Dear Jay,
In general, I agree that teaching is a wonderful profession, although I think we were fortunate to go into the field at the best of times. For example, I remember submitting just a one page letter for my tenure application., rather than the multiple binders of information required today. Also, many of the PhDs graduating today will end up trapped as adjuncts for their entire career. I can certainly understand their unhappiness. Anyone who teaches today must accept the fact that at any given moment a student may be catching their behavior on video. I know, you shouldn't be doing anything you would be embarrassed at, but we have all done some things in class that we wouldn't want the entire world to see on video. Teachers always complain that students today are less responsive than they were in the past, but I seem to hear more complaints about this recently. I think it is clear that the world of teaching today is much different from what it was when you and I began our careers. Teching is not the only profession where this may be true. I encounter many professionals outside of higher education who feel that the current time is less favorable than it was in the not too distant past.
The question I am asking is why Associate Professors should appear to be less happy than Assistant Profs. The latter are under intense pressure to get grants, publish articles, and master the latest technologies so tht they can receive tenure. Hopefully, this pressure from above would be less for Assoc. Profs. When the survey results show the opposite of what is expected, it is natural to ask if there some change that is has occurred that is making Associate Profs less satisfied? Bill Proulx seems to be suggesting that all is well, so perhaps I (or the survey) is incorrect. I'm just curious about the academic world today.
Cordially,
Harry
Harry E. Pence
SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus
SUNY Oneonta
________________________________________
From: Teaching Breakfast List [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Fleisher, P. Jay
Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2012 8:33 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Associate Profesor's not happy
Bill, et al.,
There will always be room for improvement, regardless of your perspective. The Assoc Prof wants more time to be a professional. The Dean needs to get more productivity out of the faculty. The Provost wants to see stronger academics and more bang for his/her buck. and, the President wants to see happier alumni at no greater cost. It is, and will always been "academia". The truth of the matter is all faculty (save perhaps adjuncts) have the best job possible - we are paid to learn and convey effectively our best qualities to the next generation.
I enjoyed 40 years of struggling to improve from Assistant Professor at the start to DTP at the finish, but never once did I find serious reasons to complain. Maybe that's why I considered my job to be the best of all worlds and now treat my retirement like a "permanent sabbatical leave".
Content with academia, but always looking for improvement. I think deep down inside Harry P. would agree - its the best job in the world.
Jay
________________________________________
From: Teaching Breakfast List [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Proulx, Bill
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2012 8:01 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Associate Profesor's not happy
One can only conclude that Distinguished Professor Emeritus status must be heavenly! That explains Larry Guzy's behavior.
Could someone tell me what it means to be 0.16 less happy than a colleague? Knowing this would be helpful to me as an associate professor since I want to express my displeasure in a reasonably measured way. Does 0.16 less happy warrant a full frown or should I just tone down my smile a bit? Also, I saw two associate professors laughing the other day in front of the library. Shouldn't someone tell them how unhappy they are? Or maybe like me they were laughing at the COACH results, from Harvard no less!
Bill
Just another "Pig in a Python"
On Jun 4, 2012, at 5:11 PM, Pence, Harry wrote:
> Dear Jay,
> I understand your objection, but I think that it is less relevant when talking about Associate Professors. The situation for nontenured faculty at research universities is, indeed, much different from that at smaller colleges. Once having attained tenure, is the sitution that different at four year colleges vs. research universities? When a survey shows that Associate Professors are unhappy across a broad spectrum of institutions, I suspect it is something more fundamental. If you look at the data, there is a significant difference across almost every question.
>
> Perhaps one or more of the current Associate Professors on this list might chime in regarding some of the special frustrations that they face now that they are tenured?
>
> Harry
>
>
> Harry E. Pence
> SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus
> SUNY Oneonta
> ________________________________________
> From: Teaching Breakfast List [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Fleisher, P. Jay
> Sent: Monday, June 04, 2012 10:51 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Profesor's not happy
>
> Harry,
> Thanks for passing this along. As I see it there is a significant problem with the results. The author combined apples and oranges when analyzing data, which is what happens when data sources are not considered. To compare attitudes of faculty at large Ph.D.-granting institutions with small, private, liberal arts colleges is unreasonable. Example: As I recall a few years back, one of our Bio faculty interviewed for a position at Univ of Washington. He was told there were ten criterions upon which tenure is based - the first nine were research and publication, which was a far cry from Oneonta standards - then and now.
> Jay
>
> ________________________________________
> From: Teaching Breakfast List [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Pence, Harry
> Sent: Monday, June 04, 2012 8:35 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: An Associate Profesor's lot is not a happy one?
>
> Dear Friends,
> According to this survey, Associate Profs. are more dissatisfied than even Asst. Profs. Would this hold true on our campus?
>
> http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/06/04/associate-professors-less-satisfied-those-other-ranks-survey-finds
>
> Interesting topic for discussion,
>
> Harry
>
> P.S. In addition, as a public service to those who want to participate in the coming Bloomsday (June 17) but have neither the time nor the inclination to read Ulysses, here is a set of crib notes from the first part. Use these sentences to spice up your conversation with a Joycean flair.
>
> http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/university-diaries/only-bloomsday-sentences-you-will-ever-need-know
>
>
>
> Harry E. Pence
> SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus
> SUNY Oneonta
> ________________________________
> From: Teaching Breakfast List [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Greenberg, Jim
> Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 7:15 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Liberal Arts Majors
>
> Tbers,
>
> Not an exhaustive study by any means, but interesting all the same.
>
> http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/daily-brief/2012/05/14/survey-on-millennial-hiring-highlights-power-of-liberal-arts
>
> Enjoy your summer.
>
> Jim G.
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