The Waiting Room

I got a text message from Former Boss at For-Profit College. He told me that he will be resigning in early February. I was not surprised, as he has not been happy with the way things are going. They have been steadily going downhill since the end of 2011. It really started going to hell after I left.

When I started at For-Profit College in 2009, it was a pretty nice place to work. Granted, there were still "issues" that anyone who has worked in a for-profit college has experienced. But, the climate and the people who worked at the campus were just an awesome group of folks, from the campus president, down to the admissions rep. You felt the vibe as soon as you walked in the door. People cared about their jobs and about helping the students. There was a mutual respect among faculty, staff and administration. It seemed that the right people were in the right place at the right time. They were all on the same page.

When the campus president left in 2011 (the consensus was that he was forced out), and the new Ass-Hat Campus President came in, the good vibe and respect began to slowly erode into mistrust and uber micro-management. There was definitely favoritism, especially for those of the male gender. After I left, I stayed in contact with a few folks, including former boss, who would tell me how bad things were and how that old vibe was non-existent. Now, almost everyone who worked there during my time are long gone. Only a couple of folks are still hanging on, but are actively looking. Recently, one of my besties, who also left, was a guest speaker for a class. She remarked how the place seemed dead. There was no life in the eyes of the students or the staff. It was if someone just needed to pull the plug and put people out of their misery.

All this makes me a little sad and feeling nostalgic. Sometimes, I catch myself longing for my time at For-Profit College. I miss that sense of community and the mutual respect and support. Since moving on to Tech College and now at HBCU, I have not experienced that same vibe.  I wonder if the stars will ever align like that again. I'm sure that it will in its own time.

But, it is an end of an era...and it was a good one while it lasted.