Klarinet Archive - Posting 000110.txt from 2002/06

From: "Forest E. Aten Jr." <forestaten@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] A bitter pill to swallow......was Teaching the 'students' of today
Date: Tue, 4 Jun 2002 13:45:44 -0400

Walter,

We need a lot more of this honest approach to counseling. :-)
Just another kind of inflation.

Forest

----- Original Message -----
From: <GrabnerWG@-----.com>
Subject: [kl] A bitter pill to swallow......was Teaching the 'students' of
today

> 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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