The Waiting Room

There are four people who have resigned at my campus. One is transferring to a sister campus, one is leaving for medical reasons, one has obligations to Uncle Sam and the last is leaving as a result of this post.Needless to say, there is some sadness and confusion as to where things go from here.

I was approached about filing one of those positions. I have thought about taking on this role in the past and it is something that fits with where I see myself going with my academic career. But, there are some factors that give me pause:

First, the current climate on campus is quite cloudy. There is a great amount of uncertainly and a whole lack of trust between faculty and administration.  I have, and will continue to be, a fierce advocate for the faculty. That may not sit well with some in administration.

Second, there is talk of combining the position with the department chair position. This is problematic on a couple of levels. First, the current use of the position works, so if it ain't broke...you get the idea. Second, asking one person to do the job of two people is just setting yourself up for failure. Once that person reaches the point of complete and total burnout, you are now faced with filling not one, but two vacant positions. It's just a bad strategy.

This leaves me in quite a quandary. I have the full support of one person who is directly involved with the process. Plus, I have a great working relationship with that person. But, I have a so-so relationship with the other and I don't have a very high opinion of that person. What I do know is that if it is decided that this hybrid position is the way in which the college plans to go, I will not pursue it. I can't allow myself to get sick because I worked myself stupid, especially knowing that would be the likely result if I, or anyone else, would take the position in that hybrid capacity. But, if the full position stands, would I be OK knowing that I have less than zero respect for one of the people involved?

Sure, I can fake it to make it. I am quite good at putting on the charm long enough to get me by. But, given the direction things are going, I don't know how long that can last. I've got a few CV's out there. One went to Prestigious Law School where I have made it past the first round. I also had a conversation with a contact with a well-known organization that may be looking for someone to do legal research and writing for appellate cases. (That would be totally awesome. No clients, just research and writing). But, there is nothing that is a sure thing, like an interview or anything.

So, for now, I am just going to follow my mantra of 2012 and let it be.

There will be an answer.