Evolution of Faculty Attitudes

January-March of year Minus 1:  I have a job offer!  Hallelujah!

TT, Year 1 - Bright and shiny!  I have a job!  Oh, and look, the Dean is new, too!  I am totally on board with the new assessment program!  This idea will revolutionize teaching!

TT, Year 2 - Thank dog I have a job!  There's a President/Chancellor search?  Hmmmm.  There's this cool advising initiative!  I can't wait to get started!  Gathering all that great assessment data!  Takes a lot of time!  We went through institutional review?  What's that?  Hey, I get to be on a search committee!  Neato!

TT, Year 3 - HOLY CRAP, I have to publish more!  Teach better!  What's this advising change they've made?  What do you mean they changed the assessment program, and all the time I spent gathering that data was wasted?  And now you want me to do what?  Okay, I can totally do that!  We're searching for a new chair?  I wonder what that means for me?  What's a Provost, and why are we searching for a new one?

TT, Year 4 - Head down, write write write!  Must develop new classes!  What happened to that advising thing?  Why is it totally changed?  Learning the new advising system.  Gathering assessment data!  Hey, did you know we had this whole big department review thing to work on?  We found a new chair!

TT, Year 5 - OMG OMG OMG must write more!    Did I hear something about massive curricular reform?  You want me to do what for department review?

TT, Year 6 - Portfolio submitted!  Waiting on tenterhooks.  Um, when did we get a new Dean?  And what do you mean, we have to totally rework the assessment program?  There are a whole lot of meetings to go to about that massive curricular reform.  Sure, I can be on that search committee.  Hey, I guess our departmental review suggested that we change our three majors around totally.  Sure, I'll help with one of those.  I'd love to.  Really.

TT, Year 7 - Tenure!  I made it!  What do you mean, I need to do a lot more service now?  And I need to be on the President/Chancellor search committee?  Still more meetings about the massive curricular reform.  If we can just get everyone to agree on the new major revision for our department.  Sabbatical application DENIED!

TT, Year 8 - The new President/Chancellor hates our curricular reform ideas, so we have to start over.  How did I end up chairing this committee?   I have to learn all about new curricular reform stuff.  Damn, I hope someone good ends up on the Provost search committee.  Yay, we've revamped our major, and it goes live next year!  Sabbatical application APPROVED!

TT, Year 9 - Sabbatical!!!!  OMG, must write!  (Time to start gearing up for the institutional review!  Glad I'm out of that loop!)

TT, Year 10 - Institutional review!  Look, we're working on this curricular reform, and in a couple years, it's going live!  Assessment, assessment, who's got assessment?  Me?  Um...  crap.  What did you people do last year?  Hey, we got a new Dean!  Chairing a new faculty search committee.  We need two new people, but we get one hire... what to do?  Holy cow, how do I advise for the new major?

TT, Year 11 - We really have to get moving on the curricular revision, or we're not going to get accredited next time!  Ack!  There's a totally new advising system!  It doesn't work with the computer system, but the advising office says it will make life so much better for them.  And they want me to notify them every time a student misses class...  But the new system doesn't take into account our new (well, not so new now) major.  The President/Chancellor just resigned.  It's interim time!

TT, Year 12 - You want me to chair the department review committee?  And we simply have to do something about assessment within the department for the new major.  Oops, I was supposed to be all ready to go up for full, but my book isn't at a press yet, and I haven't had time to revise it fully, and those three articles just haven't come out.  Next time!  MUST write more!  President/Chancellor search time!  Should I go to those meetings?

TT, Year 13 - Portfolio submitted for promotion!  Oh, look, the new President/Chancellor has these new ideas about curricular reform and assessment.  And promises to raise lots of money.  Yes, I'll be on the Dean search committee.  No, I won't be department chair, not this time, anyway...  And the Provost just took a new job elsewhere?

TT, Year 14 - How long until I can retire and just teach part time, because I really do love that, still...