With Thanks
The Dean's Musings
This article was originally printed in the December 1999 issue of CLASnotes.
Frequently, in this December issue of CLASnotes, I have taken stock of the many academic blessings that we enjoy in CLAS. Over my long term, now in the twelfth year, some holidays have been brighter than others at UF. The early 1990s, for example, when Ebenezer walked the halls of Tally, December cheer was stretched extremely thin. That remembrance of Holidays Past, with the evaporating budgets, makes the recent years seem all the more delightful and rewarding. Staying the course has its rewards.
In this, my last year as dean, the health of the College makes it easier to leave a job that I have enjoyed so much. Due to the hard work and talent of many people, CLAS is enjoying an unprecedented run of success and opportunity. Not that we don't need more resources (Provost—please note), but the faculty, students, and staff have come a long way toward many goals set for CLAS. And certain groups of people have stepped forward to play pivotal roles in this progress. It is these stalwarts that I wish to recognize as having made such a difference during my time as dean.
One of the most important tasks given a dean is the appointment of department chairs and program directors. The real business of the academy takes place at the unit level, making clear the importance of the 22 chairs and 10 or so directors in determining programmatic success. At this time of year, I am reminded of their leadership in making things happen. Not only the incumbents, of course, but all those who have served over my time in office, making my job much easier. I salute them here for all they have contributed to CLAS.
In a college this size, the dean needs a lot of help in day-to-day operation. My aim in coming into the office was to persuade some of the very best CLAS faculty to work with me as associate deans and directors. A simple review of those who have filled these positions confirms the success of this initiative. First class teacher-scholars have been willing to devote a few years to making this College what it is today. By assuming dean's level responsibility and authority, they have immeasurably enhanced the progress of CLAS. I particularly am grateful for the enthusiasm, creativity, and energy that the associate deans and directors have invested in the College Office.
I am not sure how I have been able to retain nearly all of my closest office staff members for these many years. My guess is that they saw how lost I would have been without them, and having managed to get me trained, they were reluctant to start over with someone else. Given the degree to which UF staff move around, it is all the more remarkable (and fortunate) that the College Office has enjoyed this degree of continuity. So for their deep loyalty, to say nothing of their talent, can-do attitude, and everlasting good cheer, I look back with no small measure of thanks.
Included in our Holiday recognition must be the many alumni benefactors who continue to show their great love for the University of Florida and CLAS. More than most, I have the opportunity and to see and appreciate their investments of time and treasure to benefit our programs. And notice that these friends put their gifts to academic causes. Nothing against football, Steve, but with all due respect, it is the strengthening of the fundamental Arts and Sciences that is laying the foundation for where the University of Florida is headed. One of the great joys of my job has been to make friends with UF alumni who believe in academics as strongly as I do, and who have supported CLAS—and me—with moral support when times were tougher and with sustained fiscal support to make academic dreams come true. Without my reciting names here, you know who you are. Thanks for keeping the faith.
It is the faculty, of course, who truly make the university happen. In no place is this more true than in CLAS, where the 600+ faculty produce outstanding teaching, research, and service. It has been a real advantage for me that I actually like faculty (OK, with a few rare exceptions). But we have all experienced administrators who seemed put off by faculty as a group, which is a bit bizarre when you think about it, given that the faculty provide the basis for their jobs, just as the students give us all employment. In any case, we have been fortunate in hiring terrific faculty who make this an exciting place to be. True, overseeing faculty is sometimes like herding cats, but it is their independence that makes a university what it is. I have delighted in getting to know so many interesting CLAS faculty over the years. Thanks for being here.
I still look forward to the remainder of my term, extending to July 1, 2000. It has been a remarkable 12 years, with seldom a dull moment. Once a year, at least, it seems worth pausing to offer thanks for the many who have made my time in office so enjoyable.
Credits
Writer
Will Harrison, Dean
