Here is a an assignment that I used in a class called the American Professoriate. It may give you some sense as to why I feel vacating my office is so symbolic. I would guess many retiring professors have similar experiences although I am sure many do not leave these institutional spaces with great nostalgia.
Office Assignment
On page 14, Mary Burgan writes, “One of the hardest challenges for retiring faculty is giving up their offices and labs.” She
goes on to describe the importance of the professor’s office space, how
personalized it is, and how even in its physical presence the faculty
office enriches the experience of the on campus student because it
contributes to that diversity and multiplicity of views that she finds
essential in higher education. Her book goes on to document
in detail the historic strengths of the American professoriate and the
current threats to its continued health.
Mary Burgan was the executive director of the American Association of University Professors for many years. Her book, Whatever Happened to the Professoriate, offers a professor's view. She has long been one of the leaders of this organization of professors. The AAUP is the single most important association that supports and defends the American professoriate. Most of the nation’s colleges and universities have chapters on their campuses. In
some places these chapters are highly active and influential; in others
they are shadow organizations that usually are only activated when
there is some significant conflict.
Please read the 1940 Statement of Principles of Academic Freedom and Tenure. Realize
that from Burgan’s perspective, it is these principles that are
threatened by the many changes occurring in higher education. And
realize we will end the course with a book by A. Kamenetz that seems to
welcome many of the threats to higher education as overdue. Realize
also that Burgan’s bias comes from her location in a Big Ten university
and that while she has visited and is familiar with thousands of other
campuses, her inclinations would be leave some professors (those in
proprietary institutions for example) on the margins.
The AAUP is now a bifurcated organization. It
has two faces: 1) the conference chapter that does not bargain; 2) the
collective bargaining chapter that does represent a campus faculty. All the growth in recent years can be found in those campuses with collective bargaining chapters. UNL has a moribund AAUP and it does not collectively bargain; UNO has a robust AAUP chapter and it does collectively bargain.
Given this, I am going to ask you to undertake an experiment. I want you to explore the appearance of faculty offices at an institution of your choice. Then,
using your smart phone or any phone that allows you to send digital
images to me and to post to the forum, I want you to take pictures of
the office of your choice (with of course the permission of the
occupant). Then share with your small group members. Decide which of your photos to share with the class. Post photos and your accompanying description in the Class Discussion Forum set up for this assignment.
We are then going to have a class vote on the best photo in each of the following categories. If you wish, we can send the winning professor a certificate of appreciation. This is all in fun:
The Categories
1) The Professor's Daily Worklife
2) The Professor and his/her passions
3) The Professor's humor
Please limit your group submissions to five photos in all. You decide what category your photos should be entered in. You should write a brief description and analysis of each photo and include this with your submission. Post your photos and descriptions to the Class Forum set up for this assignment.
If Burgan is correct, we should be able to find a significant diversity. I will post a few photos of my own to start the competition. In such a competition, the power will be in the details.
Sample Photo - Bryant's Office
I
would put this in the cluttered office category. This is the second day
of a new semester. Imagine, if you will ,how the clutter will grow over
the next few weeks. Below is another sample photo I would enter in the
same category.
Mary Burgan Assignment Details
On page 14, Mary Burgan writes, “One of the hardest challenges for retiring faculty is giving up their offices and labs.” She
goes on to describe the importance of the professor’s office space, how
personalized it is, and how even in its physical presence the faculty
office enriches the experience of the on campus student because it
contributes to that diversity and multiplicity of views that she finds
essential in higher education. Her book goes on to document
in detail the historic strengths of the American professoriate and the
current threats to its continued health.
Mary Burgan was the executive director of the American Association of University Professors for many years. Her book, Whatever Happened to the She has long been one of the leaders of this organization of professors. The AAUP is the single most important association that supports and defends the American professoriate. Most of the nation’s colleges and universities have chapters on their campuses. In
some places these chapters are highly active and influential; in others
they are shadow organizations that usually are only activated when
there is some significant conflict.
Please read the 1940 Statement of Principles of Academic Freedom and Tenure. Realize
that from Burgan’s perspective, it is these principles that are
threatened by the many changes occurring in higher education. And
realize we will end the course with a book by A. Kamenetz that seems to
welcome many of the threats to higher education as overdue. Realize
also that Burgan’s bias comes from her location in a Big Ten university
and that while she has visited and is familiar with thousands of other
campuses, her inclinations would be leave some professors (those in
proprietary institutions for example) on the margins.
The AAUP is now a bifurcated organization. It
has two faces: 1) the conference chapter that does not bargain; 2) the
collective bargaining chapter that does represent a campus faculty. All the growth in recent years can be found in those campuses with collective bargaining chapters. UNL has a moribund AAUP and it does not collectively bargain; UNO has a robust AAUP chapter and it does collectively bargain.
Given this, I am going to ask you to undertake an experiment. I want you to explore the appearance of faculty offices at an institution of your choice. Then,
using your smart phone or any phone that allows you to send digital
images to me and to post to the forum, I want you to take pictures of
the office of your choice (with of course the permission of the
occupant). Then share with your small group members. Decide which of your photos to share with the class. Post photos and your accompanying description in the Class Discussion Forum set up for this assignment.
We are then going to have a class vote on the best photo in each of the following categories. If you wish, we can send the winning professor a certificate of appreciation. This is all in fun:
The Categories
1) The Professor's Daily Worklife
2) The Professor and his/her passions
3) The Professor's humor
Please limit your group submissions to five photos in all. You decide what category your photos should be entered in. You should write a brief description and analysis of each photo and include this with your submission. Post your photos and descriptions to the Class Forum set up for this assignment. Points in Gradebook = 20. Due Nov. 20.
If Burgan is correct, we should be able to find a significant diversity. I will post a few photos of my own to start the competition. In such a competition, the power will be in the details.
Sample Photo - Bryant's Office
I
would put this in the clutter office category. This is the second day
of a new semester. Imagine if you will how the clutter will grow over
the next few weeks. Below is another sample photo I would enter in the
same category.
Here is a picture of a bookcase. What can one tell from the titles?
Here is a picture of a bookcase. What can one tell from the titles?
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