Where the Students Aren't
By Mary Churchill September 26, 2010 7:32 pmBoston, Massachusetts, USA
The dean’s office. The provost’s office. The president’s office.
I have found that one of the most difficult aspects of academic administration is the lack of meaningful, day-to-day contact with students. Sure, you see students – at commencement, banquets, receptions, and every other meet-and-greet event that you are expected to attend. You meet with students who are lodging formal complaints about their programs, professors, and fellow students. And you see students who are in trouble and need your help: those who have been caught cheating, who have threatened professors or have been threatened by other students.
However, unless you are teaching in addition to your 60+hour administrative position, you rarely see students in the teaching/learning nexus – what I consider to be the core mission of higher education. A good friend of mine who is a provost at a large public college makes it a practice to meet with students on a regular basis, a habit I have long admired. Too often we