Category: Reflections on academic life
Why I Research
In a recent LA Times Op-Ed Naomi Riley bemoaned academic research in the California State University system. The CSU, she argued, is a “teaching university;” why is the CSU faculty engaging in res... Read More
The Exploitation Will Continue Until Morale Improves
A new study by the Coalition on the Academic Workforce (CAW) reports on the exploitation of contingent (lecturer) faculty across the country. In the CSU system less than half of faculty are full-time,... Read More
Putt’s Law: It’s not just a bad idea, it’s The Law
How can an organization be so completely and utterly ineffective? Working in the CSU it is a question that I ask myself on a regular basis. I have worked at several universities that evidenced various... Read More
George Will is Right! Well, kind of…
In a sign of the coming apocalypse I agree with the general tenor of George Will’s column in The Washington Post today. Will’s general complaint is about the trend toward administrative bl... Read More
Affirmative Action for Conservative Academics
Every three or four years someone conducts a study aimed at arguing that college students are being indoctrinated by an overwhelmingly liberal and Democratic-leaning professoriate. Titled “A Cri... Read More
Do College Professors Work Hard Enough? Give me a break.
Here we go again. In Friday’s Washington Post Opinion section David Levy asks the question: Do college professors work hard enough?” My major complaint about his essay (and there is much t... Read More
Reflections on November 17th
I spent the better part of the day in Carson, CA. Faculty at CSU Dominguez Hills walked out in a one day strike. I was there to support their cause and their sacrifice; after all, those faculty will b... Read More
The Tragedy of the Chancellor’s Vision for the CSU
Outsourcing. It is ubiquitous in the private sector. Low skill jobs are shipped to low wage countries to increase the bottom line for corporations. Outsourcing is also common in the public sector. For... Read More
