S. I., you ask, "Do all higher-level administrators keep shorter hours than their faculty?" on the strength of one day's semi-observation.  You don't know where else the vehicle may have been, etc.

I'm not sure what your point is, other than casting aspersions at one dean in particular, but the academic in me can't help but notice that you have committed the logical fallacy of generalizing a universal from a single, questionable incident.  Ouch.

J Lares 

Who could he be "spotting" cars for?

This fall I taught at 11 and at 1, on Tu & Thu. My car was there way, way before 11 so it had a spot to park. When my car was at USM, I might have been teaching, meeting office hours, grading papers, or I might have been eating breakfast, drinking coffee, and chatting. Then again, my car was usually gone by 3 pm. When my car was in its carport, I might have been watching TV, talking on the phone, or napping. Then again, I might have been grading papers, planning lessons, or answering my tons of emails from students.
The times and locations of my car would have told you nothing at all about my activities.

quote:

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Originally posted by: LVN
"This fall I taught at 11 and at 1, on Tu & Thu. My car was there way, way before 11 so it had a spot to park. When my car was at USM, I might have been teaching, meeting office hours, grading papers, or I might have been eating breakfast, drinking coffee, and chatting. Then again, my car was usually gone by 3 pm. When my car was in its carport, I might have been watching TV, talking on the phone, or napping. Then again, I might have been grading papers, planning lessons, or answering my tons of emails from students.
The times and locations of my car would have told you nothing at all about my activities."

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You are faculty. You are not an administrator. You are especially not a Dean. I'll let Jameela Lares tell you why your logic is flawed.

quote:

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Originally posted by: Spanglish Inquisition
"I was pulling out of the LAB parking lot when I saw CoB dean Doty leaving work at approximately 5:20 pm. As far as I know, his Ford Excursion was not in the lot when I got to work this morning at 7:30 am. Do all higher-level administrators keep shorter hours than their faculty?"

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Isn't it just possible that Dean Doty had something he had to go do, like watch one of his children (I'm assuming he has them) in a school related function?  Or he had an exceptionally late doctors appointment?

And just why do you feel that he has to get to work at the crack of dawn, and stay past dinner to please you? 

My boss is there early and she stays late (and no I don't work for USM), that is her choice, I get there on time if not early and I leave on time, and yes sometimes early.  But my job is done, my paperwork in order before I walk out the door.  I have stayed late to get work done. For that fact I brought work home tonight as I needed something that was at home to do the work.  Just because I'm not sitting at my desk in my office doesn't mean I'm not working.

quote:

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Originally posted by: Patti
"
Isn't it just possible that Dean Doty had something he had to go do, like watch one of his children (I'm assuming he has them) in a school related function?  Or he had an exceptionally late doctors appointment?
And just why do you feel that he has to get to work at the crack of dawn, and stay past dinner to please you? 
My boss is there early and she stays late (and no I don't work for USM), that is her choice, I get there on time if not early and I leave on time, and yes sometimes early.  But my job is done, my paperwork in order before I walk out the door.  I have stayed late to get work done. For that fact I brought work home tonight as I needed something that was at home to do the work.  Just because I'm not sitting at my desk in my office doesn't mean I'm not working."

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That's the point--the Dean is the boss of the college, and when faculty are overworked, it seems like a really crappy move to put in his 40 per week and go home, as I am sure his desk wasn't clear. I wish I had seen another Dean do this today, because apparently Doty's a fair-haired boy on this board now.

quote:

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Originally posted by: Spanglish Inquisition
" That's the point--the Dean is the boss of the college, and when faculty are overworked, it seems like a really crappy move to put in his 40 per week and go home, as I am sure his desk wasn't clear. I wish I had seen another Dean do this today, because apparently Doty's a fair-haired boy on this board now."

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Spanglish, dear,

Please understand, if you're not a troll, you certainly look like one as long as you're assuming that any academic only puts in 40 hours in a week--not 60, 80, 100--and that one can only work in a "shop."

quote:

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Originally posted by: Simple Simon
"He may have been on his way to that WDAM interview.  It's mentioned in another thread. "

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Or, maybe he just wanted to see himself on the 6:00 news. 

If it walks like a duck & quacks like a duck...

I do not care about the hours a dean works, I care about how good a job they do. There is at least one college at USM that would better off if their dean never came in. You can make a guess as to which dean it is: Hint, it sure as heck isn't Doty. Doty has stood tall when it counted. Enough said.

I would like to point out that Doty only "stood tall" when faced with a "you're about to be terminated" letter. He didn't go public with the letter to save faculty or preserve research or defend academic freedom. Going public saved his job. Don't kid yourself, Cossack. Doty's looking out for #1, and everybody else is #2.

Doty was about to get fired because he had stood tall before. If he acted like Pood, he would not have been in trouble in the first place. He avoided getting fired because someone in the administration was stupid enough to put in writing things that would get us further down the probation hole.

I pulled into the faculty parking lot at 4 a.m. CST yesterday because my computer runs a lot faster on campus when no one else is there  - I also had tons of material to copy and I wouldn't have to wait on the copier. I had some work to do where I needed no interruptions from well meaning students and colleagues. It all ended about 8 a.m. when I had a meeting. Then I had classes ( 9 - 12)- then I met with students - then my car left the faculty parking lot at 3 p.m. I certainly wasn't slacking. I also loved having my car parked right next to my building (ah - the small perks). Today, I'll go in at my usual 8 a.m.

A couple of comments:

I think the poster's real question has been ignored, though it was not asked in the most obvious of ways at first. This thread has only served to make the poster's point. Why can faculty be expected to put in 60, 70, 80, 90, etc., hours each week and some administrators are OK with an 8 to 5 routine? Deans are faculty, too, and when they do operate on an 8 to 5 routine, it begs the question: Where's the helping hand for faculty who are on a 5 to 8 routine? SI's store manager analogy above rings a little true.

Second, I can recall speaking with several of our colleagues in the business college last year, and Doty was described as a "Little Napoleon" at that point. I must agree that the board has overlooked any past deeds in canonizing him over the Grimes memo when his actions were not altruistic. Some people say "forgive and forget," while others may "forgive, but never forget." I think we have a case of the former here on the board, while SI may fall into the latter.

Regardless, this past week has not been a good week for those who may have an anti-Thames, non-AAUP board-party-line stance. Academic freedom should mean that ideas are heard and (if necessary) refuted with objective thought. Six months ago, there would have been a lot of "piling on" by posters supporting SI's original post. The tide has turned for Doty and, apparently, for the AAUP board.