On not doing administrative work (or, yes! We all must do local service).
After a recent post, where I emoted that I routinely decline admin work, I was reminded that language & lexicons are local - even in academe.
So, to clarify, & ensure that I'm not encouraging bad habits, I thought I would share what I mean by admin work.
When I refer to admin work, I'm referring to taking on a formal position such as program director, institute director, department chair, associate dean or dean.
While circumstance (& my mouth) forced me to take a turn as a PhD Program Director, I'm generally not interested in serving in those roles.
Having served as a Center Director & then Institute Director, what I learned, is that while I have a passion for developing people & research, I lack a passion for filling out paperwork or working with budgets. In fact, I'm not very good at filling out paperwork - it's a fate worse than death.
While serving as a Director, I found that academics completely misunderstand the type of training, resources, & discretion that people serving in academic administrative positions hold.
In my limited experience, administrators receive limited training, learn how to navigate bureaucratic processes on the job, & have limited discretionary resources. They lean heavily on professional staff to get their work done.
I am very good at developing people which doesn’t require being an admin.
Because I find it so very painful, I have a positive & healthy regard for people that serve in admin - even though I may not always agree with their choices - I absolutely appreciate their effort.
Academic administrators work in a very unusual & challenging world. They manage people who often can not be fired easily. They often want to do the right thing, but can't because of a rat's nest of rules, tradition, & lack of resources.
So what to do? If you are like me? & don't want to "administer" in academe?
First, respect the person serving in the role.
You may not like the outcomes. But respect the time & effort of the people in the role are investing in working on behalf of your community & organization.
Temper harsh thoughts with a reminder of service to you.
Second, do service.
You have an obligation to participate in academic life. While I don't administer, I serve on two college committees, coordinate a doc program, & participate in department service.
Academe only works if faculty participate in service.
Third, participate in governance.
Show up to Department & College meetings. Listen. Comment if you can be constructive. Ask questions if you don't understand.
Vote as needed.
Academe only works if faculty help govern the university.
Finally, we all need to do more than write papers.
Too often, I hear faculty say they only care about research.
The reality is service, governance, and outreach are every faculty member's responsibility - not just administrators!
We all need to contribute if we are going to build a better academe!
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