Earlier this summer, I agreed to take on an administrative post. I will be the director of the XYZ Center. Hopefully it won't be too time-consuming. I get a graduate assistant and a course release (one course less per year).
I just saw the XYZ Center office. It is in a new building that I didn't even know existed. The building is nice and shiny new and has a very nice and expensive espresso machine (free espresso). Beautiful, absolutely beautiful, views on the upper floors. Our office is in the basement--no view at all.
It is a research building. Not only did I not know that this building existed. But I also did not realize how many faculty now had second offices there--with beautiful views!
Who really needs two offices? And who decides who gets these offices? It is very arbitrary, really. If you were asked to join a research group sometime before last year, you got a prime second office last year. There are only very few such research groups, and their themes are very specific. My research doesn't fit. Same with many faculty more prolific/successful than me.
The situation reeks. I wish I still didn't know about this building.
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ReplyDeleteOoooh administrative posts are the stuff of nightmares! My dissertation director just left my R1 university after taking on an administrative post - all this was, of course, after experiencing extreme racial discrimination, a tenure-related scare, and adopting a baby girl! In any case, seeing her struggles as an admin, professor, and advisor really makes me wish you didn't have to go through all that! I assume - and am hoping - that it's only for one semester?
ReplyDelete- Amanda Renee at http://academiquechic.com/