Greetings

It’s been twenty-five years since I entered the university as a student, and I haven’t come across any other place that I’d rather work. I’ve had the good fortune to acquire a tenured position, and I’m currently enjoying a rare one-semester sabbatical, which is part of the reason I’ve found the time to start this blog. Others haven’t been so lucky, and in recent years my job has also been getting a lot more difficult. In any case, beyond the situation of any one of us, the university as an institution is in serious trouble. At recent demonstrations to defend public education, protesters have chanted, “Whose University? Our University!” They’re calling attention to a series of trends that threaten much of what is best about colleges and universities:

• devastating cuts to public funding for higher education in California and around the world;
• large and repeated tuition and fee increases for students;
• reduced access for low-income students;
• administrative bloat and (ironically) an expansion of administrative busywork for faculty;
• increased reliance on part-time lecturers with precarious employment;
• corporate bias and intellectual property constraints in scientific research;
• the diffusion of a commercial and managerial culture;
• growing social and economic inequality, powerfully hoisted onto the public agenda by the Occupy Movement.

In my immediate environment I’ve recently seen, among other things:

• a substantial reduction of faculty in my department, mostly due to retirements and lack of funding for new hires;
• growing student numbers per faculty member;
• reduced funding for department staff;
• students who can’t get into classes they need to graduate;
• students working extra jobs, leaving less time for study.

And then most recently, two somewhat more personal experiences:

The Business School at Sacramento State, which shares a building with my department and three other departments, recently installed two stock market tickers and two large video screens that continuously play loud “corporate messages” (commercials) for major companies. These installations are in the entry areas of the building, so we’re bombarded with commercials every time we enter or leave the building. Many of us are angry about it. More on that soon.

Then about a week ago I spent the night in a tent at the Occupy UC Davis camp. A friend and I arrived in the early evening and we were immediately welcomed with good food and conversation. I heard several amazing stories, and although I can find plenty to complain about in the Occupy Movement, overall I was struck by the seriousness and integrity of the people I met.

So with these various inspirations and concerns, I’m going to give this whole blogging thing a shot. If you’ve read this far and you’re not bored yet, I hope you’ll subscribe and come back to comment on future posts.