Job Hunt: Infinity

I really like Astin’s theories and research. I think it lends itself incredibly well to the student affairs field. I also think some people within the field cling to this theory like a life raft while totally ignoring most of what Astin says. Astin agrees with all of us, that co- and extra-curricular acitivites and engagement leads to student retention and success (measured by a few different features). BUT! Astin also talks about community - which involved way more than just student affairs professionals. It’s all of us. It’s us working together, building trust among us, and creating an environment where students want to participate in our community. Astin studied student development and his research included a measure described as "Lack of Student Community", which really meant infrequent interaction among students and a general apathy from students. This lack of community "has a stronger effect on satisfaction than any of the other 150 institutional characterist...

I have a jumble of thoughts inspired by a few different conversations on Twitter the past few days. They're a loosely linked, so I figured it would be easiest to just get it all down in one post. Let's see if anyone can follow this mess... Opinions Twitter is a place where we share opinions. Sometimes they're part of a larger, planned discussion. Sometimes one person's thought(s) can cause a flurry of ideas and conversation. We share a lot of opinions. Some people share opinions as if they're facts or as if their experience is the only experience. Anything else is wrong or nonexistent. X is the only way to find a job. Y is the only way I can do Z to be authentic to myself. Going through A and B is the only path to take. My problem with these: everyone's path or story is true to them. We can't devalue someone's path because it's different. My favorite ones have to do with valuing our knowledge and skills: If you don't identify with X, you...

I haven't written in a while, and I'm not sure why. Back in September I read a great blog post by Lee Skallerup  on why she hasn't been blogging at the same rate as before. I agree with many of her points: I'm still learning a new position, I'm not as angry or frustrated any more, and I'm generally content with my new job. I still have a lot of thoughts about higher ed, and I think there are some great things out there in the higher ed and student affairs world. I'm just tired of the noise of the mainstream higher ed world. I haven't visited Inside Higher Ed in weeks (with the exception of finding Lee's post). I haven't been to the Chronicle longer than that. One of the reasons is that I'm bored. I'm bored with the focus on professors. Of them being "over worked" and "under worked" and the "horrors" of the tenure track and the public beatings of adjuncts. I'm tired of the bickering, of research vs teac...