CL, 4/10/06: Sabbaticals worthy, say professors - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Apr 10, 2006

CL, 4/10/06: Sabbaticals worthy, say professors

Date: Apr 10, 2006

Abbreviated version in HA under the title:

Sometimes a vacation is no vacation

http://hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060410/NEWS01/604100310/1002

Date: Apr 10, 2006

Stop the presses.Astounding revelation. Profs say time off with pay is a "good idea."

Date: Apr 10, 2006

I don't believe that the "life of the mind," intellectual curiousity, or creative thinking are understood by Mr. Bennett.

For what its worth, I had two sabbatical leaves. They benefitted not only my research. My teaching was greatly enhanced by what I did and learned during those few months.

Date: Apr 10, 2006

Sound like Mr. Bennett cannot read. I believe that the point of the article was that sabbaticals are not time off, but are time for faculty members to do the "other full time job" that often has to take a back seat to teaching and service.

Date: Apr 10, 2006

J. G. Bennett wrote:

Stop the presses.Astounding revelation. Profs say time off with pay is a "good idea."

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! James Gordon Bennett bungles historical allusion to slipshod, sensational yellow journalism of Gilded Age! Sticks foot in mouth! Profs at a loss to account for missing extremity! Extra! Extra!

Date: Apr 10, 2006

Faites Attention! Sensitive profs scramble to create validation for country club hours and pedantic profession. Nine hour work week at risk! Will join French collegues in the street!

Date: Apr 10, 2006

J.G.Bennett,

Faites Attention! Sensitive profs scramble to create validation for country club hours and pedantic profession. Nine hour work week at risk! Will join French collegues in the street!

The market place for work has many dimensions with large difference across professions and crafts. Some of the differences are by law; some are by union contracts, and others by traditions. It appears that you dislike some aspects of the work place rules and traditions of college professors. Indeed, many folks have multiple criticisms of workplace rules. Many employers do not like paying mandatory overtime to employees, which is required by law. Other employers do not like it that they supply the work clothes and tools for their workers even though law does not require it. These employers supply uniforms and tools because of competition. It becomes a necessary expense to maintain a competent and productive work force. The tradition of sabbaticals for college professors has been in place for many decades. If a university wants to compete for quality faculty, it is necessary to include sabbaticals as part of the compensation package. This applies to private universities as well as state supported universities. If Mississippi universities wish to do away with sabbaticals, then they will have to compensate for it by higher salaries or settle for less talented faculty. From your posts, I suspect that having less talented faculty is your goal. If so, contact your legislators. It does no good to discuss it with current faculty at USM. Faculty would not vote voluntarily to give up one of their conditions of employment, or decline to take a sabbatical to keep detractors such as you happy. Put simply, go whine to someone who would be receptive to your concerns.

Date: Apr 10, 2006

Cossack,

Your excellent post assumes that JGB is educable. Not bloody likely, mate.

Date: Apr 11, 2006

I agree that sabbaticals are an important part of college faculty life. I must admit that I'm not surprised that faculty members get alot of projects done during this time. It's hard to imagine someone not getting things done when they are relieved of their teaching duties. It's also easy to understand that faculty members like the sabattical system. I 've never heard of professors complaining about sabbaticals,although I'm sure there are some who would rather stay and teach. I think eventually economic pressures will modify or eliminate this perk. These changes will be greatly resisted by faculty,but as evidenced by recent events faculties have less and less power,especially in the South.

Date: Apr 11, 2006

I think eventually economic pressures will modify or eliminate this perk. These changes will be greatly resisted by faculty,but as evidenced by recent events faculties have less and less power,especially in the South.

You may be right to some degree. The upper echelon schools will not do away with sabbaticals because they are competing for the top researchers in the various disciplines. Schools that are paying $175,000 to $ $300,000 to top professors do not worry about the cost of sabbaticals. Likewise, many of the major state institutions in the ACC, SEC, PAC10, etc., will never do away with sabbaticals because they are wannabes trying to catch the elites. States such as Mississippi may well eliminate sabbaticals and thus will severely handicap Ole Miss and State in their efforts to stay up with the better schools in their peer group. I am sure that move would make a goodly portion of the education Luddites happy. The best of the faculties at Mississippi institutions will leave and will be replaced with the bottom feeders, who cannot or will not, compete in the research arena and are content to teach classes. The amusing thing about this result is that Mississippi will end up with faculty that work less than current faculty, although they may hang around the university all day. But, if it makes you happy, vote for it.

Date: Apr 11, 2006

F.Pierre wrote:

I agree that sabbaticals are an important part of college faculty life. I must admit that I'm not surprised that faculty members get alot of projects done during this time. It's hard to imagine someone not getting things done when they are relieved of their teaching duties. It's also easy to understand that faculty members like the sabattical system. I 've never heard of professors complaining about sabbaticals,although I'm sure there are some who would rather stay and teach. I think eventually economic pressures will modify or eliminate this perk. These changes will be greatly resisted by faculty,but as evidenced by recent events faculties have less and less power,especially in the South.

F. Pierre, if state universities do away with sabbaticals, it will be the same as "eating the seed corn". SFT has a goal of research profs bringing in big research grants, especially, in the sciences. Sabbaticals are one method that profs keep up in their field. It is "penny wise, pound foolish" to have fulll profs out of touch with cutting edge research because the university wanted to "save money" by doing away with sabbaticals. I believe something equivalent to sabbaticals is used in industry to keep employees trained and up to date. Maybe Cossack can tell us if this is true.

Date: Apr 11, 2006

Farmer Jones wrote:

... I believe something equivalent to sabbaticals is used in industry to keep employees trained and up to date. ....

This is true. We have a researcher now on a "sabbatical" from a pharmaceutical company so that she can learn new research techniques to bring back to their R&D department. Heck, I was just reading an older Grisham book and it described lawyers taking a sabbatical from a firm so that they would have time to take pro bono cases (granted this account is from a work of fiction, so it might not be accurate). It is not just academics.