Considering that I have spent the past 35 years in one intellectual setting or another you would think I am weary of discussing issues. The sad truth exists that I crave conversation about issues that matter.
The academy should fairly seethe with weighty conversations covering social issues, education, politics, and religion, the state of the economy, interesting books and people. . . Not the case. We talk about class size. We talk about recruiting and retention. We talk about the lack of sufficient money for carrying out our work as we understand it. We talk about governance, the quality of the food on campus, and whether or not the heat or air is working efficiently. In our building we talk about the constant smell of sewer gas. I have a theory about that one that I should probably keep to myself – at least until I retire.
After 10 years at this institution I can report that I have yet to engage in a planned, deliberate discussion of ideas. Somewhere in the minutia of making a university work the notion that we must make time for discussing matters of substance just seems to get lost. Maybe this is true on every campus, but my own experiences would belie that conclusion - so I blog.
I invite you to engage in conversation about ideas of substance. The world is not confined to the petty, territorial machinations becoming typical on college campuses. Even if we pull our heads into the turtle shell it is not likely we can wait out the storms hovering above us.
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