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From The Faculty Chair
In the last issue of the Faculty Newsletter, I wrote about faculty workload and what might be done to improve the quality of life for faculty. I seemed to have touched a nerve as I have gotten a number of responses, expressing an interest in discussing and exploring how to make things better. I am quite encouraged by this and am hopeful that we can and will initiate a process to take a serious look at how best to address quality of life issues. This is an ongoing topic of discussion with the administration, the Faculty Policy Committee, and the Council on Family and Work. There will be more to come.
Having said that, I want now to turn the tables, and remind us about what is so special about being a faculty member at MIT. Indeed, for me, it is a privilege beyond my wildest dreams. This is not to say that things could not be better. But all in all, I view myself as being incredibly fortunate, each and every day I come to school. I suspect this is true for many of us.
Much of what is good about MIT is obvious and maybe goes without saying. But I think it's important to highlight and remind ourselves, as the longer we are here, the more we take for granted. When I think of what I do in comparison to my non-MIT friends and neighbors, I'd cite five elements, in no particular order. Your list might be quite different and I am sure there are other considerations that I have overlooked. But these are the features that I think make our job so special.
As should be the case, MIT students come first. They are bright, fresh, and engaging. They continually challenge us and are the stimulus for much innovation and discovery. They work incredibly hard in a cooperative and collegial way; and then they go off and accomplish things that make us proud. Many become our life-long friends and some end up as our colleagues.
As faculty, we have tremendous freedom to choose what we want to do and how we want to do it. I don't recall anyone ever telling me what to do - at least not at MIT. Of course, we assume teaching assignments, but beyond that we can pretty much set our own schedule and agenda. This freedom sometimes makes it hard to explain to the kids what we do each day. But it is an essential condition for the innovation and creativity that we see day in and day out at MIT.
I take great pride in being part of MIT. It is not just that MIT is a great institution with outstanding faculty and students, doing great things. But rather, MIT is a great institution that does the right thing and does things in the right way. We have repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to take a stand on the tough issues of the day, to stick by our principles and values, and to pursue the noble goals of service to our nation and to humanity. The administration and the faculty practice strong and principled leadership on a variety of fronts, and as such, make for an organization of which one is honored to be a member.
In spite of reports to the contrary, I find a vibrant and diverse community at MIT. MIT attracts good people to the faculty and staff, generally treats them well, and rewards them based on merit and accomplishment. We have a healthy, positive work environment, with minimal hierarchy and politics. People get along, with mutual respect and support, and seem to work well together. And our faculty and staff care about what they are doing and about each other, leading to a fairly strong sense of community.
Finally, I'd mention the security we get from tenure. We have a job for life. These days there is virtually no other job category that provides such a guarantee. Knowing that you will never be "between jobs" or trying to make ends meet as an independent consultant, is an incredible luxury, providing invaluable peace of mind for a worrier like myself. I appreciate that a junior faculty member might not have quite the same perspective at this time; but for those of us with tenure, it is a remarkable privilege that truly distinguishes the nature of our employment.
So, I find myself quite thankful for my good fortune. Certainly at times there is too much work to do - the hours are quite long and the rewards seem dubious. And we can most surely make improvements in how we do our work, and how we balance work, family, and other aspects of our lives. But at the same time, we shouldn't lose sight of what's so good and special about our positions as MIT faculty.
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