Dear Colleagues and Friends,
I've had a debate with myself first about writing and then about sending
this email. After all, I'm not the only member of the faculty or
professional staff leaving UMass Dartmouth this year. Nevertheless, at
the
risk of being taken the wrong way or of being accused of waving my own flag
(and with apologies to those who may receive more than one copy of this
email), I've decided to share some "retiring" thoughts as I head into
my
final couple of days on campus before walking away after 36 years here and
still a young man of 62.
I DO believe that I've earned the privilege of sharing these thoughts: in
addition to having spent seven years as Associate Dean of Arts & Sciences,
I've served the university in four directorships, several chairmanships, a
Senate presidency, and spearheaded the creation and implementation of the
MAT Program (among other curricular initiatives), while teaching in six
different academic programs and building a scholarly career that has brought
a lot of grant money to the university.
Besides, I like the idea of long-time members of the university community
taking a few minutes to express some final thoughts and thanks to all with
whom we've shared a career--in short, the idea of the individual thanking
the community that has so enriched his or her life rather than the community
thanking the individual. So please allow me to do just that and to offer
three sets of beliefs which may not be original, but which I consider
important enough to express publicly (and with which some of you will
probably disagree).
1) To the older faculty--those of my generation, now in their 60s and
beyond. I realize that each individual has a unique set of issues related
to the retirement question, but isn't it time to move on?--to other
initiatives? other challenges? other realms of life? Sure, this is a
magnificent profession, one in which we can touch so many lives, one which
is easy to cling to and to hang on to without much effort. But there is
so
much more out there, not to mention a whole new generation of teachers and
scholars yearning for full-time tenure-track positions--young colleagues who
can continue to bring to the diverse and evolving spheres of education at
UMass Dartmouth a new sense of vitality, of meaning, of history, and of
leadership. The longer that older colleagues stay here, the longer that
the
next generation is deprived of contributing to the process. To me, that's
neither healthy nor fair, even if we have hired more than 100 faculty in the
past several years (much of that in catch-up mode). The question remains:
after 30 to 40 years in the profession, isn't it appropriate to say that
we've had our time and to let more of them have theirs? (What an
incredible
thrill it has been for me to chair search committees that have brought two
new, productive, innovative faculty members to our French program in my
final two years here!)
2) To the mid-career faculty who have earned tenure and who are
increasingly stepping forward as leaders on campus. Continue that
commitment. And continue relishing the enrichment of others' lives and of
your own that inherently comes with that commitment. But remember that
being committed also means having the courage to call administrators (and
colleagues) on the carpet on those occasions--and we certainly witness far
too many of them--when they cross the line separating professionalism from
cronyism, hypocrisy and ethically questionable actions. Still, UMass
Dartmouth remains a wonderful place to be involved. That's why so many of
us have spent our careers here, in spite of having been offered positions
elsewhere. Yes, there will be significant differences of opinion with
this
group or that, but in the end, almost everyone I've met here has a good
heart--even if, over the years, I've publicly questioned some of the
guidance mechanisms of those hearts (and have occasionally had my own
guiding principles challenged as well)! So continue to work with
everyone,
and remember that the person with whom you may be fighting tooth and nail on
one issue in one room may be on the same side as you on the next issue in
the next room. In other words, don't let ego get in the way of what
you're
doing; stay focused on the issues at hand and on the notion that love
consists of looking outward in the same direction together.
3) To those of you who have joined us recently, who are concerned about
balancing and articulating the various parts of your desires and ambitions,
and who are worried about tenure. Don't be! No, I'm not trying to
be
flippant. I'm simply saying that if you do the very kinds of things that
you knew all along that you would be expected to do in this profession, then
you will earn tenure. In fact, you hold the power to make it virtually
impossible for anyone to deny you tenure! That is part of the advantage
of
having the guidelines of departmental standards and expectations statements.
You know what's expected of you. You knew before you signed on. So
do it.
The result will quickly be what I heard a new faculty member recently say to
a candidate during an interview: "I'm so happy here!"
To all the members of the professional staff who have helped me in so many
ways over the years, to all those administrators with whom I've had
agreements and disagreements, and to all those faculty members whose lives
and careers have touched mine: Thank you! That bears
repeating. Thank
you! It's been an incredible journey, and I've enjoyed it and your
presence
in it immensely.
Good luck, good health, and good happiness to us all.
Lew Kamm