Odds & Ends II
Top of the News...
Well, my post last night was rather fortuitous-- or better yet, timely. This morning, I received a couple of pages on my SK: the Gallaudet Presidential Search Committee announced the final three candidates, one of whom will become Gallaudet University's ninth president. By now, just about everyone who's plugged into the Deaf grapevine knows who they are: Jane Kelleher Fernandes, Steve Weiner, and Ron Stern (and if you're paying attention at Gally Watch, I understand Koko is still in the running as well).
Alas, Koko's no longer my choice; neither are the other three, sadly enough. Each has something that the next President needs, but none of them is "it." I can't really second-guess the search committee, but my humble opinion is they could have done better. According to the press release, 21 deaf/hard-of-hearing applicants threw their hats in the ring- that's the good news. A much smaller pool of such viable candidates surfaced nearly 20 years ago, and the fact that 21 people felt they qualified is a positive comment about the Deaf community today.
I am merely commenting from afar; not only am I not privy to the search committee's thoughts, I don't even have the benefit of being on campus to saturate myself in the fury of the gossip machine that is Gallaudet. I also won't be able to attend any of the upcoming campus presentations (if you're in the DC area and so inclined, the press release and presentation calendar is here).
On paper, Fernandes is the clear-cut choice; she has the academic bona fides and administrative experience. She also didn't get where she is solely through luck or sheer politics, so despite the lack of enthusiasm about her in many quarters, she obviously has accomplished enough in her various jobs to get her to this point. Although I don't have any personal stories to draw upon, it seems quite a number of people are, as I said, unenthusiastic about her that her selection may not be quite so beneficial for the university.
Gallaudet's homeboy choice is Weiner. While he obviously has his champions on (and off) campus, he also has his detractors. While he may be personable, charisma is not the sole criteria of the job. I'm not so sure he has what it takes for such a demanding position; then again, he may surprise people. His academic background is adequate-- there's nothing particularly outstanding about it, but he does have a doctorate, did serve as Dean (there was some perception at the time of his appointment that it was a reward for working on a massive overhaul of Gallaudet programs, and not necessarily due to other factors), and has taught. The more I think about it, really, the more I think Weiner may be the stealth choice here. He's not the most inspiring or obvious choice, but he does satisfy a fair number of criteria.
The sole "outsider" is Ron Stern. Stern's strength is his reputation within the deaf education community, his "outsider" status, and his jobs at Fremont and now at NMSD, which afforded him the opportunity to develop some politicking skills with state and local pols. His two biggest drawbacks (which are also my biggest concerns) are his (current) lack of a Ph.D. and his job history, which so far has been limited to K-12 education. The Deaf community may be willing to overlook that, but from my (brief) sojourn in academia, I can tell you right now that not having a Ph.D. or experience working in higher education does not merit even advancing to the interview round at most colleges and universities, and could be looked at askance by quite a few people, including those sitting on Capitol Hill and elsewhere in the DC academic community. My take is if Stern had earned his doctorate long before this, and had done a stint, however brief, at the college/university level, the red carpet would have been rolled out for him for this job long ago.
The ideal candidate would have Fernandes' academic credentials and work history, Weiner's personability and campus ties, and Stern's intimate knowledge of K-12 education and "hearing" political know-how. Unfortunately, that's not what we have here. Each of the three has something the other needs; none of them has the whole package.
To be fair, I. King Jordan wasn't a complete package either when he applied for the job. He was a well-regarded dean with the appropriate academic degrees and experience in academia, but his footing within the Deaf community was not as strong as some might have wished. Additionally, he didn't have any "political" skills either.
It's hard to say what the final outcome will be. I want to muse on this some more, but feel free to share your own thoughts as well!
It's Let's Dump On Crummy Time...
Yesterday I mentioned Lt. General Newbold's missive against our modern day Minister of Ares. Well, when it rains, it pours. Two more from the ranks of the top brass say (C)Rummy needs to retire, pronto. This time, it's a bit more influential: Major General John Batiste commanded our forces in Iraq in 2003-2004, and thus has a bit more credibility regarding criticism compared with earlier criticism (all of which is valid, of course). He was quickly followed by another retired general, Charles Swannack. I guess it's time to start a pool to see just how many days until a certain someone decides he needs to *ahem* spend more time with his loving family...
Right Around the Corner
Well, come Tuesday, we'll be remembering the Great Quake and Fire of 1906-- I covered this nearly a month ago, but in the last few days, the San Francisco Chronicle has been running a great series detailing the events of that long-ago April. If you have some time, you may want to check it out.
The Boob Tube
Yeah, yeah-- I bet you're thinking I'm going to make some sophomoric joke about soft-core porn and television-- well, you wouldn't be too far wrong. I think TV is pornographic in a lot of ways, even though there are bright spots here and there ("Lost" and "24" definitely qualify). But what's really shocking (or maybe not so much...?) is this report from the Center for Media and Democracy. Apparently 77 television stations, quite a few of which are owned by Sinclair, have aired what are basically corporate-sponsored PR segments and passed them off as "news." Some of you may remember Sinclair from one of its greatest hits, the airing of an anti-Kerry film just days before the 2004 election, pre-empting its regular programming. This is the same corporate broadcasting behemoth that pulled a special "Nightline" program showing the names of those soldiers who had died in Iraq. So I guess Sinclair's involvement in airing "fake news" isn't too surprising. As for me, it's just yet another reason to avoid getting my news from television.
On that note, it's time for me to stop sating my news junkie fix and hit the sack. Later, folks.
Well, my post last night was rather fortuitous-- or better yet, timely. This morning, I received a couple of pages on my SK: the Gallaudet Presidential Search Committee announced the final three candidates, one of whom will become Gallaudet University's ninth president. By now, just about everyone who's plugged into the Deaf grapevine knows who they are: Jane Kelleher Fernandes, Steve Weiner, and Ron Stern (and if you're paying attention at Gally Watch, I understand Koko is still in the running as well).
Alas, Koko's no longer my choice; neither are the other three, sadly enough. Each has something that the next President needs, but none of them is "it." I can't really second-guess the search committee, but my humble opinion is they could have done better. According to the press release, 21 deaf/hard-of-hearing applicants threw their hats in the ring- that's the good news. A much smaller pool of such viable candidates surfaced nearly 20 years ago, and the fact that 21 people felt they qualified is a positive comment about the Deaf community today.
I am merely commenting from afar; not only am I not privy to the search committee's thoughts, I don't even have the benefit of being on campus to saturate myself in the fury of the gossip machine that is Gallaudet. I also won't be able to attend any of the upcoming campus presentations (if you're in the DC area and so inclined, the press release and presentation calendar is here).
On paper, Fernandes is the clear-cut choice; she has the academic bona fides and administrative experience. She also didn't get where she is solely through luck or sheer politics, so despite the lack of enthusiasm about her in many quarters, she obviously has accomplished enough in her various jobs to get her to this point. Although I don't have any personal stories to draw upon, it seems quite a number of people are, as I said, unenthusiastic about her that her selection may not be quite so beneficial for the university.
Gallaudet's homeboy choice is Weiner. While he obviously has his champions on (and off) campus, he also has his detractors. While he may be personable, charisma is not the sole criteria of the job. I'm not so sure he has what it takes for such a demanding position; then again, he may surprise people. His academic background is adequate-- there's nothing particularly outstanding about it, but he does have a doctorate, did serve as Dean (there was some perception at the time of his appointment that it was a reward for working on a massive overhaul of Gallaudet programs, and not necessarily due to other factors), and has taught. The more I think about it, really, the more I think Weiner may be the stealth choice here. He's not the most inspiring or obvious choice, but he does satisfy a fair number of criteria.
The sole "outsider" is Ron Stern. Stern's strength is his reputation within the deaf education community, his "outsider" status, and his jobs at Fremont and now at NMSD, which afforded him the opportunity to develop some politicking skills with state and local pols. His two biggest drawbacks (which are also my biggest concerns) are his (current) lack of a Ph.D. and his job history, which so far has been limited to K-12 education. The Deaf community may be willing to overlook that, but from my (brief) sojourn in academia, I can tell you right now that not having a Ph.D. or experience working in higher education does not merit even advancing to the interview round at most colleges and universities, and could be looked at askance by quite a few people, including those sitting on Capitol Hill and elsewhere in the DC academic community. My take is if Stern had earned his doctorate long before this, and had done a stint, however brief, at the college/university level, the red carpet would have been rolled out for him for this job long ago.
The ideal candidate would have Fernandes' academic credentials and work history, Weiner's personability and campus ties, and Stern's intimate knowledge of K-12 education and "hearing" political know-how. Unfortunately, that's not what we have here. Each of the three has something the other needs; none of them has the whole package.
To be fair, I. King Jordan wasn't a complete package either when he applied for the job. He was a well-regarded dean with the appropriate academic degrees and experience in academia, but his footing within the Deaf community was not as strong as some might have wished. Additionally, he didn't have any "political" skills either.
It's hard to say what the final outcome will be. I want to muse on this some more, but feel free to share your own thoughts as well!
It's Let's Dump On Crummy Time...
Yesterday I mentioned Lt. General Newbold's missive against our modern day Minister of Ares. Well, when it rains, it pours. Two more from the ranks of the top brass say (C)Rummy needs to retire, pronto. This time, it's a bit more influential: Major General John Batiste commanded our forces in Iraq in 2003-2004, and thus has a bit more credibility regarding criticism compared with earlier criticism (all of which is valid, of course). He was quickly followed by another retired general, Charles Swannack. I guess it's time to start a pool to see just how many days until a certain someone decides he needs to *ahem* spend more time with his loving family...
Right Around the Corner
Well, come Tuesday, we'll be remembering the Great Quake and Fire of 1906-- I covered this nearly a month ago, but in the last few days, the San Francisco Chronicle has been running a great series detailing the events of that long-ago April. If you have some time, you may want to check it out.
The Boob Tube
Yeah, yeah-- I bet you're thinking I'm going to make some sophomoric joke about soft-core porn and television-- well, you wouldn't be too far wrong. I think TV is pornographic in a lot of ways, even though there are bright spots here and there ("Lost" and "24" definitely qualify). But what's really shocking (or maybe not so much...?) is this report from the Center for Media and Democracy. Apparently 77 television stations, quite a few of which are owned by Sinclair, have aired what are basically corporate-sponsored PR segments and passed them off as "news." Some of you may remember Sinclair from one of its greatest hits, the airing of an anti-Kerry film just days before the 2004 election, pre-empting its regular programming. This is the same corporate broadcasting behemoth that pulled a special "Nightline" program showing the names of those soldiers who had died in Iraq. So I guess Sinclair's involvement in airing "fake news" isn't too surprising. As for me, it's just yet another reason to avoid getting my news from television.
On that note, it's time for me to stop sating my news junkie fix and hit the sack. Later, folks.
posted by Mr. Sandman | 11:29 PM
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