Good (Professional) News

Got some good news yesterday, career-wise: I was awarded a sabbatical for next fall. This means instead of teaching, I'll work on a research project for the semester, with the expectation that I'll publish the results.

Some schools automatically give sabbaticals to chairs as they finish up their terms, but Southern doesn't. It's competitive -- you write a proposal describing your project, and it's reviewed by an elected committee, then by the President, then by the Board of Trustees. There are usually 23 given out each year, with maybe 35-40 applications. I was ranked 14. The president's letter came yesterday, so it's official.

My research specialization involves looking at writing in nonprofit organizations (and the way that writing can be used in the classroom). For my project, I'll look at the ways nonprofits are using writing on the internet in new and creative ways. Should be fun, and it will help my students, since they'll likey encounter (or create) online writing in the workplace some day.

Mostly, though, the sabbatical helps give me a nice a nice long-term perspective on things. I'm back to thinking of myself as a teacher and researcher, not as a department chair -- and those are the things make me happy at work.