Retirement
The last 3 years at Mississippi State were not a particularly happy time.
I did my job as best I could for the students, but intra department
goings on were a constant annoyance when it came to dealings with the
Department Chairman.
From my point of view he was incompent, a procrastinator, and a pack rat.
Also at this time I was Chairman of the Department's Tenure and Promotion
Committee. I had no real power, I was only their to precede over the actions
of others to see that they played by the rules and to pass the results
on to the Department Chairman and the College of Engineering.
I had always had a theory about Tenure and Promotion Committiees that
the members had a predisposted opinion on any person before the
Committee met and even before reading a person's application
and the application paper work would be used to support the member's
rational for his or her vote.
The theory proved to be true in one intense while I was Chairman.
Every one at the meeting agreed that this particular application
did not meet our standards for promotion nor tenure.
However, 2 members were adamant that the applicant must be promoted
and given tenure and eventually browbeat enough members, but not me,
to their side, so the vote when taken was for promotion and tenure.
It was now became my job, as Chairman, to interpret, in writing, the applicant's application
in a manner to support the committee's vote.
I could have refused but it wouldn't change anything.
So I made sure in my writing that it was clear the application was
weak and that the vote was not unanimous, in hopes that the
Department Chairman or the Dean would question it.
They didn't.
I'm still shaking my head over that one.