Sabbaticals

Just a quick post to defend the idea of sabbaticals. You may get the idea from this blog that sabbaticals are synonymous with "holidays". Just for the record, our sabbatical is an approved research leave from the University of Saskatchewan. Fabulous? Yes! But the leave is granted to complete work that the U of S approves, and it is a great opportunity to do the kind of work that is very difficult to deal with when you're in the daily mix of political, academic, and otherwise distracting events that are a natural part of university life. This time, it will involve writing a book and completing a couple of other papers.

This is my sixth -- yup, count 'em -- 6th sabbatical leave from the U of S, and I've treasured each one. But not because they are vacations. Instead, they have opened doors that wouldn't have otherwise opened; they've given me the chance to meet and work with some of the best people in the world; they've provided the space to accomplish things I can't manage when I'm running from a College meeting and trying to juggle reports, research, teaching and administration. So, thank you to my university, and to universities everywhere, who understand that sabbaticals are important to moving the academy forward--to accomplishing the fundamental intentions of universities.

I moved into my "permanent" office at the University of Otago today. What a privilege to be welcomed by another great university, and to be given tangible support. Why? Well, first, it will help me get my work done. But it goes way beyond my little research agenda (as lofty as I pretend it is). More importantly, this is part of a larger tradition. Universities around the globe value the movement and engagement of ideas, and allowing itinerant professors from another part of the globe to visit, participate, and collaborate, advances the academy in very real, very important ways. How great it is to be part of this tradition!

So, thank you to my old friend Gill Rutherford at the College of Education, and my new friends Jenny McDonald and Rosemary McBryde at the Higher Education Development Centre at the University of Otago. I only hope I get the opportunity to repay their generosity, and to welcome them to the University of Saskatchewan some day.

My pal, Dr. Barry Brown, often says, "No matter how screwed up it may seem from time to time, this is the best job in the world." Barry, you're so right. Universities are about larger things, and we can only hope to measure up. I was reminded today that it starts with the generosity of colleagues.