Condemned to Repeat History: Lessons I’m Still Learning

摘要

It sometimes seems like the trials and tribulations (and, once in arnwhile, triumphs) we face in our jobs are a direct result of change.rnAnd while a new worm, a new version of an operating system, arnnew demand for us to provide some service that we’ve neverrnprovided before, continue to challenge us. However, even in thernface of these changes, I think there are some principles that havernremained relatively constant over the past decade or so.rn1. We are still service providers, responsible to the consumers inrnour campus communities for meeting their needs appropriately.rn3. We still have a teaching role to fill. Again, what we need tornteach might have changed. (Or maybe not?) There is still anrnimportant niche for us as educators on our campuses.rn4. We still have to strike a balance: do we exercise completerncontrol, or do we allow complete autonomy? Each of ourrnorganizations has to find its proper location on that spectrum.rnIn my presentation, I will illustrate each of these points withrnexamples from the past and present, and I hope my listeners willrnbe encouraged to contribute some of their own examples (orrncounterexamples) during the discussion period. Hopefully, byrnthinking a little bit about our history, we will not be condemned tornre-learn old lessons.