Today is my last day of class. While that means students are filling out course evaluations and finals are coming up, it’s also a time to for me to look back at what I accomplished this semester and what my plans are for the upcoming break. It’s in the air, too: There’s been some discussion at Whitman the last few days about the teacher-scholar model. What does that mean for me, as the founder of a new program?
Over the Thanksgiving break, I bought one non-food item: a real book, printed on dead trees, and purchased from a brick-and-mortar store (albeit one in a brand new development with a “Main Street” that really isn’t a Main Street at all).
The book is Michael Pollan’s A Place of My Own, which I approach with both interest and trepidation as one who is partway through the process of designing and building a new home. I was surprised to find connections with software development and with my enterprise at Whitman. Continue reading
Spring 2016 pre-registration ended a week ago last night. After considering how Whitman’s system compares to Grinnell’s, I will discuss the build-up, the enrollments, and the aftermath.
After last week’s post, I realized a note of melancholy had crept in. That’s no good for public relations, and it’s not making me any happier. I decided to reflect a bit on what I like about Whitman and Walla Walla, both the ridiculous and the sublime.
When I took on this new role, I knew I would become the face of computer science at Whitman – at least for the first year or two. But I didn’t fully appreciate what that would mean. In this post, I consider the many ways in which I am representing computer science at Whitman.
Some readers have expressed interest in hearing about differences between Whitman and Grinnell. I recently encountered and responded to one such difference.
On Thursday, I met with a student to discuss possible independent study projects for the spring semester. At the end of our discussion, we talked about next steps. I asked, “How does one register for an independent study at Whitman?” The student didn’t know; he hadn’t done one before. Being resourceful people, we checked the college catalog online and discovered there was an independent study course in Mathematics, but not in Computer Science.
It’s been three weeks since my last post. As you might guess, I’ve been busy with new faculty orientation and the first days of class. The topic of “being new again” seems too timely to pass up today; I’ll save lab design for another post (soon, I promise!) Continue reading
When I was a newly minted assistant professor at Grinnell, at first I didn’t know many people beyond my department and the other new faculty. There were the Dean, the division chairs, and the HR representative I met during my interview. I’m sure I met a librarian and some folks from Student Affairs during New Faculty Orientation. But there were whole offices I would only gradually become aware of during the nine years that I spent there.
Starting a new program at Whitman means getting to know these folks very quickly. I’ve sought some out, and some have sought me out. This blog post will address my relationships at Whitman thus far.
Leaving Grinnell was hard. July 1 is the date I physically left Grinnell, and July 31 was my official resignation date, but the truth is it was a process of many months.
The first step was realizing I could leave.
Please note: Whitman College is hiring two tenure-track faculty members in computer science, research area open, beginning in August 2016. Apply online by September 20 for full consideration.
As described in my previous post, immediately after signing my contract with Whitman I engaged with the process of proposing a minor. I also was immediately involved in hiring a visiting faculty member for next year. Soon after, I would also be drawn into searches for a technical staff position and the two tenure-track positions advertised above. Continue reading
Counting From Zero 