an ESL teacher to be the head of a big department in STEM. However, over time, I applied for about 10 full time professor positions and she never invited me for an interview. Instead, she made up stupid excuse saying that a lot of documents were missing which people who have been here a long time agreed that it was bullish*t and unfair. A colleague also told me that even he did not meet the requirement for a job, he got an interview through personal connection with the head. He mentioned that the head contacted HR in advance not to filter him out. By the way, HR people are not academic. Some of them went to CC for 2-3 years only. Why they are qualified to filter out applicants like me who applied to be a full-time professor?

The new head was friendly at the beginning. I had no problem with her. Then, she showed her dark side by offering me the minimum hourly rate to develop a new course and then decided to pay me nothing. Now, she keeps questioning me about the event and the school's media involvement in an unfriendly way.

I would imagine that if the head were an academic with a PhD, that person would value people like me more.

[ciao_yall]

And if the school social media got content to promote about the school in general, then, that's a good thing. All publicity is good publicity.

Leaving aside the fact that if we take hamburger at their word their place of employment is full of unreasonable crazy people, this is simply not true.

Just a couple of examples of faculty who have gone through their university's media people to generate not-positive publicity for their department:

gyres at Case Western

chocolate milk and concussions at U of Maryland

Two of many reasons why my U wants all their publicity opportunities coordinated ...

It was the school's social media. It was probably students doing some of the work.

This wasn't a press event. The media were not called.

One simply cannot control every media mention.

Correct! It was only school's social media. I could have contacted news agencies outside school but I didn't.

The school's social media group's JOB is to run around campus and promote things that are happening!!!!!

I can't imagine an outside news media group being interested in your event, even if you had called them. Not that it isn't important to your students, just that unless someone dies or there is a big explosion, pretty hard to get any press.

[hamburger]

And if the school social media got content to promote about the school in general, then, that's a good thing. All publicity is good publicity.

Leaving aside the fact that if we take hamburger at their word their place of employment is full of unreasonable crazy people, this is simply not true.

Just a couple of examples of faculty who have gone through their university's media people to generate not-positive publicity for their department:

gyres at Case Western

chocolate milk and concussions at U of Maryland

Two of many reasons why my U wants all their publicity opportunities coordinated ...

It was the school's social media. It was probably students doing some of the work.

This wasn't a press event. The media were not called.

One simply cannot control every media mention.

Correct! It was only school's social media. I could have contacted news agencies outside school but I didn't.

The school's social media group's JOB is to run around campus and promote things that are happening!!!!!

I can't imagine an outside news media group being interested in your event, even if you had called them. Not that it isn't important to your students, just that unless someone dies or there is a big explosion, pretty hard to get any press.

At least in other universities I taught, having this kind of media attention is good and considered to be one of the factors in promotion. However, in this CC, it seems that things are different. A senior colleague told me that in universities, professors have lots of freedom to do things but not in this CC.