By now some of you may have heard of our newest offering, the "Arts Sampler Series." The idea is simple--with so many arts and cultural events to choose from each academic year, the College of Arts and Letters has consulted with the arts programs to select some of the most accessible and popular offerings. We have packaged them conveniently in a low-cost ticket series. For the cost of a student ticket to each of these events, patrons can enjoy "Electra," (beginning this weekend) "Guys and Dolls," Dance Concerts, Jazz, Choral, and Winds Concerts and more. There is one scheduled event per month, and special receptions or lectures are planned for Arts Sampler Series subscribers. Contact the Southern Miss Ticket Office or the College of Arts & Letters for a brochure or further details.
September 2007 Archives
In Sunday's Hattiesburg American, the editorial encouraged readers to attend the various arts events that Hattiesburg, and the Arts at Southern Miss, offer each year. It read, "The abundance of these cultural experiences amazes us every year.....People in the arts community have been saying for many years there is some event you can enjoy every day in Hattiesburg."
We couldn't agree more. Read the full editorial here, and then, go enjoy the abundance!
In my six years in university administration, one word has consistently been at the forefront of my mind: workload. At a research university, faculty workload refers to a wide-ranging set of duties and responsibilities that extends far beyond the mere teaching of classes in formal settings. The job requires time for reading, for information or data-gathering, and for writing articles, research reports, or outcomes assessments. Faculty spend a great deal of time in mentoring activities of various sorts--formal and informal student advising, tutoring, working with graduate students, collaborating with colleagues, and providing various services to the larger discipline or even to the general public.
Understanding, evaluating, and balancing these myriad demands on faculty time is crucial to the longer-term health of our programs and to our effectiveness as creators and disseminators of knowledge. One of our primary goals at present is to create more realistic workload systems to help faculty balance teaching loads with other forms of student direction (such as dissertation direction) and their various research and service obligations.
Data shared by Associate Dean Moser with our faculty at yesterday's Fall Faculty meeting revealed a startling reality--we are serving more majors, offering fewer "service" hours to non-majors, with more faculty, and thus teaching heavier loads with smaller average course enrollments than we did in 2003. We must work to create reliable, predictable course rotations so that students can get the courses they need within a reasonable time frame, while simultaneously increasing (slightly) the number of students in each section and thus lowering overall faculty teaching loads. This, we believe, is the best way to improve efficiency and ensure adequate time for faculty to meet all of their obligations to the university.
Many positive changes are happening at our university. It's obvious to those of us who are here everyday that morale is improving and a new sense of hopefulness abounds. At the same time, there are many who have worked long and hard to achieve specific goals here and, like all large and complex organizations, Southern Miss still tends to be bureaucratic and is, thus, slow to change.
The famed social scientist Max Weber asserted that bureaucracy (or as some would term it, administration) is merely a means to an end. It provides the mechanism by which public organizations accomplish their objectives. Bureaucracy is not leadership; it is in a sense the antithesis of leadership, in that it tends to maintain the status quo. Which brings me to elephants.
A common metaphor for leading change in difficult circumstances is "eating an elephant." If we want to effect real change, we have to understand both the immense size and the toughness of what lies ahead. How does one accomplish such a monumental task?
One bite at a time.... Can somebody pass the salt?
I spent a few moments this morning remembering where I was (at our Gulf Park campus, in an administrative council meeting) when I first heard about the attacks of 9/11. It seems a good day to reflect on freedom and on the responsibilities that accrue to those of us who enjoy life in democratic society.
John Dewey wrote "What the argument for democracy implies is that the best way to produce initiative and constructive power is to exercise it. Power, as well as interest, comes by use and practice..." Words to consider as we remember.
The fall semester Attractions brochure is now available. The cover of this brochure, which is part of our annual "suite" of informational printed materials, is stunningly beautiful.
With over 50 events from which to choose between now and December, my calendar is getting very full! I love being able to attend so many different types of events--from individual faculty recitals, to large ensemble performances, to museum openings, to classical theater or dance recitals--there is truly something for everyone in our fall season.
If you have not attended one of these wonderful events lately, I encourage you to do so. Our faculty and student artists/performers are so talented and the quality of what we offer is unrivaled. Enjoy!
As much as I thoroughly enjoy my role as dean, it was great to take the day entirely "off" today and do some things that I normally do not have time to. I suppose that most of us who work in the academy tend to get caught up in the daily grind of decisions, actions, plans, and follow-up. It's true whether our work is reading, planning, and grading papers--or planning and attending meetings, preparing reports, and of course attending more meetings! It's always important to take some time to refresh and recharge. So now it's back to work!