Last Times

Earlier this semester I made a rather momentous decision and decided to retire in May of 2013.  Since then I have been thinking:  well this is the last time that I will do THIS.  And I won't do THIS again.  This realization is both sad and liberating.  When people hear that I am going to retire, they ask... but what will you DO?  Well believe me, I am actively pursuing a number of things... some still associated with the University and some totally unconnected.  For example, I have tossed around in my mind the idea of writing a couple of novels.  I have some "stories" that I would like to write. 

And another thing that I am thinking of doing, is promoting this blog more and writing here more frequently.  So if you want to "hear" what I am saying, feel free to follow the blog.

The Role of Collegiality in Tenure Decisions

At lunch today, the topic of Amy Bishop's tenure case gone bad came up.  For those of you who might be unaware of the case, she is accused of killing three fellow faculty, including the department chair, at a faculty meeting.  The topic HERE does not deal directly with the killings, but rather with the idea of how much of a role or even IF collegiality should play a role in the tenure decision.  If an assistant professor has met all of the criteria for tenure, but does not "work and play well with others", should tenure be denied?

This is a TOUGH question.  This issue is primarily of interest to academics of course, but let me point you to a very good post (with GREAT comments).