I teased my dean that he needs his own assigned table in the cafeteria, since he’s always in a lunch meeting with someone, and then he said, “When else can I meet with faculty?” I warned him that I would turn violent if he scheduled an after-dinner meeting, and he had a nice laugh about that one. What I love is that he laughed at the very thought. Late-evening meetings are common in other schools (as are late-evening classes); here, though, there is a very strong inclination to protect evening time for people to spend with their families. I am working some long days as a newbie, but nobody questions my decision to go home at the end of the work day and spend the evening with my kids, and there are certainly no required meetings during that time. After so many years of evening classes and evening lectures at Cornell and Oxford, I’m thrilled to be home when it’s dark and be gently teased if I come in over the holidays.
Erin
Alan Schmierer