In a recent First Person column, Melanie S. Mock, an associate professor of writing and literature at George Fox University, describes the difficult process of hiring a replacement for a beloved colleague who passed away:
While I thought our committee appeared friendly to candidates, perhaps I could not perceive how strange we really were. Would candidates be frustrated by the way department members referred to certain medieval courses as “Colleen’s classes,” or some advisees as “Colleen’s students,” or the office reserved for the position as “Colleen’s office”? Did candidates notice that during quiet moments at dinner, one or two members of the committee wiped tears from their eyes?
Mock hopes that job seekers will keep in mind that the “committees themselves are made up of human beings, and that their humanity will always diminish any chance that a search will be entirely objective.”
Understandably, the search “committee’s work was complicated by grief and the difficulty of letting go” and, as a result, it was hard to avoid setting an unfair standard for applicants to live up to, Mock realizes.
But considering the circumstances, Mock writes, the search committee did the best it could to remain fair an impartial and, fortunately, in the end, it was able to hire not a replacement, but a new colleague:
I know that, while my new colleague will have Colleen’s office and classes, she will not be Colleen. And one day soon, I hope I will be OK with that.
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7 Responses to “It’s Not You, It’s Us”
revrafa - August 23, 2011 at 8:22 am
David! Go for it–just the right thing to do. Congratulations. If MAPP has a website, we should all follow you and see how we can do our bit where we are. Thanks.
clarinet1 - August 23, 2011 at 8:35 am
Bravo David – this is a big move in the right direction. Unfortunately, the current thrust of music education forces many students away from it as they can’t compete as they mature – or don’t want to. Also, the most creative act in music – composing – is all but ignored by most school programs. A great idea.
reggit2011 - August 23, 2011 at 11:22 am
Here’s their website: http://www.mappmusic.org/index.php
katisumas - August 23, 2011 at 1:22 pm
Davids this is wonderful. Go for it! Our species is in dire need of music….
janet_moore - August 23, 2011 at 4:11 pm
Individual initiatives like this are excellent ways to make the positive changes to music education and arts education in general that are spoken about but often not practiced. Community programs are especially needed for nurturing these new ideas to keep the arts relevant in our society while continuing to be experienced as an art form that matters in each participant’s life. What a great contribution to your hometown, David!
greatcollegeadvice - August 24, 2011 at 1:26 am
Best wishes to you, David. The world needs more people like you who are willing to not just advocate for the arts, but to roll up the proverbial sleeves and do something about it.
Bravo!
Deborah Denenholz Morse - November 21, 2011 at 9:50 am
David–I began my morning with listening to your story. My son is also a musician–a violinist rather than a clarinetist–and I can’t wait to tell him about what you’re doing for music education. Well done indeed, as the English say. Deborah (Professor of English, Victorian Studies, College of William and Mary)