Just need to vent...
I'm a faculty member at a University of Wisconsin system university. I've fortunately found work at another university in another state beginning next year. However, it is depressing to be a faculty member in the state right now.
I sat in another faculty member's office yesterday. As we were talking tears started welling up in their eyes as they talked about just needing to be somewhere else where they don't remember how it was before...
The politicians in the state have been routinely attacking the faculty, implying that we are lazy and greedy. The person that I was talking to yesterday routinely puts in 12 hours days and is overwhelmed. They barely get to see their family. People in the state have been sending in Freedom of Information Act requests to search through faculty e-mails to see if anyone has written anything bad about the governor.
The budget cuts and demonizing by the state politicians have resulted in high turnover in the faculty. This creates significantly more work for the faculty as we serve on more hiring committees and have to pick up extra classes, student advising, and administrative tasks of the faculty members are being replaced. Additionally, academia is a small world. People on the job market know the conditions in the state right now, which makes it even more difficult to hire good people. In my college, we have had several failed faculty searches in the past few years.
What is infuriating is that the university administrators just sit by and do nothing. In fact, at my university, the faculty are rarely brought into the discussion on how the university will deal with the budget issues and are just informed of the outcome after the fact.
= new reply since forum marked as read
I've been referring to Jefferson in this context for a long time, and trying to remind/inform people that this is what 'they' want. And are succeeding at, obviously.
I live in Wisconsin and weep with you. I have been encouraging my children to move out of state. They are teachers and social workers, and sadly, Wisconsin has no respect for either anymore. They deserve better, you deserve better...
