Doesn't everyone have two computers? My trusty go-everywhere-with-me laptop and my favorite iMac? It's hard to believe that when I started working at Pace, back in the "dark ages" I didn't have a computer-I had a terminal that allowed me to connect to the mainframe to read my mail, such as it was!
If anyone had explained to me that I'd have a laptop that went everywhere with me, a cell phone that fit in my pocket and that I had to be careful not to lose, and a PDA that would keep track of all of my phone numbers, passwords and to-do lists, I would have wondered what drugs that person was taking!
I can't remember the last time I held a piece of chalk!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
My Office in Pleasantville
I've been working on a project, part of which has me taking photos of my work place and home. This is what my bulletin board looks like-maybe I should clean some of that junk off!
On the other hand, what would I do with a clean bulletin board, or a clean desk for that matter!
On the other hand, what would I do with a clean bulletin board, or a clean desk for that matter!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Dissertations!
I've just come from the doctoral dissertation defense of a former Master's student of mine, Tom. Way to go, Tom! But why did you have to remind me that I had you as a student 15 years ago!
Dissertation defenses are nerve wracking events, I believe, for everyone. This was my fourth as a committee member (Doug and Bucky in the Lubin School of Business, and Joe and Darren in the Seidenberg School). The next one that I sit through I'll be the advisor (Nora) so perhaps it will be less nerve wracking. I'm reading Seth Godin's book The Big Dip (you can learn more about Seth Godin here: Seth Godin's blog. I realize now that writing and defending the dissertation is "the big dip" that separates the ADBs from the PhDs.
Dissertation defenses are nerve wracking events, I believe, for everyone. This was my fourth as a committee member (Doug and Bucky in the Lubin School of Business, and Joe and Darren in the Seidenberg School). The next one that I sit through I'll be the advisor (Nora) so perhaps it will be less nerve wracking. I'm reading Seth Godin's book The Big Dip (you can learn more about Seth Godin here: Seth Godin's blog. I realize now that writing and defending the dissertation is "the big dip" that separates the ADBs from the PhDs.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
End of one class, midterms in another
Ahh, the leisurely life of a college professor! Here it is, two days before tax day, and here's how far behind I have gotten: I haven't yet marked the midterms in one class, and I haven't yet marked the midterms in the second class that ended last week! How did this happen?
It's easy. Take an already full work load, throw in hours of meetings about whether or not one school should merge with another, add a few faculty council meetings on the same topic, season with deciding whether or not I should toss my non-existent hat into the proverbial ring, and before you know it you've added about 100 hours to a month of 45 to 50 hour work weeks.
The good news is that the program is just about done for the institute; the bad news is that I now have a ton of letters to send out.
Now I only have two dissertation committees to get through, one where the dissertation is basically done and just needs some editing (Tom, we've got to get rid of the typos!) and one where the dissertation needs some major restructuring. Once I finish marking all the papers (about 12 hours or so of work), finish reading Tom's dissertation (another 6 hours should take care of it), and post the grades for the doctoral course I can take a deep breath.
Somehow in the midst of all of this I managed to submit a proposal to POD and to volunteer to be a reviewer, and I also managed to apply for and be accepted to the Faculty Resource Network Summer class for Designing Effective On-line Learning Environments.
Oh and did I mention that I'm on Team Seidenberg for the Relay for Life event to raise money for cancer? Now let me see, did I really leave corporate life for the more reasonably paced halls of academia? What was I thinking! I NEVER worked Sundays when I was in corporate life, and this is the second Sunday I've gone in to have lunch with accepted students and their families and make a presentation on political web sites. And I get to do this for almost as much as I was making when I left corporate life (once you adjust it all for inflation-in 1983 I was making $50,000-I'd have to be making $108,200 today to be making what I was making then, according to the Federal Reserve Bank at http://woodrow.mpls.frb.fed.us/research/data/us/calc/and I'm not making that much, especially since I didn't get a raise last year, but then I've mentioned that already, haven't I?
It's easy. Take an already full work load, throw in hours of meetings about whether or not one school should merge with another, add a few faculty council meetings on the same topic, season with deciding whether or not I should toss my non-existent hat into the proverbial ring, and before you know it you've added about 100 hours to a month of 45 to 50 hour work weeks.
The good news is that the program is just about done for the institute; the bad news is that I now have a ton of letters to send out.
Now I only have two dissertation committees to get through, one where the dissertation is basically done and just needs some editing (Tom, we've got to get rid of the typos!) and one where the dissertation needs some major restructuring. Once I finish marking all the papers (about 12 hours or so of work), finish reading Tom's dissertation (another 6 hours should take care of it), and post the grades for the doctoral course I can take a deep breath.
Somehow in the midst of all of this I managed to submit a proposal to POD and to volunteer to be a reviewer, and I also managed to apply for and be accepted to the Faculty Resource Network Summer class for Designing Effective On-line Learning Environments.
Oh and did I mention that I'm on Team Seidenberg for the Relay for Life event to raise money for cancer? Now let me see, did I really leave corporate life for the more reasonably paced halls of academia? What was I thinking! I NEVER worked Sundays when I was in corporate life, and this is the second Sunday I've gone in to have lunch with accepted students and their families and make a presentation on political web sites. And I get to do this for almost as much as I was making when I left corporate life (once you adjust it all for inflation-in 1983 I was making $50,000-I'd have to be making $108,200 today to be making what I was making then, according to the Federal Reserve Bank at http://woodrow.mpls.frb.fed.us/research/data/us/calc/and I'm not making that much, especially since I didn't get a raise last year, but then I've mentioned that already, haven't I?
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