Klarinet Archive - Posting 000086.txt from 2002/06

From: GrabnerWG@-----.com
Subj: [kl] A bitter pill to swallow......was Teaching the 'students' of today
Date: Tue, 4 Jun 2002 12:31:28 -0400

In a message dated Tue, 4 Jun 2002 11:03:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time, forestaten@-----.com writes:

<< My recent one year appointment to a Texas university
started with a faculty meeting. The 1st topic on the agenda during that meeting was, "student retention". (it was clear that the administrator meant at all/any costs). >>

Yes, Forest, what you say happened to me several times in the past.

Now, let's think through the logical chain of events if that administrator followed the path of "counsel all the students out who will not be good musicians/music teachers."

1. Percentage of Music Majors drops 50% (any significant number works here).
2. Percentage of Music Minors drops 50%.
3. University Trustees decide that Music School Enrollment is so low that it no longer makes no sense to offer Music degrees
4. The Trustees close the Department (Remember, Universities are businesses too).
5. The "good" Majors and Minors shuttle off to other schools.
6. The Administrator looses his job.
7. You loose your job.
8. If every administrator pursues this course, there are far fewer jobs for you to compete for.

How many of us have the moral integrity strong enough to pursue a course of action that will eventually to put ourselves out of a job, or a career?

That is a bitter pill to swallow. It's one of the reasons that I quit University teaching 20 years ago.

Walter Grabner
who is.....cheerfully self-employed....finallly
www.clarinetxpress.com

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