Vacated

Professors seem to be under the odd impression that they have this thing called "summer vacation."  During summer vacation, these professors have the temerity to pull up stakes and head to Europe.  Or bury themselves in libraries.  Or sit in front of the computer and write that book they need for tenure.  Etc., etc., etc.  Now, it's not altogether surprising that professors would have this odd impression, because most of us are on nine-month contracts and have no obligations to the campus in the summer months (unless, of course, we sign on for summer school or summer administrative duties).

During my various and sundry stints as undergraduate advisor and graduate coordinator, I've repeatedly had to explain (tactfully or not) that students cannot count on finishing degree requirements during the summer.   Granted, some of us will cheerfully donate the time to read an MA thesis--or receive a pittance to direct an independent study--but, as a general rule, we tend to operate on the assumption that we're on vacation.  It shouldn't be difficult to understand that someone on vacation may be impossible to reach (especially when they're researching Anglo-Norman literature in Hawaii), but somehow...it always is.  These conversations become even more frustrating when the student has ignored earlier advice about time management, thereby setting him- or herself up for a Series of Unfortunate Events. 

Comments

[Victor]

I find that my employers--my "supervisors"--the chairperson and the dean--have a much harder time accepting the idea of "Vacation" than my students do.

[reggie]

As someone who is planning to defend his dissertation this summer I guess I can only respond "guilty as charged!"

[A. G. Rud]

This is one of the hardest things to deal with as a 12 month administrator who now is a 10 month faculty member. Even though I teach in the summer, I try to tell grad students that that is really all I am doing, no heavy duty work as I am really only teaching. But still, especially in colleges of ed, it is the teachers and principals tryiing to get a leg up in the summer that really must work with you. So I try to compromise...well, tomorrow, a pre-prelim meeting will be at Panera, not a dull conference room!