Assoc Prof of Higher Ed | Co-Director @ARRC_Research | Contributor @EdSurge @Chronicle | Writing and Speaking on How to Build a More Caring University
Dec 16, 2022 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Faculty and aspiring faculty, before you come on here and confidently share opinions about what staff do and what they need to do their jobs, please spend some time learning who staff are and what they do.
I hate to tell you that studying at a university and interacting a few staff probably won’t cut it. Give yourself time to learn a university workplace. Get involved on a campus committee. Talk to folks. If that seems like too much, I’ll recommend some reading.
Dec 15, 2022 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
Feels like a lot of simplification is going on in this article hechingerreport.org/a-battle-at-on…
There is a tendency to frame fairly normal--sometimes even healthy--conflict between administrators and faculty as "battles." It's okay for there to be disagreement! Both sides raise important points.
May 13, 2022 • 12 tweets • 2 min read
One thing I've shared in my talks this year is that the working conditions driving low morale and burnout pre-date the pandemic. A provost emailed me (a genuine, friendly message) asking about this because things didn't seem so bad to them before the pandemic. A short response.
Research shows that burnout is a result of unfair treatment at work, unmanageable or excessive job demands, poor communication and support, and lack of resources (in terms of time and money). People feel bad when they work in bad working conditions.
Jan 11, 2022 • 16 tweets • 4 min read
The ever brilliant thought partner @AKHicklin told me she and a colleague were talking about what the Great Resignation looks like for faculty. It's a good question, and here are a few of my responses.
Right off the top, there likely won't be a wave of resignations. I suspect there will be some, particularly in fields where there's always been some competition with the private sector. And likely some people in contingent positions who walk away.
Jan 11, 2022 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
I’m still trying to get a sense of things because I’ve been on campus very little, but it feels like my university’s whole vibe right now is sleepy. Just kind of going through the motions. A silent shrug. Maybe I’m projecting.
If there’s any kind of special accommodation for omicron, I haven’t really seen it. I don’t recall seeing a message from the chancellor one way or another, but he’s not much of a communicator, and it’s his last semester. A lot has been decentralized and left to unit heads.
Jan 10, 2022 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
I had a chance to read the press release about D'Youville College's planned four-day, 32-hour workweek. A few thoughts based on what I read. insidehighered.com/news/2022/01/1…
First, a couple of things I like. I applaud the experimentation. This isn't a new idea, even for higher ed, which often does adjusted summer schedules. But it's not widespread and shows a responsiveness to the toll of the pandemic.
Aug 17, 2021 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
Op-ed argues faculty shouldn’t develop their own measures to protect against covid and should trust administrators. Okay. insidehighered.com/views/2021/08/…
First, we know many administrators would like to do more but can’t because of state politics. So, that seems a pretty clear indication from administrators that they’re not doing everything they believe is required.
Apr 1, 2021 • 14 tweets • 3 min read
Crises--real and imagined--create fertile soil for management fads in higher education.
Because of the moment we're in and because so few people are familiar with Birnbaum's work on management fads, here's a little thread.
Management fads in higher ed proliferate when there are widespread claims of major, even calamitous, change.
Crisis narratives are, in fact, the first stage of Birnbaum's lifecycle of management fads.
Mar 30, 2021 • 12 tweets • 6 min read
One year ago today, I received an email from @Gadkaree expressing concern about growing equity gaps if we don't support regional colleges through covid. I agreed to build a team to study it.
The seeds of @ARRC_Research were planted. Here's a look back at an unforgettable year.
Now, when I asked @CeciliaOrphan, @Dr_AndrewK, and @AKHicklin to join me, they thought we were writing a policy brief, not building a multi-year research collaborative. I’m so glad they had the vision and tenacity to think big. This team has been everything in a tough year.
Feb 18, 2021 • 7 tweets • 3 min read
I’ve been interested in burnout and have written a little about it. I liked this piece and wanted to share some of the passages that stood out to me.
First, most people don’t realize burnout is actually caused by organizational problems. Like an unreasonable workload and not feeling like you have control over your time. Or feeling like you toil everyday with little recognition. Self-care won’t address these problems.
Feb 16, 2021 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Look forward to participating in this conversation and joining @AKHicklin to share early analysis of the relationship between state funding volatility and online program growth at public universities.
One of the interesting things I've learned in starting this project is that there have been very few studies looking at this relationship, despite many claims that state budget cuts are fueling online program creation.
Feb 15, 2021 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
I suppose at a more fundamental level, I continue to be interested in and perplexed by the structure of state higher ed governing systems. Why they took shape and why they persist. 1/2
There’s a lot more merger and system restructuring talk happening. So many of these conversations fail to account for state-level governance and policy. Fractured, hyper-competitive, overlapping systems and state abdication of funding responsibility. 2/2
Aug 31, 2020 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
Today, I’m thinking about the ways in which the large public research university is the higher education institution type most incompatible with Covid-19. Some of the things I’ll list aren’t exclusive to these institutions. They just happen to a different extent than elsewhere.
First, though are some are “public in name only,” most are still public enough that they are subject to state politics. Many have had to contend with governing boards, governors, and legislatures that expected or compelled them to bring students back.
Aug 30, 2020 • 14 tweets • 3 min read
I’ve heard from a few people now that I’ve been hard on college leaders. So, let me clarify and explain my thinking in one little thread.
First, I don’t blame college leaders for Covid-19. I don’t blame them for inept government, which has failed us as a country in countless ways. But do I blame college leaders for some things? Yes. Absolutely.
Jul 20, 2020 • 20 tweets • 7 min read
1. What we’re seeing right now from colleges in terms of their responses to COVID is unmistakably a product of privatization. And COVID will likely intensify privatization processes in higher ed. Let’s explore some of the connections.
Warning: long thread (1/20)
2. First, let me note that my understanding of privatization in higher ed draws on this multi-level framework I co-created w/ @SNBarringer and @HigherEdSoc. You can read all about the framework in this synthesis of privatization literature we wrote. link.springer.com/referenceworke… (2/20)
Jun 16, 2020 • 21 tweets • 4 min read
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about what colleges’ duty or responsibility is in a global pandemic that has killed over 116,000 people in the United States. 1/n
This is partly a question about why colleges say they exist and the people or communities they intend to serve. Both of which will influence re-opening plans for the fall. 2/n
Jun 10, 2020 • 20 tweets • 4 min read
Okay, so I've spent an hour reading through membership on these task forces. Probably around 40 institutions of various types. I was curious who was around the table, figuratively speaking. Of course, you can only glean so much from names & titles. But here are some observations.
First, a note on my methods. I read the lists and made some observations. The end.
So, no claims to be doing a systematic analysis over here. Time is scarce, people.
May 6, 2020 • 13 tweets • 3 min read
Covid-19 is, among many other things, a test of a college’s commitment to shared governance.
It is absolutely possible to continue shared governance while campuses are closed.
This doesn’t mean after-fact-updates; it means bringing the community into the decision process.
There will be times when decisions have to be made fast and leaders need the ability to act.
Their ability to act without confronting significant conflict is partly based on the trust they’ve built up and how they’ve approached decisions before the crisis.
Feb 7, 2020 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Just need a moment to say: I'm 100% done with academic conference registration fees. This system is broken.
I could present work at 2 conferences this spring. Both are over $500 for non-members. They obviously want me to renew my membership. For what benefits?
Oct 31, 2018 • 18 tweets • 3 min read
As someone who has attended, researched, and worked at Maryland, I keep wondering: how did we get here? I think it starts before Loh, when the university drastically elevated its aspirations. A brief timeline.
For me, the Maryland of today really started to take shape in 1998 when Dan Mote became president. At that time, Maryland was much more accessible, engaged in less research, and often didn't compare itself to major flagship universities. Mote changed all of that.
