College dodge ball

America’s college professors are nervous. Administrators want to turn universities into trade schools. The “market” – whatever and wherever that is – demands we train better future workers. University presidents wonder how we can “monetize” the intellectual work faculty do. When professors do the research they’re trained to do, these administrators ask: “How much of that can we afford?” 

Balancing the day job with the morning job

Picture links to a brief photo essay in our university’s magazine about professors in their lairs.

Sometimes work keeps me from working. Working on the book, working on the blog, the life of the creative mind vs. the academic one. My university goes on spring break at the end of this week, making this one of those times. Papers and midterm exams need grading, applications for grants should be mostly done by now, and I have at least two letters of recommendation to write before the sun goes down this evening. It’s for good students, so they’ll be to write. But that’s more words that need to be put on a page when my brain’s a little rattled from all the writing and teaching I’ve been pulling out of it these last several weeks.