I'm very involved - deeply involved, pathologically involved - in campus politics. I'm the Senator from the philosophy and modern languages department; I'm the union rep for "temporary" faculty; I'm a member of the university Institutional Review Board for human subjects research, and I think I got volunteered to be vice-chair at the last meeting (which is a good gig for me - I can bring the IRB to a whole new level of vice). This week I've been going to meetings between the campus Labor Council and the finalist candidates for new campus president. The last of the three comes to town today.
The CFA chapter sent me to ask the faculty's questions in labor council, and I did my best. I wasn't terribly impressed by the first candidate, and the second scared the beejeezus out of me. One of the other union reps asked the same question to the first two candidates: whether and under what circumstances he would defy a directive from the CSU Chancellor's office. Neither answered very well. The first evaded the question; the second answered clearly, but contradictorily. We'll see what today brings, but I get a spooky feeling it's not going to matter which of the three we get. It's not going to be pretty next year.
Our current president has been around for 10 years. She's alright, certainly better than some other CSU campus presidents I've heard about. My impression is that she's aloof, often disconnected from what's going on around the campus, and doesn't spend a lot of energy or time on getting to know the rank and file of students or faculty. I've been the senator from philosophy for 5 years now, and I'm pretty sure she couldn't identify me as a faculty member. She's made a lot of decisions I thought were wrong, but I never have had the impression she's trying deliberately to antagonize or interfere with faculty doing their work.
I don't know what it's like in Corporate America, but isn't it pathetic and ridiculous that the gold standard for organizational leadership is someone who doesn't try to prevent you doing your job?
The CFA chapter sent me to ask the faculty's questions in labor council, and I did my best. I wasn't terribly impressed by the first candidate, and the second scared the beejeezus out of me. One of the other union reps asked the same question to the first two candidates: whether and under what circumstances he would defy a directive from the CSU Chancellor's office. Neither answered very well. The first evaded the question; the second answered clearly, but contradictorily. We'll see what today brings, but I get a spooky feeling it's not going to matter which of the three we get. It's not going to be pretty next year.
Our current president has been around for 10 years. She's alright, certainly better than some other CSU campus presidents I've heard about. My impression is that she's aloof, often disconnected from what's going on around the campus, and doesn't spend a lot of energy or time on getting to know the rank and file of students or faculty. I've been the senator from philosophy for 5 years now, and I'm pretty sure she couldn't identify me as a faculty member. She's made a lot of decisions I thought were wrong, but I never have had the impression she's trying deliberately to antagonize or interfere with faculty doing their work.
I don't know what it's like in Corporate America, but isn't it pathetic and ridiculous that the gold standard for organizational leadership is someone who doesn't try to prevent you doing your job?
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