Department Chair business

I haven't posted as much lately since I've been busy.  Besides being a professor, I'm also department chair and one of my job duties is overseeing the scheduling all of the physical science and mathematics classes at our college.  Even though it's only February, we're putting together the fall 2011 schedule of classes and making sure we have faculty coverage (which is complicated by the fact that most of our class sections are taught by adjunct instructors).

In addition to scheduling classes, we're also working on the departmental budget for the 2011-2012 academic year and we've been asked to cut.  Problem is we cut last year also.  It's getting grim and to the point where instruction will suffer since we won't be able to provide the equipment and technology we need to teach up-to-date courses in physics, chemistry, and Earth sciences.  Our college has no real plan in place to sustain our computer technology and, as you all know, computers and software age fast and need periodic replacement.

Wednesday is also our department meeting where we get to all discuss fun things like budget, course assessment, and strategic planning.  Most faculty could find other ways to spend a Wednesday afternoon than locked in a room with me!

Oh yeah, I also took on an online course starting today we couldn't easily find an adjunct instructor to teach.  I was already teaching overload (contact hours beyond what I'm required to teach) but now it's even more.  You might think I'd get a lot more money for working extra but we get paid adjunct rates for overload which is LESS money than my normal hourly rate.  In other words, in academia, you get paid less for working overtime instead of more (time and a half) like you do in the private sector.

That's why I've been busy and not posting as much these past few days.