January 3, 2011

Dean search!

Come on all you brilliant, underutilized lawprofs. You know you want to step up to the new level of bliss that is life among the lefties of Madison, Wisconsin.

93 comments:

former law student said...

Each and every commitment of taxpayer funds must be justified. Why have a Dean at all -- is it just because you've always had one?

Faced with harsh economic reality, it's time to think outside the box.

Scott M said...

Maybe they can headhunt amongst the lefties in Austin, TX.

Joe said...

(The Crypto Jew)


What’s the pay? Is it greater than $245,000 and if it is will my pension be calculated on my ACTUAL pay or an artificial cap? When can I sue to increase my pay, perks, and pension?

Will those who submit résumés be invited to Meadehouse for pizza? If so, count me in…

MadisonMan said...

I agree with fls -- and I think it would be an interesting experiment to run the Law School not with a Dean at its head, but more a collective of Senior Faculty. Take the three Professors with the most Seniority and therefore the greatest Institutional Memory, and let them run the place. See what happens.

What's the worst thing that could happen?

Ann Althouse said...

"Why have a Dean at all -- is it just because you've always had one?"

From the job announcement: "The dean serves as the chief academic and executive officer of the school with responsibility for faculty and staff development, personnel oversight, fund raising, budget planning and management, curriculum, and student academic affairs. The school, with a budget of $26 million, is comprised of approximately 40 tenured and tenure track faculty, 30 clinical professors, 30 professional academic staff, 40 civil service staff, and 800 Juris Doctor, 60 master’s and 5 Doctor of Juridical Science students."

You don't think there should be a chief executive at the top of an operation like that? You want -- what? -- some faculty committee? You think the money would be better spent not paying that salary and divvying up the work among a bunch of self-interested law professors?

Joe said...

(The Crypto Jew)
What's the worst thing that could happen?

You can SERIOUSLY ask this question? OMG, for one thing by the time they got done kvetching about the extra work and bother, they’d see their salaries INCREASE, collectively, beyond that of a Dean, and then PROFESSORS, running the Department!!??? And not ONE, but THREE Professors…oh yes that’s going to work…You are a professor, right? Alternatively, you have never actually watched professors “manage” things have you?

Seriously, how about this? You run a lottery and pull a name form a hat, the names being provided by a ‘phone directory. Sure the candidate might suck, but you won’t have to pay 200-K plus for the privilege of seeing a failed manager…and heck you might get lucky and get a McDonald’s Shift-Manager who’d do well, for about 1/8th the cost!

Scott M said...

I was going to say Ann beat me to it regarding using a committee vs an executive leader. My initial reaction is that some choices simply aren't made well by committee.

To Ann's point, though, how is having a single, self-interested executive better than three self-interested faculty members?

Do senior faculty that would get tasked for something like this expect more salary for the additional duties or could it be deemed as "duties as necessary"? I'm betting the first is true.

To FLS' point, though, I'd say we've long since reached the point as a nation were we can be blase about spending. It's just starting to sink into DC and California is about to get a heaping dose of reality. The country's constituent parts need to start acting like grown-ups too...grown ups that live within their means, that is.

Chase said...

You are not applying for the position, Professor?

Unknown said...

Agree with Chase. This is your chance to build an empire. You could be Catherine (in your case, Ann) the Great with Meade as your Orlov/Potemkin.

former law student said...

Let's review the list of job functions and see if a dean is really necessary:

"The dean serves as the chief academic and executive officer of the school with responsibility for faculty and staff development,

Faculty and staff should be responsible for their own development -- anyone who can't should be thrown out. Next?

personnel oversight,


Again, if faculty and staff need constant supervision to do their jobs, they should be replaced. Next?

fund raising,

I see this is necessary to reduce the burden on Wisconsin's citizenry, but I'd say this can easily be contracted out. Hire a fundraiser with credentials acceptable to the legal community and the alumni, and offer him 10% of the proceeds in lieu of salary.

budget planning and management,

Outsource to a budget planning and management firm.

curriculum,

Faculty committee.

and student academic affairs.

This could be taken care of by a Dean of Student Academic Affairs who would be paid a much lower salary.

knox said...

a bunch of self-interested law professors...

??

I thought lefties were NEVER self-interested.

Triangle Man said...

@FLS

Dollars to donuts there are already Associate and Assistant Deans that take care of each of those specific areas...except probably fund raising.

MadisonMan said...

Dollars to donuts there are already Associate and Assistant Deans that take care of each of those specific areas...except probably fund raising.

Fund-raising is done through the UW Foundation, which is a private corporation with a semi-ugly building and a new very capable leader. The Foundation has one or two people specifically dealing with the Law School, I think. Donors probably want to meet the Dean, but I think they could just as easily meet a seasoned professor. It's all about cultivation of donors.

Scott M said...

So, only law schools sponge off the state? Are you advocating an end to the entire state university system?

MadisonMan said...

P.S.: Per the UW Law School webpage, there are 9 asst and assoc deans cluttering up the place.

I wonder if the Deans also teach. I hope so. When my Dad was a Dean, he still taught intro courses. He taught while a Department Head as well. Similarly, his Dad, who was also a Dean, still taught in the classroom, but that was back in the '40s.

Scott M said...

She's entitled to whatever she was able to negotiate. If you want to makes rules going forward, so be it. You still haven't answered the question.

Trooper York said...

May I suggest Dean Martin!

Trooper York said...

Maximum Twine said...
There are many private universities. In fact almost all of the top tier law schools are private. It is second rate law schools like Wisconsin that exist only to be factory mills producing ambulance chasers that are ruining our economy and society.

That is not true and unfair to the professor and the University of Wisconsin.

Every law school produces ambulance chasers that are ruining our economy and society. Especially the elite ones. Shut them all down and make them apprentice like honest Abe Lincoln had to do.

The only thing worse than a journalist is a lawyer.

MadisonMan said...

Troop, I thought you were gonna link to this.

former law student said...

Not mentioned is the Dean's serving as the public face of the law school. I nominate Ann Althouse for this largely ceremonial role, because through her blog she has tirelessly and without remuneration made Internauts aware of the UW Law School.

Scott M said...

Internauts

Nice. I thought I'd heard most of 'em.

Hagar said...

I do not know about deans, but I think national searches for the "most qualified candidate" for university president or school system superintendent are conducted in order to make sure that whoever is selected comes to town with no knowledge of the territory and without any relatives or friends who might be obliged to support him if he should try to become uppity once he gets his feet under him.

Palladian said...

"Maximum Twine" used to post Moby comments under the name "Tidy Righty". I suspect it's the same poltergeist whose comments always involve personal insults to Althouse; it has dozens of names but the "voice" is always the same. Judging from the viciousness and the fact that it has also posted "Moby" faux-right-wing comments, I think it's the "LE Lee" entity, but who knows for sure?

Palladian said...

"It is second rate law schools like Wisconsin that exist only to be factory mills producing ambulance chasers that are ruining our economy and society."

Sounds like someone flunked out of UW-Madison!

Joe said...

(The Crypto Jew)
I do not know about deans, but I think national searches for the "most qualified candidate" for university president or school system superintendent are conducted in order to make sure that whoever is selected comes to town with no knowledge of the territory and without any relatives or friends who might be obliged to support him if he should try to become uppity once he gets his feet under him.

They help the candidate, too…let’s say you had an unfortunate “miscommunication” with a fellow staff member/faculty member/co-ed that involved Tequila, a banana peel and accidental coitus…the national search allows you to move onto fresher and greener vistas without having to answer to the Disciplinary Committee. Mayhap at UW-Madison the coeds won’t complain about the banana peels on the office floor so much, or the Tequila…

Palladian said...

BTW, "Maximum Twine" used to post "Moby"-type faux-right-wing comments under the name "Tidy Righty".

Anonymous said...

Agree with Chase. This is your chance to build an empire. You could be Catherine (in your case, Ann) the Great with Meade as your Orlov/Potemkin.

OK. Who gets to play the horse. Mr. Ed?

Fred4Pres said...

Be bold. Recruit someone like Rick Santorum. Just for the fun of it!

Ann Althouse said...

I'm deleting the troll.

If you replied to him, you're going down too.

Sorry.

Ann Althouse said...

I have no interest in being a dean and never had. I am not interested in being responsible for everyone's problems and being the node of distribution of a huge pile of money. That would really annoy me. Plus, there is no way a school would want someone as annoying as me in charge of things.

George said...

Think outside the box--ask Mike Grebe, former managing partner at Foley & Lardner and connected with the state GOP, to take the job.

Wince said...

I'm deleting the troll.

Dean Althouse: This year is going to be different. This year we are going to grab the bull by the BALLS and kick those punks off campus!

Chase said...

as annoying as me in charge of things.

????

Exactly how annoying do you believe the Administration currently conceives you to be?


WV:wrionsin

Seriously.

Chase said...

and thank you for deleting the troll(s). We know it takes time, but what a waste of human potential Maximum Twine, et al are,

Roger J. said...

a self perpetuating oligarchy of scum suckers lacking the remotest ability to make it in the real world--what a bunch of fucking clowns--and the sad truth is--they believe this shit and believe themselves to be philosopher kings.

Anonymous said...

Let me point out the obvious.

Considering the fervor for diversity at corporate law firms, Althouse could be making a lot more money in the private sector.

Public employee salaries are certainly a problem. They're out of whack with the private sector, particularly when it comes to benefits and retirement.

But, I think it's just impolite to point at a single public employee as the cause of the problem. Attacking a single public employee ain't gonna do nothing.

Make public employee unions illegal. Again. Like they used to be.

The problem here is that public employee unions are bribing (uh, make that giving campaign contributions to) political candidates. The payback from those candidates is increased pay and benefits.

Don't see that you're mounting a sensible or coherent attack on the problem by attacking Althouse.

Roger J. said...

Professor--with regard to your comment at 10:44 my response: shoot most of the faculty (draw lots) and replace the dean with a personnel maggot who can recruit adjunct faculty who can be exploited like they are thruout the rest of academe--A dean is a carbuncle on the ass of acadmeme--and a dean has very little power over tenured faculty. they are fund raisers and front men (persons)--nothing more -- not needed

Fred4Pres said...

EDH, I thought of Dean Wormer too.

That is not to suggest Meade is going to play the role of Mrs. Wormer.

Roger J. said...

Max Twine--thanks for your concern but I will take my chances--will be interesting to see if they hire from within (I am betting no) or go outside. As Henry Kissinger (I think--and paraphrasing badly) once said, the battles in acadme are so fierce because the stakes are so small.

Anonymous said...

So, for all of you out there bitching about Althouse's salary consider this:

From her point of view, she's sacrificing salary for a more sensible life, being at home every night and a lot less pressure.

I know it's hard to get your brain around this, but I believe she probably looks at it this way.

Roger J. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chase said...

Maximum Twine -

Let's make it fair for all of us to judge whether or not Ann's salary is appropriate:

Tell us your profession and salary.

Put up or shut up. Then we can judge fairly, which really is what your comment was about anyway.

Roger J. said...

Riffing on Mad Man's and FLS's comments re why a dean is necessary: the Memphis Symphony as launched a fascinating program called Opus One where the players create the program and there is no conductor; the players show up, and play the program--and it works and has been wildly successful--we are stuck on hierarchy it seems. Of course a symphony takes discipline, something professors lack.

Unknown said...

You do need a chief executive. In higher ed, you are essentially an enterprise that reorganizes each semester--number of students, money in/money out, program changes, space allocations--and also has to plan long range. Plus, you have to comply with numerous government mandates and reporting requirements or face the prospect of funding cut off.

Bruce Hayden said...

replace the dean with a personnel maggot who can recruit adjunct faculty who can be exploited like they are thruout the rest of academe.

There are plenty of adjunct professors in law schools, and they are the key to making money in a private law school. But Wisconsin is a public law school, and thus the goal is not to make money but rather to make the faculty happy.

There are a lot of problems with adjunct law professors. First, and foremost, they don't have a vote in anything, and don't care either. They mostly have real jobs and are doing this to burnish their credentials and, I think, mostly because they like doing it. I know guys who do this for maybe the equivalent of 3 or 4 of their billable hours as a lawyer for teaching one class for a semester.

The top tier law schools mostly do not use adjuncts, and so the ABA puts significant limits on how many a law school can utilize. Yes, the same ABA whose members primarily come from schools that don't use adjuncts.

Me? I loved my adjunct profs. A crim law prof who had prosecuted and defended a number of capital cases. A crim pro prof who was a sitting district court judge. A civil pro prof who had litigated for 30 years. That sort of thing.

Another great thing about adjuncts is that you can fire them. Or, just not rehire them. Being a tenured law prof is a great job, and there are a lot of them who just don't want to retire. This is compounded by the baby boomers clogging the top of the tenure track at many schools.

Roger J. said...

Bruce Hayden: good comments about adjuncts--it is, however, your last paragraph that evicerates the tenure system (in law schools, but more widely in all schools). Academe is inherently corrupt, and epitomizes all the problems with public sector unions and "professionals."

Triangle Man said...

@Maximum Twine

If you are not a troll, then what exactly is your beef? You have something personal against Althouse? You have made a comprehensive study of law prof salaries and found her to be grossly overpaid?

As any professor, Althouse does some mix of teaching, service, and research/scholarship/outreach in exchange for her salary. Her salary is what it is because that's what the market provides. It is probably below the salary of other law profs of similar vintage at other schools because UW - Madison pays their senior faculty considerably less than other similar schools.

Scott M said...

of similar vintage

...lol, you're in trouble now...

Anonymous said...

This jealousy over income disparity is a lethal thing, guys.

Here in Woodstock, where we have many "voluntarily poor" left wingers, you have to avoid parties where you might meet the starving do-gooders.

If you make more than $50k, and they know about it, they'll start bitching at you as if you should give some of your money to them.

So, beware! There's somebody out there who makes less money than you do and thinks you're a pig sucking up all the goodies.

AlphaLiberal said...

Hey, Ann, if you hate Madison so much, by all means feel free to move to some conservative utopia, like Yazoo City, AL.

But then again, life in the red states features higher divorce, higher rates of children born outside of marriage, lower wages, lower education, despoiled environment, etc.

So, I can understand why you'd choose to live among the lefties, where the quality of life is so much better.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Ann, if you hate Madison so much, by all means feel free to move to some conservative utopia, like Yazoo City, AL.

Who said that conservatives own Yazoo City and that liberals own Madison, Omega Lib?

Obviously, Althouse enjoys living in Madison. She chose to live there. Other people enjoy living in Yazoo City. I don't see a problem or a political identification required for residence.

What's your bitch?

Scott M said...

I don't see a problem or a political identification required for residence.

That's because you're not a part of the ideological ilk that claims inclusion is their bread-n-butter.

Triangle Man said...

What's your bitch?

Apparently it is diversity.

Right is right! said...

It is none of your business what I make. I am a self employed business owner. I will share with you that I make less than half of what Ann makes and I work most days of the year.

Ann, on the other hand is a public employee and it IS my business what she makes. She makes $158,000.00 for doing barely any work.

I would have a little more respect for Ann if she said that "yeah, I am part of the problem getting paid alot for doing barely any work-but it is a great gig for me and until it is shut down because it is not sustainable then I am going to milk it!"

At least that would be honest on Ann's part.

Anonymous said...

At least that would be honest on Ann's part.

You're not looking for honesty. You want to collect a scalp because you're bitter and jealous.

The rules of the game might change in the future. Maybe the rules should change. I think so.

Althouse won the game as it was played. You lost. Hell, I had a government job in San Francisco and I left it. I would be in the same position as Althouse had I stayed.

You're just jealous. You had the opportunity to be a government worker. You didn't take it.

I'm not saying that things should work the way they do. But that's reality. Althouse outsmarted you (and me). She didn't make the rules of the game.

Right is right! said...

I am self-employed because I value my freedom and I want to build something-my business. I can understand why you would think I am jealous given that you don't know that freedom.

Bitter? Maybe. I see "smart" people like Ann scamming the system and my tax dollars and that pisses me off. You might view that as "bitter" I see it as rightful indignation.

Ann might be "smart" but she is still stealing from the tax payers of Wisconsin. That is some great way to make a living and define your life.

Anonymous said...

I am self-employed because I value my freedom and I want to build something-my business. I can understand why you would think I am jealous given that you don't know that freedom.

I've been a self-employed programmer and music my entire life, with the exception of a seven year full time job at a corporate law firm.

You chose your path. So did I. Be happy with your choice.

As I said, Althouse made smart choices. She didn't make up the rules of the game.

MadisonMan said...

I see "smart" people like Ann scamming the system and my tax dollars and that pisses me off. You might view that as "bitter" I see it as rightful indignation.

The truth is that Wisconsin needs lawyers. Any state does. I prefer to educate lawyers here. It costs money, but it beats sending the money to, say, Connecticut.

I wonder if the Law School is a net money-maker for the State. There are plenty of centers on Campus -- I work in one -- that bring in far more money than they cost the state.

Anonymous said...

Just to be more precise, I left a job at a corporate law firm 17 years ago. That firm offered lifetime security, great benefits and a defined benefit retirement plan.

I left because I was bored to death and I wanted freedom and excitement. I found it, first in the dot com boom and later in my career as a freelance programmer.

I don't blame Althouse for my decisions. Nor should you. I could have been where she is, if I'd made the same choices as she did. So could you.

Right is right! said...

I would never choose to scam taxpayers to pay me to barely work. Not for any amount of money. That is where I am different than you and Ann. I do not view it as "smart". I view it as unprincipled.

Right is right! said...

Obviously Ann is not deleting comments because she is afraid that people might see her as smart. She knows people vier her as unprincipled and hypocritical.

Anonymous said...

Maximum, you're a pain in the ass.

Somebody was going to get that job as a professor at UW law school.

Althouse figured out how to get it. I can't see what the fuck gain you would receive if some other person occupied the job.

UW wasn't and isn't going to abolish the job because you think its a waste.

How can you possibly run a business if you waste so much time and energy on this foolishness? My excuse for even bothering with you is that I'm on vacation.

Tomorrow, I'll got back to doing my job.

Scott M said...

Since Twine never answered the direct question, I'll make two assumptions before getting on with my life.

1) Since he continued to complain about her salary and work load with the label, sponge, I'm going to assume he advocates dismantling the entire Wisconsin university system in it's entirety.

2) If I'm wrong about that, Twine would then seem to be advocating that he be appointed the sole arbiter for public-salaried professors with complete oversight as to their workload and schedule.

Otherwise, Twine, please explain what would be, in your view, acceptable without being labeled a sponge. Should she teach classes in the morning, write her own papers over a teleconferenced lunch, then dig a ditch in the afternoon while dictating briefs?

Right is right! said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Right is right! said...

The best universities in the world are private. UW is best known for being the nation's number one party school. Privitize it.

Ann gets $158,000.00 for barely working. I bet if she did not have public school tenure she could not get away with that scam!

Scott M said...

Again you avoid the question and it's inevitable impact. Have a good day, sir. You've been set to /ignore

Anonymous said...

The best universities in the world are private. UW is best known for being the nation's number one party school. Privitize it.

Bullshit. And, I work for a huge private university. It's a damned good school, too.

The Big Ten schools are all powerhouses. My alma mater, the University of Illinois, is a pioneer in computer research and development. A degree in electrical engineering from UI will set you up for life. The law school at UI is first rate. I've met a number of UI law school grads who are partners at some of the great Chicago law firms.

I'm not as familiar with UW. But, I'll bet that UW is one hell of a great school.

Chase said...

Ann gets $158,000.00 for barely working

Now, dear Max, that you have given us more of a drift of your anti-capitalistic markets views, here is your next question.

Your remark about "barely working" above:

How do you know?

Right is right! said...

Which is better University of Chicago or U of I? There is no reason U of I can not be privatized. Obviously, most great of our top tier schools are. Think Stamford, Chicago and yes even Harvard.

ShoutingThomas, why are you such a Statist?

MadisonMan said...

UW is best known for being the nation's number one party school. Privitize it.

UW has almost been "privitized" -- given the drop in state support over the past 25+ years.

I wouldn't mind if the state cut all support -- and control -- and the students were charged what it costs to teach them. I suspect State Legislators would catch Holy Hell from their constituents, however, if they did this.

Right is right! said...

Chase wrote "How do you know?"

Now come on! Even Ann does not pretend that she works that much at her taxpayer funded job. Get real.

Anonymous said...

Which is better University of Chicago or U of I?

Depends on what field you're in. If you're in computers or electrical engineering, go to the University of Illinois. Check out the National Supercomputing Academy and the Beckman Institute. Chinese scientists flock to these departments.

ShoutingThomas, why are you such a Statist?

Jesus Fucking Christ! Did you read what I've been doing the past 17 years? I left a job that offered life time security to go to work for a start-up during the dot com era. Are you capable of sentient thought?

rhhardin said...

Being Dean involves fund raising and riot control.

Right is right! said...

Shoutingtomas you are the one who believes state owned schools are essential even though there are many great private schools that make a mockery of that. Get back to me when you capable of "sentient thought."

traditionalguy said...

Deans are in charge of calling meetings and assigning work to committees...that's about it. A successful Dean just doesn't screw up the place.

Chase said...

Maximum,

Now we get down to what the definition of "work" is.

Chase said...

Maximum,

The story is told of the Fortune 500 company whose multi-million dollar machine broke down. Frantic to fix it and avoid major losses, the company brought in the inventor of the machine. Looking carefully for several minutes, the inventor walked over to a switch on the side, flipped it and the machine was back in business.

The inventor's invoice to the company was for $10,000. Though the owner of the company knew he had saved hundreds of thousands of dollars of potential losses with the inventor's repair, and that the owner's own people had been stymied at a solution, he still felt the invoice was excessive for just a few minutes of "work".

"Please itemize your invoice" wrote back the owner of the company."

The owner received back an itemized statement from the inventor reading:

"Flipping switch repair: $10.00.

Knowing which switch to flip: $9,990."

somefeller said...

I left a job that offered life time security to go to work for a start-up during the dot com era.

That may not have been such a bad move. There's no such thing as life time security if you are working at a corporate law firm, particularly if you are staff (like in IT), and doubly so in New York over the past decade. The amounts of layoffs have been brutal, and have included partners.

somefeller said...

And it's heartening to see the conservatives here sticking up for highly-qualified, highly-paid government employees, particularly those working for universities. Most refreshing.

Chase said...

And it's heartening to see the conservatives here sticking up for highly-qualified, highly-paid government employees, particularly those working for universities. Most refreshing.

Isn't "highly-qualified, highly-paid" the best use of tax dollars?

josil said...

How about Jimmie Dean? Dean Dean has a nice ring to it. I realize Jimmie has departed to hog heaven, but I did not see any requirement that the dean be living. In fact, of all the administrators in the education racket I've encountered, it's hard to tell the living from the moribund. And, the pay and pension costs would be negligible.

somefeller said...

Isn't "highly-qualified, highly-paid" the best use of tax dollars?

Yes it is. Wages in the government sector are a part of the labor market just like any other set of wages. And that concept is often missing in rhetoric about government workers coming from the right these days.

AlphaLiberal said...

Shoutingtomas displays a poor reading ability:

Who said that conservatives own Yazoo City and that liberals own Madison, Omega Lib?

I give up. Who? Not me. Not Ann. Though she did refer in the post here to "living among lefties."

You really do seem humor-impaired.

Oh, and statistic after statistic shows the "red states" have lower quality of life and rank lower on the "morality" indicators.

AlphaLiberal said...

Attacking a professor because they work for a public university strikes me as pretty lame.

I prefer sticking to criticisms based on her double standards, love of right wing liars like Lush Windbag or just her mindless repetition of right wing memes and lack of a basic moral compass, such as her support for torture.

Or maybe look up her ratings by her students. This is lame, Max (as are the personal attacks on Max and demanding details on his personal life).

AlphaLiberal said...

Here you go. Here are some reviews from Ann's students.

Looks like many unhappy customers. Perhaps my favorite:

Writes like she blogs -- all over the place. Impossible to follow.

She's a good argument against tenure.

Chase said...

Alpha -

You actually take "ratemyprofessor.com" seriously.

Please. you are not that stupid.

3 friends of mine teach at the local U of California, and another is Dean of the English Dept. Students are asked to fill out evals of professors and TA's each semester, and those evals figure in the teacher's salary reviews. And in those reviews, absolutely no weight is given to any comments - stellar or awful - from the circle jerk called "ratemy professor.com".

So the things you write there Alpha are basically venting and irrelevant.

So sorry for you.

Anonymous said...

Omega,

Just read this morning in, of all things, The New York Times.

Those wonderful blue states are losing population and industry to those awful red states. Two of the cities with the highest population loss are right in New York, Buffalo and Rochester. Causes: high taxes, over-regulation, loss of industry to lower cost states.

California, the ultimate blue state, has been losing population for years as people flee high taxes, regulation and crime.

Kev said...

wonder if the Deans also teach. I hope so. When my Dad was a Dean, he still taught intro courses. He taught while a Department Head as well. Similarly, his Dad, who was also a Dean, still taught in the classroom, but that was back in the '40s.

There are schools now where deans are not allowed to teach, and I think this is completely backwards; every administrator should be required to teach at least one class. Schools at all levels are suffering from administrative bloat as it is, and the problem is magnified if "those in charge" haven't been actively involved in education for a decade or more.

You do need a chief executive. In higher ed, you are essentially an enterprise that reorganizes each semester--number of students, money in/money out, program changes, space allocations--and also has to plan long range. Plus, you have to comply with numerous government mandates and reporting requirements or face the prospect of funding cut off.

The next step in reducing administrative bloat is to dramatically reduce those government mandates, which have done a great deal to steer schools away from their primary mission of teaching.

former law student said...

Two of the cities with the highest population loss are right in New York, Buffalo and Rochester. Causes: high taxes, over-regulation, loss of industry to lower cost states.

NYC is growing under the same high taxes and level of regulation as upstate. The real problem: Buffalo and Rochester were manufacturing centers, and manufacturing has moved to China.

California, the ultimate blue state, has been losing population for years as people flee high taxes, regulation and crime.

Actually, California has been gaining population for years. What it has been losing -- unfortunately for fans of the two-party system -- is Republicans. The state has now reached the tipping point: Schwarzenegger is likely to be California's last Republican governor.

AlphaLiberal said...

Was elsewhere reading this piece about Republican justice Scalia saying the Constitution provides no defense for women, which reminded me of one of Ann's students dubbing her a "Scalia nut."

The world demands to know what erstwhile feminist Ann Althouse thinks of her hero now.

Chase said...

The world demands to know what erstwhile feminist Ann Althouse thinks of her hero now.

Correction: Not the world. Just AlphaNut.

Anonymous said...

fls,

Lying is considered bad politics. From the Census Bureau:

California is projected to sustain a net loss of 4 million internal migrants to other States. (New York, Illinois, and Michigan should also each lose at least 1 million.) But this huge loss would be more than compensated for by projections that show California will add 10 million international migrants (39 percent of the Nation's total) and have more than twice as many births as deaths (20 million versus 8 million).

So, California's population of legal residents is declining. I gather you find it favorable that this is compensated for by an influx of illegal immigrants.

Deliberate lying, fls, should be beneath you. But, apparently, it's not.

jaed said...

The school, with a budget of $26 million, is comprised of approximately 40 tenured and tenure track faculty

"Is comprised of"? "Is comprised of"???

Oh, the humanity. Althouse perhaps should become dean only long enough to fire whoever in the law school doesn't understand the distinction between "comprise" and "compose", thereafter, Cincinnatus-like, returning to the relative obscurity of her faculty job.