An anatomy of absurdity

a.  I arrive at the office, and unload my MacBook Pro (well, technically the STATE's MacBook Pro), my iPad, and my iPhone, making sure to check the battery status of each device.

b.  I pull out the journal I am using (with its brand of paper that handles fountain pens okay), and choose one of innumerable pens to write with--usually sure to choose a color of ink that I did not use the day before.  Then I write my entry for the day.

c.  Meanwhile, I'm also opening two email programs and two browsers, arranging them across the two-monitor setup on my desk.

d.  I check Facebook, my RSS reader, my blogs, and I keep an ear out for text messages.

e.  I delete rafts of "sale event" messages from various online merchants, and campus email messages I do not need, and skim several dozen articles, dumping promising ones into Instapaper. I also double check electronic and paper calendars for the important events of the day.

f.  I drink loads of coffee while all this is going on.  Black.


g.  And then I try to concentrate.

The Inaugural use of the Perry Stare.

This is a picture Lileks is fond of using when he wants to comment on something rather . . . risible.  I would like to take the picture and use it (with attribution to Lileks, whose work I admire very much) on occasion when I too run across something rather . . . risible. 

This Perry Stare goes out to my pastor, a man whose heart is assuredly in the right place, who brings energy and honesty to our little(ish) church.  He is, however, a young man, and sometimes speaks as a young man.  Yesterday was one of those times.  When speaking about the second chapter of Genesis, and how it depicts God's perfect provision of a mate for Adam, he felt the need to address the unfortunate reality that marriage in real life may not always be as perfect as that of our forebears. 

He said that when people find themselves in unhappy marriages, it's because they didn't wait for God's perfect provision for them.  Or it's because they rushed into a relationship.  Or it's because they haven't trusted God enough, or done it His way, or whatever.  Essentially, he was asserting (not arguing) that marriage discord comes about because someone sinned or tripped up, and can be avoided if one properly seeks divine wisdom.  As "evidence," he read a little bit out of C. S. Lewis's Screwtape Letters. 

The Runner was helping out in the nursery at the time, so there was nobody I could scrawl an "UH OH" note to . . . but her reaction when I relayed the point was much as I had expected:

This kind of thing is what occupies a lot of her time as a therapist.  The above is spoken by a young man, very much as a young man, secure in what he believes and in his understanding of how the world works.  I hope he and his wife (and children) never experience the trials that befall even the most well-intentioned of people, but I have come to suspect that life has its own ways of robbing us of our illusions.  Either way, I also hope that a few more years of study (if he can discipline himself to do it) finds him singing a slightly different tune.

In which Piers gets his hands dirty

My bike suffered a full-fledged component failure on Thursday last week.  After 4,000+ miles (that's not as much as it sounds, trust me), it was probably about time that an entry-level bike with entry-level components gave up at least something.  So, I have ordered a replacement part.  I am waiting for it to arrive, and in the meantime am taking some time to disassemble parts of the bike for some well-overdue cleaning.  I've discovered that I can be really patient and careful with tools when I have a need to be, and I actually take a lot of pleasure in tinkering like this.  I would replace more items on the bike if it were not for the cost of actually PURCHASING said items. 

Unfortunately, the only other bike I have is a single speed made for work commuting and really casual riding, not the more serious "exercise" riding I do in the mornings.  So for at least a little while, I'm going to be sitting on my thumbs.  And resisting the urge to BUY MORE TOOLS so I can TAKE THE BIKE APART EVEN MORE.

I also tried to make the argument to The Runner that this shows how much I need a third bike (I have my eye on this one), but she was not convinced, alas.

A Crisis of Confidence, Vol. 5

There are many ways in which the academic landscape is changing, and stories like this will continue to come up in the coming few years.  The opponents of such moves (in this case, the shuttering of the University of Missouri Press) will express their "outrage" (outrage?) in the most moralistic and inflated language possible. 

I've read several articles on this particular closing, because it symbolizes one of the many changes that will happen--needs to happen--to the academy in the United States, especially that portion populated by public institutions.  The money is not there like it once was, and it is unlikely to return.  The publishing industry is changing as modes of publication change.  The notion that an academic monograph (published at a loss, bought almost entirely by libraries, and almost never read) must be the sole standard for tenure at a major institution is being scrutinized--and needs to be further scrutinized.  Given these trends, the expectation that things will not change (sometimes unpleasantly for those working in university settings) strikes me as odd.  The entire academic enterprise simply cannot continue as it has been. 

Things will look very different in ten years.  The question is whether or not our academic institutions--university presses among them--anticipate and adapt to what must inevitably come.

In which Piers knows he is super preoccupied

...because he can't even read.


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When young we think there will come one person who will savor and sustain us always; when we are older we know this is the dream of a child,
that all hearts finally are bruised and scarred, scored and torn, repaired by time and will, patched by force of character, yet fragile and rickety forevermore, no matter how ferocious the defense and how many bricks you bring to the wall. You can brick up your heart as stout and tight and hard and cold and impregnable as you possibly can and down it comes in an instant, felled by a woman's second glance, a child's apple breath, the shatter of glass in the road, the words I have something to tell you, a cat with a broken spine dragging itself into the forest to die, the brush of your mother's papery ancient hand in the thicket of your hair, the memory of your father's voice early in the morning echoing from the kitchen where he is making pancakes for his children.

-- The American Scholar: Joyas Volardores - Brian Doyle


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A Crisis of Confidence, Vol. 4

In larger, more research-oriented institutions, the pre-tenure period is one for putting together a serious volume of research that can be published as a scholarly monograph. Post-tenure, an assistant or associate professor is supposed to be putting together further volumes as he or she works up the academic ranks to a full professorship. Unless one then chooses to enter administration as a dean, the position of full professor is the career pinnacle.

I have earned tenure at my institution, but have had very few meaningful publications. Some of that is a natural outgrowth of my teaching load--four classes a semester, plus more during the summers.

Some of that is also due, however, to my own abilities and choices. I focus a lot of attention on my classes and students, and on serving my department and college, and on my family needs. I am also not the most focused or prolific of researchers (nor am I very creative in my approaches to the work). On the upside, I am not at all willing to send out just anything--I'm not going to put out any material with my name on it unless I think it is really worth something.

So, how do I progress in my career? I do not have to publish to receive tenure--that part has been done. If I want a promotion in another five to six years, however, I do need to produce. Likewise, should I feel the need to move to a different institution, I need to look better on paper than I do right now. I could opt for the administration track, but I doubt whether I'm cut it for that kind of work...at any rate, I don't want it right now. Can I avoid stagnating, though?

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A crisis of confidence, Vol. 3

When I arrived at this institution, times were flush and everyone was living (comparatively) high, thanks to all kinds of money in the state coffers.  Perks were doled out relatively liberally.  And of course, everyone acted as if the good times would last forever.  And then the state budget collapsed.

Tough times make for tough choices, and the state contributions to this institution have shrunk from year to year.  This has caused some of my colleagues to act angrily--especially after the 2010 election put the GOP in charge of the state legislature for the first time in roughly forever.  Seeing a plot to systemically gut higher ed, they have tended to refer to state legislators as slope-browed homunculi incapable of seeing what is self-evidently true:  what we do here is super duper important and should be funded to the hilt.

As a result, I have heard many assertions about the value of higher education to the taxpayers of this state, but few arguments.  I recall a special faculty senate subcommittee that was formed a couple of years ago to do the typical things:  convene a conference, gather stories of people with hardship, demonstrate at the state capitol, etc.  And, as is usual for ad-hoc groups of this nature, the effort collapsed within a year because its goals were neither clear nor actually possible.  That was okay by me, because I saw in the confrontational approach a fatal strategic flaw.

Things have not gotten better.  In fact, the challenges are greater now than they were before, especially for an institution such as this one, which has no particular prestige attached to it and is not likely to generate a significant endowment to help manage its own affairs.  If this place is to be successful over the medium to long term, those of us who work here are going to have to be able to articulate--in non-condescending ways--arguments for why the work we do here is valuable.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind, in response to the current situation (I should probably revisit these in later installments):

a.  The "jobs" angle has been overplayed and overpromised, especially in fields like the humanities and fine arts, and even the hard sciences.  Quit pitching an education in the liberal arts & sciences as a sure pathway to employment--this just isn't true anymore, and these kinds of claims end up looking more like broken promises.

b.  The money isn't there like it used to be, and university faculty members should remember that there are plenty of constituencies fighting for the remainders.  We are not entitled to any of it, especially if we do not want the oversight that comes with using someone else's money.

c.  The advances in computer technology and connectivity are in fact going to change the way we do our work.  We need to be prepared for a pretty significant shakeout and embrace rather than fight the outcome.

Midweek update

Had my first flat of the season today. Knew something was up when the ride felt squishy.

Swim lessons for the boys. This makes them most tired, which is good because they go to sleep more quickly.

This is the kind of weather in which one thinks it would be nice to have a pool. Until one remembers just how much work it takes to maintain one. I mean, the yard and tiny garden is apparently more than we can handle as it is.

Reading lots of interesting stuff these days--more than I can keep up with, honestly. Also read a couple of things that were supposed to be sophisticated and intelligent...but were instead tedious and dull. Alas.

Visited the life insurance guy today. Time to put a substantial policy in place. I wish I could have answered his questions about future plans and income, etc., with less pessimism in my heart.

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Adventures in Parenting, Vol. 36

Every year since he was three, Number One Son has had swim lessons with the UTM Children's Center in mid-July.  Every year, he has fretted and fussed about it until the lessons actually started, and then he was all about showing off how good a swimmer he is.  So it was without much surprise that I found myself explaining to him yesterday morning that yes, he was going to have to go and participate, and no, he wasn't going to be able to just skip one day, and yes, we would see if mommy could take him into his room beforehand.  We did manage to get The Runner to take the children to their rooms at the Children's Center. 

However, Number One Son didn't get in the pool yesterday, because he fibbed his way out of doing it.  Overcome with anxiety over the upcoming lessons, he took advantage of some confusion and told the teacher that he had not been signed up to go (this in spite of the fact that he was wearing sandals and swim trunks at the time).  When the little deception was discovered, he got stern talkings-to from teacher, The Runner, and me.  He didn't like it, but I hope he remembers how uncomfortable it was when the next time arrives that he is tempted to be sneaky.

A crisis of confidence Vol. 2

What's wrong with "accreditation."

SACS Accreditation is right around the corner, and as in the article above, the emphasis here on campus has been overwhelmingly on getting the paperwork right and on having all the furniture dusted before the satraps and other functionaries arrive.

Having the furniture dusted is nice, and accreditation is important for all sorts of reasons. I just wonder if the questions being asked are the necessary ones --given the way higher ed is heading. I don't really think they are.

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Just a little rain

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A crisis of confidence vol. 1

I'm in a profession that is facing a real crisis of legitimacy.  Most reports involving student learning indicate that despite the millions of dollars poured into higher ed, outcomes have remained static or worse.  Meanwhile, one only has to look around to see a distressing level of silliness in many of the things going on (especially in the colleges of humanities & fine arts and of education) even while tuitions and fees continue to rise and colleagues complain that the state is paying a smaller & smaller percentage of the institution's expenses.

It's not just here, of course; in some ways, we are insulated from the worst features of academe simply because there's comparatively so little at stake at a small regional campus like this one.

 From one of many many articles on this topic:

The higher-education bubble has been inflating for decades, and it’s ready to burst, or at least deflate. That’s because many Americans are realizing that the huge cost of college is often a waste. Whereas college degrees used to be regarded as sure-fire investments, the labor market has become glutted with people who have been to college but can’t find “good” jobs.

Did you know that 22 percent of customer-sales representatives and 16 percent of bartenders have bachelor’s degrees?

Furthermore, at many schools, academic standards have fallen to the point where students can coast through without learning anything worthwhile. As University of Tennessee law professor Glenn Harlan Reynolds recently wrote, “The higher education bubble isn’t bursting because of a shortage of money. It is bursting because of a shortage of value.”

As a result, many students and parents are looking for less expensive, more effective alternatives to the traditional degree. They’re finding plenty of new options with online courses and independent certification of competencies, such as ACT’s National Career Readiness Certificates.
This educational revolution will transform higher education for the better as people shop for good value for their education dollars rather than robotically enrolling in a college, taking its courses and paying its bills.

During the bubble, colleges could get away with offering lots of courses that met a standard that former Indiana University English professor Murray Sperber characterizes as “the faculty/student nonaggression pact.” That is, the professor didn’t demand much of the students and gave high grades; in return, the students didn’t expect much from the professor, who wanted time for academic research projects.

The students were happy: Who complains about courses with high grades but little work? The professors were happy, and the administrators were happy because students getting good grades typically don’t gripe or, more important, drop out.

But courses in which students just go through the motions without learning anything are a waste of time and money.

The good news is that in the new higher-education world, courses like that will be jettisoned. Like dieters giving up doughnuts in favor of more nutritious, low-calorie foods, college consumers will look for affordable courses that lead to demonstrable educational gains.

The housecleaning in higher education also will sweep out lots of courses that exist only because professors like to teach them. Such courses typically focus on narrow, trendy or highly political subjects that interest the professor. For example, students at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, can take “The Psychology of Clothes: Motivations for Dressing Up and Dressing Down.” In the new era of value consciousness, such boutique courses will be culled out.

Not only will boutique courses go, but professors will be required to do more of something many dislike and avoid as much as possible: Work with students.

(link)

I will admit that I resent being tarred with the same brush as some of my more unscrupulous colleagues at much much larger institutions.  But then again, they have a greater responsibility given the prominence of their appointments . . . and they have in many ways failed the rest of us (my mentors, thankfully, do NOT fall into this category) by giving our profession such a wretched reputation. 

I have much more to say on this matter, so it will probably come back up--as it is I'm already well past my usual brevity.

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True freedom means the freedom...

...to fall on your face, or stumble, or worse. And there is no way to avoid that risk unless, like so many, you would prefer to not carry the burden of meaningful choice.

This is one of the many things it is my duty to teach my students and my children.

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A partial list of pivotal moments

for their last assignment, my governor's school students had to write about their experience in school, which led me to think about school moments that were important to me. Here are the first three that came to mind:

1. That time in the fourth grade when I passed my first addition time test (after many practice rounds courtesy of Mom).
2. Having to rewrite (for no credit) my John Paul Jones report for my 5th grade teacher Miss Kaiser.
3. The time I got in trouble for laughing when a fellow 7th grader, reading out loud from the book of Acts, mispronounced "Annas" as "anus."
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