Works for me. Either that, or we could go back to recruiting administrators from the teaching faculty (and expecting them to return to same). Even a fairly modest teaching experience requirement (let's say 10 years in the classroom -- full-time or an equivalent amount of work in part-time positions), plus a requirement that all administrators be qualified to teach at the introductory/core level in a recognized discipline (no teaching only grad classes in "higher education administration" and so replicating themselves), and do so regularly (at least once a year), would, I think, yield a rather different landscape.
When this article first came out, I made it a point to send it along to a few folks to jab at them a bit. The MOOA is funny, but a centralized administration would make sense (to get rid of bloated administrative staff).
Alas, that's just a fantasy since administrators know how to protect (and fund) their turf.
Favorite part: "Ginsberg . . . admits that widespread use of MOOAs could result in substantial unemployment among college bureaucrats. However, he noted that their skill sets make them qualified for work in such burgeoning industries as retail sales, hospitality, food services, event planning, and horticultural design."
When asked, my admins like to point out all the benefits of hiring adjuncts - they bring real world experience that (full time) faculty sometimes lack, they focus on teaching rather than research, they allow the university to be flexible with their hiring, blah blah blah. Next time this comes up, I'll have to ask why we don't hire some adjuncts for administration. I'm sure the financial aid office would work just as well with a bunch of part timers who get paid next to nothing and who have to leave early to get to their next job at the university across town.
I have an even more modest proposal: any admininicritter whose job description includes "evaluation of faculty" would have to teach one course per term: a gen-ed required course for freshmen or sophomores (large section) in their area of specialty. Their own performance review would be based on student evaluations and success rates for that course, as well as their scholarly production over a three-year period.
At the very least, this would give them a way to actually contribute to their institution's mission, at the moment sorely lacking.
Leslie, I'm curious about the post being full of malicious code. How did you/Fab/Cal discover that? What risk (if any) was there for people to click on it to reply here at CM, or to read the whole thing elsewhere?
The blogger loaded so many links to his/her own page, it kept corrupting the HTML code to our site. For a time, clicking ANYWHERE on the site would lead readers to the other site. It seemed a little over the top. The post is easily found. Sorry.
Yeah, when it first showed up in my RSS feed there was a pile of crazy embedded that didn't show up in the post itself-- I thought I'd fixed it by deleting one of the links but apparently not. Sorry about that. Odd site over there.
Yes, really spot-on. Too bad they'll never go for it.
ReplyDeleteWorks for me. Either that, or we could go back to recruiting administrators from the teaching faculty (and expecting them to return to same). Even a fairly modest teaching experience requirement (let's say 10 years in the classroom -- full-time or an equivalent amount of work in part-time positions), plus a requirement that all administrators be qualified to teach at the introductory/core level in a recognized discipline (no teaching only grad classes in "higher education administration" and so replicating themselves), and do so regularly (at least once a year), would, I think, yield a rather different landscape.
ReplyDeleteWhen this article first came out, I made it a point to send it along to a few folks to jab at them a bit. The MOOA is funny, but a centralized administration would make sense (to get rid of bloated administrative staff).
ReplyDeleteAlas, that's just a fantasy since administrators know how to protect (and fund) their turf.
Favorite part: "Ginsberg . . . admits that widespread use of MOOAs could result in substantial unemployment among college bureaucrats. However, he noted that their skill sets make them qualified for work in such burgeoning industries as retail sales, hospitality, food services, event planning, and horticultural design."
ReplyDeleteWhen asked, my admins like to point out all the benefits of hiring adjuncts - they bring real world experience that (full time) faculty sometimes lack, they focus on teaching rather than research, they allow the university to be flexible with their hiring, blah blah blah. Next time this comes up, I'll have to ask why we don't hire some adjuncts for administration. I'm sure the financial aid office would work just as well with a bunch of part timers who get paid next to nothing and who have to leave early to get to their next job at the university across town.
ReplyDeleteI have an even more modest proposal: any admininicritter whose job description includes "evaluation of faculty" would have to teach one course per term: a gen-ed required course for freshmen or sophomores (large section) in their area of specialty. Their own performance review would be based on student evaluations and success rates for that course, as well as their scholarly production over a three-year period.
ReplyDeleteAt the very least, this would give them a way to actually contribute to their institution's mission, at the moment sorely lacking.
In their area of specialty? I didn't know "being an insufferable pain the ass" was an introductory course.
DeleteLeslie, I'm curious about the post being full of malicious code. How did you/Fab/Cal discover that? What risk (if any) was there for people to click on it to reply here at CM, or to read the whole thing elsewhere?
ReplyDeleteThe blogger loaded so many links to his/her own page, it kept corrupting the HTML code to our site. For a time, clicking ANYWHERE on the site would lead readers to the other site. It seemed a little over the top. The post is easily found. Sorry.
DeleteThanks, that's a relief. I was worried that I'd downloaded something awful.
DeleteYeah, when it first showed up in my RSS feed there was a pile of crazy embedded that didn't show up in the post itself-- I thought I'd fixed it by deleting one of the links but apparently not. Sorry about that. Odd site over there.
ReplyDelete