I think the distressing thing for me looking across higher education is that I do not hear a single administrative leader anywhere speaking to any of this in any recognizably human way--neither in a public-facing way or to their on-campus publics. Sure, sure, there are carefully crafted expressions of gratitude and sympathy roughly in tune with those signs outside hospitals about heroes working here and all that, but nothing that seems to recognize the wellsprings of exhaustion, weariness, alienation, cynicism; nothing that seems to recognize how we've come to this point.
I like most of the work of academic life. The teaching and research and publishing, even the committee work that’s for the discipline by the faculty. Sure some of all this is tedious, but what work isn’t? What’s draining is the endless imposition from on high. Forms, reports, assessments, assessments of the assessments, learning outcomes, rubrics, rankings, metrics, etc etc. and how that impacts the mental health of colleagues to the detriment of departmental collegiality. Most of this is driven by politics (state funding) or by plans to run as many students through as many programs as fast possible with as many “successful” outcomes as possible. Money and again politics (state legislatures). That’s what’s draining. Add in the perpetual pursuit of grants for the sciences, which reflects the same incentive structure. Money, metrics, rankings. This at least as much as actual need for funds.
If I didn’t have two kids to educate, student loans that should be forgiven but aren’t, and a vindictive ex who would love sole custody, I would take a few risks and choose to do something else. I am frayed beyond belief by the prospect of financial exigencies that have impeded my quality of life at my institution and threaten to grow worse; the transformation of my Amtrak commute into sheer hell by the cancellation of most trains — I don’t drive because my eyesight and anxiety impede this; and my terror at unmasked riders and students who might get me sick, or worse, lead me to pass on Covid to my former micropreemie and surviving twin who, at 15, has many pneumonias and hospitalizations behind them. They are vaccinated and doing better than anyone ever expected but I remain concerned because their lung tissue and immunity are compromised. I have 11 years left until I can feasibly retire but if something almost as good and less frightening presents itself before that, I will certainly consider a career shift sooner and I’m happy to try to make that happen—2 years ago I never would have uttered those words.
I think the distressing thing for me looking across higher education is that I do not hear a single administrative leader anywhere speaking to any of this in any recognizably human way--neither in a public-facing way or to their on-campus publics. Sure, sure, there are carefully crafted expressions of gratitude and sympathy roughly in tune with those signs outside hospitals about heroes working here and all that, but nothing that seems to recognize the wellsprings of exhaustion, weariness, alienation, cynicism; nothing that seems to recognize how we've come to this point.
I like most of the work of academic life. The teaching and research and publishing, even the committee work that’s for the discipline by the faculty. Sure some of all this is tedious, but what work isn’t? What’s draining is the endless imposition from on high. Forms, reports, assessments, assessments of the assessments, learning outcomes, rubrics, rankings, metrics, etc etc. and how that impacts the mental health of colleagues to the detriment of departmental collegiality. Most of this is driven by politics (state funding) or by plans to run as many students through as many programs as fast possible with as many “successful” outcomes as possible. Money and again politics (state legislatures). That’s what’s draining. Add in the perpetual pursuit of grants for the sciences, which reflects the same incentive structure. Money, metrics, rankings. This at least as much as actual need for funds.
If I didn’t have two kids to educate, student loans that should be forgiven but aren’t, and a vindictive ex who would love sole custody, I would take a few risks and choose to do something else. I am frayed beyond belief by the prospect of financial exigencies that have impeded my quality of life at my institution and threaten to grow worse; the transformation of my Amtrak commute into sheer hell by the cancellation of most trains — I don’t drive because my eyesight and anxiety impede this; and my terror at unmasked riders and students who might get me sick, or worse, lead me to pass on Covid to my former micropreemie and surviving twin who, at 15, has many pneumonias and hospitalizations behind them. They are vaccinated and doing better than anyone ever expected but I remain concerned because their lung tissue and immunity are compromised. I have 11 years left until I can feasibly retire but if something almost as good and less frightening presents itself before that, I will certainly consider a career shift sooner and I’m happy to try to make that happen—2 years ago I never would have uttered those words.
One could outsource committee work.