Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood article

Another article, "Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" in Inside Higher Education on Oct. 16th is an example of the Structural perspective. Harvard University wanted to build a new student dorm and instead of having a design and hoping the surrounding neighborhood would approve they decided to ask the neighborhood first. The neighborhood actually came up with the design of what they wanted things to look like. Getting input from the environment- I think that is the structural perspective- unless I am mixing things up.

College Sports and Sybolism (cont.)

Apparently not everybody see big-time college athletics as a way to enhance their identity. Rutgers is infusing new life into their football team, including a $102M upgrade to their stadium to hold the throngs they hope to entice with their revamped program. Meanwhile they are undergoing a fiscal crisis; facing budget cuts (10.8%), an economic downturn and rising financial costs, which have made a number of groups on and off the campus question the wisdom of the move.

Various constituencies of the university are choosing sides. A group called the “Rutgers 1000,” consisting of alumni, professors and students, has come out against the increase in the athletic program budget, calling it a misuse of funds that could be better spent on academics. Tuition continues to rise (6.5% in 2008), and other facilities are in need of attention, critics say. The balance between athletics and academics is being upended, they contend.

Others, including the administration, are not giving way, saying that the payoff will be in increased applications and prestige, if nothing else. Rutgers has always played in the Ivy League, where football is almost looked on as an afterthought. Their ambition is to become a football powerhouse along the lines of the Big Ten and other dominant conferences. According to the New York Times story, the president of Rutgers, Richard L. McCormick, while acknowledging that the university needs to reshape its oversight and ethics policies and that it faces a severe cash crunch that is likely to scale back the stadium project, says that turning back from big-time sports is not an option.

HR at a Global University

This article "HR at a Global University" in Inside Higher Education, Oct. 15th made me think of the Human Resources perspective. Basically the article was saying that Unviersities are good at applying a Human Resource perspective (focus on people) in the US, but when campus' are opened abroad they have trouble applying that perspective. The article said that instead of having policies, like in the US for faculty going abroad, they have a "non-policy" approach that has led to people not wanting to go abroad. This non-policy approach has led to problems of salaries and decision making.

ax murderer

Speaking of the political frame:

Interesting article in the chronicle about how people/parties will coalesce against politically wounded co-workers for little or no reason. It is written about faculty, but could easily be applied to any organization.

http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2008/10/2008101501c.htm

I was thinking when we were discussing it, that the political frame was (not the HR frame ironically) the most human or maybe just the most animal-like: Anyone who has owned a pet cat may be familiar with how they will sometimes catch a mouse only to play with it then leave it for dead. I see similar behavior in co-workers. Some people seem to fuel a situation just for the sport of it, just to create gossip, entertainment, etc.

Political animal

Nothing like the current budget crunch to see excellent illustrations of a "political organization." I sat in a few meetings last week and enjoyed watching the the agendas and alliances reveal themselves! BUT - I did not look at them as cynically as I would have last year, especially since I am part of the wranglings myself!

Hegelian Thesis

Okay, so my vocabulary level was tested by the article written by Joanne Martin. I also enjoyed reading some of her sentences back to my husband so I could laugh at his confused expression, i.e. page14 - "Hegilian thesis-antithesis-synthesis is a more sophisticated variant of linear thinking." Anyone else challenged with this article?

Budget Cuts (continued)

"Goals and decisions emerge from bargaining, negotiation, and jockeying for postion among competing stake holders." (B&D, p. 186)

If this didn't hit so close to home, it would be fascinating to watch the struggles going on at NVCC. I'm sure the dealmaking has already started. Unfortunately, like most political decisions, everything will happen behind close doors. As observers, we will eventually find out who the "winners and losers" are, but we won't get to see HOW they won or lost. I once heard this refered to as the "a$$ kissin' and arm twistin' " part of the political process.