School of Music run by Thames flunkies - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Aug 8, 2004

School of Music run by Thames flunkies

Date: Aug 8, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Ludwig van B.
"This has come in from the School of Music administration. Looks like Charles Elliott has adopted the Thames template. He's even using the vocabulary: world-class, innovative, efficient, effective, move forward. Charlie, do you really think the School of Music faculty are that stupid? Or perhaps somebody else wrote this memo for you? August 2, 2004 School of Music Faculty and Staff Greetings and welcome back, This summer Steve and I, along with the School of Music support staff, have continued to build on the progress made last year in our endeavor to create an organizational environment which will ensure your opportunity for a positive and productive year. We want you to be happy and successful and believe that our preparation this summer will play a key role. That role is to move the School of Music forward, as we continue to grow as a faculty and as a leader of innovative world-class artistic activities. Our mission is clear and the exceptional qualities represented in all of you and in the diversity of our students guarantee this direction, regardless of the obstacles we may encounter along the way. Over the last two years, we have moved from nine colleges to five, have experienced turmoil and strife on campus, and have lost some dear colleagues to retirement or new opportunities, yet we begin Fall 2004 with unprecedented music enrollment, excited, motivated, and highly talented new faculty, and performance opportunities for our students that will undoubtedly set new standards for our school. Communication will be essential to ensure student success and professional reward. With this in mind, a number of meetings and training sessions have been scheduled and your attendance is critical. Carefully review the schedule and information included with this letter. A request to be excused from any scheduled meeting must be submitted in writing. On August 19th we will begin anew our means for working effectively and efficiently as a faculty. I look forward to seeing all of you soon. Sincerely, Charles A. Elliott, Director School of Music"

How in the world could someone read something negative from that letter? The School of Music is world class in may ways. I feel sorry for someone with your attitude.

Date: Aug 8, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Unbelievable
"How in the world could someone read something negative from that letter? The School of Music is world class in may ways. I feel sorry for someone with your attitude."

I don't think Ludwig has said the School of Music isn't world-class. He's pointing out that Elliot has adopted Thames's semi-meaningless code words. This is the kind of puff that comes out of the dome, and the guy has adopted it. Do you really think the words "efficient, effective, innovative and world-class" just spontaneously occurred to him? He's not writing to the faculty, he's paying homage to the master of the plantation. You may not know the difference, but I bet they do.

Date: Aug 8, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Ludwig van B.
""

LVB (as opposed to LVN),

What would you have it say?

Hey guys, Sucks to be back, huh? I took my 12 month salary and headed for the hills these past couple months, sent the staff away too so, sorry, nothing got done. All the problems that were in place last spring are still here and, frankly we don't care if you fail in your professional endeavors or are unhappy. We are all so devastated by the losses of colleagues and friends that we've chosen not to be innovative or to move forward with our program development this year. The university has no clear mission so why should we and who is left to develop it anyway? Our days of recruiting homogeneously qualified students are gone so why bother serving the ones we were able to get? The obstacles that we're going to face dealing with this administration will undoubtedly be insurmountable so let's just keep focusing on our vita updates. Don't bother telling me your ideas or concerns because I can't do anything about them anyway. As far as what I was going to share with you, it's not that important after all, don't bother coming to the meetings. I think the semester starts in a couple weeks, I'll probably see you around.

LVB,

I am not in your school and I don't pretend to understand all of your or its issues. I admit that I would have bristled at the attendance wording too. My above alternative was not even particularly clever but, honestly, what are we to do but try and make the best of a bad situation for ourselves, our colleagues and our students? My knowledge of your specific situation is limited to being a Symphony season ticket holder and the friend of a graduate student. If there's more to it, then forgive my superficial comments.

Date: Aug 8, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Patron
" LVB (as opposed to LVN), What would you have it say? Hey guys, Sucks to be back, huh? I took my 12 month salary and headed for the hills these past couple months, sent the staff away too so, sorry, nothing got done. All the problems that were in place last spring are still here and, frankly we don't care if you fail in your professional endeavors or are unhappy. We are all so devastated by the losses of colleagues and friends that we've chosen not to be innovative or to move forward with our program development this year. The university has no clear mission so why should we and who is left to develop it anyway? Our days of recruiting homogeneously qualified students are gone so why bother serving the ones we were able to get? The obstacles that we're going to face dealing with this administration will undoubtedly be insurmountable so let's just keep focusing on our vita updates. Don't bother telling me your ideas or concerns because I can't do anything about them anyway. As far as what I was going to share with you, it's not that important after all, don't bother coming to the meetings. I think the semester starts in a couple weeks, I'll probably see you around. "

At least this might have been more honest.

Date: Aug 8, 2004

Well the entire letter could easily be condensed to the following:

In spite of what has happened last year, we're going to keep working, and we hope to appease the upper administration. You are being required to come to meetings (see the attached schedule).

The rest of it is pretty much BS. (Really, no one could think all that drivel actually means anything could they?)

Date: Aug 9, 2004

If a school director/department head at my institution made such a thinly-veiled threat to demand attendance there would be a mutiny. It would probably come via a rash of written excuses with absurd reasons for absences (e.g. Will be conducting research in Chicago at the CSO's Thursday concert; "The Economic Impact of a world class, innovative symphony orchestra in America's heartland").

And, senior faculty would lead the way with the intention of demonstrating workable governance is shared governance!

Joey

Date: Aug 9, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Strunk and White
"The rest of it is pretty much BS. (Really, no one could think all that drivel actually means anything could they?)"

Speaking as an alumnus, I hope there is some shred of sincerity in the following "drivel":

Our mission is clear and the exceptional qualities represented in all of you and in the diversity of our students guarantee this direction, regardless of the
obstacles we may encounter along the way. ... we begin Fall 2004 with unprecedented music enrollment, excited, motivated, and highly talented new faculty, and performance opportunities for our students
that will undoubtedly set new standards for our school.

Although I was a CoST student in my daze at USM, I always felt that the music faculty did have "exceptional qualities" & that there was a high level of talent in the faculty & the students in that department.

The rest of the memo sounds like "it's been tough the past two years & we've lost some people we all thought the world of, but we can continue to move on in spite of that." Appeasement of the upper administration is sometimes the only way for a department to survive, especially when the upper administration isn't particularly supportive of the discipline in general.

The mandatory attendance at meetings stuff probably rankles university faculty, but it's the norm elsewhere in education. Why not read it as, "If you can't attend a scheduled meeting, please drop me a note so I'll know how many folks to expect." Would it be better if instead of written notice, an RSVP had been requested?

Folks, I know I'm an outsider, but I think y'all have bigger fish to fry. "Divide & conquer" is what you need to beware of. Don't get divided over something as ultimately trivial as RSVPing meetings.

Date: Aug 9, 2004

"We want you to be happy and successful" = "I want to be happy and successful."

Date: Aug 9, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Lost in Translation
""We want you to be happy and successful" = "I want to be happy and successful.""

It can also mean, "I am not going to be able to be happy & successful unless you're happy & successful." Or more poetically:

Thunder rolling over Clarksdale,
everything is looking blue
I just can't be happy, love
Unless you're happy too
It's bad out there
High water everywhere

"High Water (for Charley Patton)" - Bob Dylan

Date: Aug 9, 2004

The School of Music has many, many talented and professionally active faculty. That is why I have supported its projects over several years.

Unfortunately, a few of these have huge egos and would sell their souls to put themselves forward.

An interesting rumor about a music faculty member's salary surfaced yesterday--someone being paid directly from the President's office. I have no idea if it is true or not, but it is an interesting tidbit.

Date: Aug 9, 2004

Our school of music is truly world class...well maybe country class...defiantly better than regional class.

As for mandatory attendance, I would imagine that they have had poor attendance in the past to faculty meetings and the director is getting tired of it. I don't know and would have to ask someone in the school. Also, if you think about it, to music faculty attendance is a big deal. Can you imagine coming to rehearsal and the entire violin section decided not to come?

Date: Aug 9, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: asdf
" Can you imagine coming to rehearsal and the entire violin section decided not to come?"

Oh. So that's what he meant by "training sessions." Be sure to bring them fiddles.

Date: Aug 9, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: asdf
"
As for mandatory attendance, I would imagine that they have had poor attendance in the past to faculty meetings and the director is getting tired of it.:"

Maybe the problem is the director doesn't have anything to say worth hearing. . . if the meanings were meaningful, and people actually got to provide input at them, perhaps the music faculty would actually come.

Date: Aug 9, 2004

RE: RE: RE: School of Music run by Thames flunkie

Date: Aug 9, 2004

RE: RE: RE: RE: School of Music run by Thames flu

Date: Aug 9, 2004

RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: School of Music run by Thames