Teaching, Retiring, and a Blog

TEACHING, RETIRING, AND A BLOG

I’ve never understood the attraction of Facebook except as a vehicle for “nosey” people to see what’s up with other people’s lives.  I suppose, too, it also serves as a vehicle for individuals to brag about their accomplishments, where they’ve traveled, and whom they’re hanging out with.  Frankly, I like to keep my personal life exactly that…personal.  So, don’t expect to see a Bob Rude Facebook page any time soon.  I’m not opposed to it.  I just haven’t realized a need for it.  And, frankly, I don’t care how many “friends” I have.

I have started to think seriously about retiring, though.  After almost 40 years in the higher-education profession, I’ve learned a few things.  Some of them about the profession but most of them about my job and myself.  That’s when I started thinking about perhaps sharing some of those lessons with younger peers.  My new Dean has urged me to start a “blog.”  I’ve resisted the idea because I didn’t feel I had a focus or theme other than to write some drivel few would care about.  But if I could serve some useful function to younger faculty members…and maybe to those “not so young,” it might serve a purpose.  Of course, there’s always the danger of angering those readers who disagree with you.  But, being at the end of one’s career, there is certainly a reduced chance of retribution.  And, on the flip side, you may be able to provide some cogent advice that would help a junior faculty member.  So, the ideas, themes, topics, and whatever else you care to call them are percolating in my brain.  Some of the brainstormed ideas I’ve come up with are as follows:

Your First Year of Being a Professor…What to Expect

Unions…What Do You Get for $600.00 per Year?

Undergraduate Students

Graduate Students

The Accreditation Process…Why It’s Important

College Presidents

The College as a Business

Deans I’ve Seen

Department Chairs…After Being One

Department Meetings

Retirement Planning…How Can Bright People Be So Stupid?

Writing vs. Publishing

Community Service

Consulting

The Professorship…Me vs. My Students

Mentors

Dysfunctional Departments

The Five Most Important Things a Professor Needs to Know

Rate My Professor

Department Evaluations

Academic Freedom

How People Work the System

Building a Team

What’s In It For Me?

Integrity

Helping Students Navigate the Bureaucracy

It’s Not a Perfect World

The Ups and Downs You Should Expect Over Your Career

Why Faculty Members Leave

The Strength of a Forest Lies in Its Diversity

Planning for Retirement

Finding Happiness in a Low-Paying Job

Finding Balance in Your Life

Adapting to Change

When You’ve Seen the Same “Innovation” for the Third Time

Professional Organizations

Why Faculty Go to Conferences

Making the Transition from Graduate Student to a Newly-Minted Professor

I’m sure I could come up with a host of additional topics.  In my personal journals, I’m never at a loss of topics even after 20+ years of daily writing.  Most of those pieces are not for general consumption, however.  A wider audience could read the topics listed above.  I suppose the primary question is “Who cares a rat’s ass?”

January 19, 2012