Clumpiness of Life

Astronomers have found that matter is not evenly distributed across the universe; it's a clumpy distribution. Hence we have galaxies.  I find this a very useful analogy of how human life unfolds: in clumps of business and events. I've been in one of those clumps for the past few weeks. Not oppressively dense, but dense enough to need to stay focused on timelines and deadlines and tasks.

One contributor to the clump was an invitation to return to RWJF in Princeton, NJ, to continue the discussion of the future of public health nursing. We were a small group and spent a full day of identifying barriers and possible solutions to improving and supporting the existing workforce. So, I prepared a little handout for the meeting and made the round trip in two days. I felt as though it was a good discussion and now we will wait and see what RWJF decides to do.

Another contributor the recent clump has been students wanting to meet about their MPH capstone paper. It's usually this time of year that those who want to graduate in May come asking for help. I think of this as a good thing. But, these meetings do fill up the calendar. Thankfully, those I have spoken with seem to be on task, on target and on time. To be honest, the capstone paper is the one activity in which I really work with the students, helping them pull all the content together into a package that will help them get a job.

A third contributor to the clumpiness is the revisions to my textbook. In July I forwarded all the chapters for the 3rd edition. Now, I am getting those files back with questions from the editor. Things like "this url is outdated" and "where does this table go".  Things that need attention to make the book as good as possible. But, these little things take time. There's no glossing over them.

The last clump contributor was the decision to write a grant proposal for a Dec 5 deadline. Although I am not the PI, the research team (more the proposal team) have swung into high gear.  These deadlines have a way of motivating, being a distraction, and generating some anxiety. I'll update the blog with how the project progresses.

Now, that the clump is thinning, a little, I can make my way back to the routine work of HCMR editorship, course instructor, research collaborator, and manuscript writer.  I guess the clumpiness analogy only goes so far; there's no vacuum in my life.

Realities of the Semester Start

Each semester begins with a mix of ease and stumbles. The stumble this semester originated in the bookstore.

One of my students sent an email the week before the first class asking whether it was okay to use the book on the bookstore shelves, despite it not being the same as the one on the course syllabus.  Needless to say, I was perplexed. After a few email exchanges with the bookstore, I learned that they had substituted a newer book for the text that I had ordered which was no longer in print.  The stumble was that the bookstore never notified me of this. An obvious communication failure.

Not so many years ago, this mix up would have only had one resolution-buy what was on the bookstore shelf. Now, students can get old books from a variety of online sources.  While having that option is wonderful, it also left me with no way to know how many students had gone online for the older book versus how many had purchased the newer textbook at the bookstore. In short, I was stumped by the technology, the ready access to a host of resources and no means to anticipate. 

What are the possible lessons?   

    1)  Don’t assume that a textbook stays in print.

    2)  Don’t assume that the bookstore is prefect in its functioning.

    3)  At least one student will point out the failings and problems.

    4)  Being flexible remains a good approach.

During the first class, I addressed the problem and hopefully calmed fears that both would work, albeit slightly differently.  I did not hear any complaining. I think they were mostly glad that not to have to buy a different book.

Semester Ready

Friday the SPH building will be full with new students, faculty and some current students. All attending the orientation. The orientation blends ritual with a tiny element of infomercial and blind dating. This year our division has so many incoming students that we no longer fit in the larger of the classrooms; the gathering of new students and faculty will, instead, be in the auditorium. Far less personal than preferred, but we also won't complain about having so many students. The numbers are a testimony to the current popularity of public health.

As I have more and more academic cycles behind me, the newness of the year is hard to generate. What is new for these incoming students is what we faculty have been working to improve for years. What is unknown to these students, we see as the beginning of a recognizable pattern.

One big thing remains impossible to predict as the students introduce themselves--who will whiz through without difficulty or challenging situations and who will falter, linger and fade unfinished. Naturally, we hope that we have admitted only students fitting into the first category. But, as I review and add to my advisee list, a few names have been there too long. These students, yeas ago at orientation, were also filled with expectations and hope for a public health career.

Hope, enthusiastic expectations, energetic commitment and excitement.... may the entire academic year be infused with these delightful qualities that fill the day of orientation.

Most people think of teachers as not working during July. So not true for me. Yes, I had a real 2 week vacation in June. So far, some surprises have emerged in July.

A junior faculty (Assistant level with only 3 years of experience) contacted me to be her mentor on a grant. A wonderful surprise. This type of being sought out not only makes the ego feel good, but it also validates my experiences and expertise. Naturally, I told her that I'd be delighted to work with her, which was immediately followed by a flurry of emails and meetings on making her topic doable within the grant budget. Being a mentor tends to be as much about giving support as it is about giving research advise. Only time will tell whether her grant gets funded. Meanwhile, I am blessed with pushing her and myself in new directions.

One of the looming dooming factors in her being able to apply for the funding is the state budget which has cuts to University support. Once again, the state support is scaled back.  It breaks my heart to see the overall economy (local and global) has been affecting higher education. When I started as a faculty, the presence of international graduate students underscored the global prestige and value of the U.S. university system. I always viewed it as a huge national asset which never seems to be counted in import/export estimations. Over my career, especially in the past 7-10 years, it feels like we as a nation have lost so much in terms of higher education.

My concern is how to regain, in an innovative replace and replenish way, what has been lost, dropped or deleted. My concern is for other junior faculty who might become discouraged or disheartened with the state of higher education and seek alternative careers. We need the bright, new thinking represented by this junior faculty. As a society, we need to be willing to re-engineer higher education in ways that will keep the U.S. at the forefront of technology and knowledge generation.

Summer Summary

Life, academic life, has been unfolding in marvelous ways. I can go into details, if you ask, but here's the Cliff Notes version ~ 

One of the unanticipated benefits of being an Editor involves travel. In February, I went to Milan, Italy to spend a day with health economics and administration faculty at Bocconi University. Naturally, I added a little sightseeing after the work was done. In November, I will return to Italy as invited keynote speaker at an international conference, and again add a few tourist days. 

But, travel invitations also come from being recognized as an expert in public health nursing. That's how I got the invitation to speak at a conference in Ireland next year, as well as the invitation to the ASTHO biannual meeting of human resource directors. in May.

I missed going to AcademyHealth in Orlando in June, having gone to the Keeneland Conference in April instead. Well, and truth be told, I had a vacation retreat where I earned nursing CEU for attending a 5 day workshop on Qigong from Dr. Roger Jahnke.

Meanwhile, back at the not-so-ranch, starting with the new academic year, we will have a new Division Director, after much ado. In spring, we lost our Administrative Assistant to cancer and that shook up faculty, especial our cancer survivors. In her position, we now have someone who has brought renewed energy and vision.

My grants keep my busy. The KRISP project is now in a final 6 months of intervention and I will be losing my project coordinator, Hilary. I loss to me, a gain for her. This is how soft-money life goes. The RWJF grant, nicknamed MCAH Preserves just to be cute and unique, is also going well with data focused activities underway.

Now, that gets you caught on the big strokes outline of what has been happening. More details and reflections to follow on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.