I am somewhat embarrassed to say that I have been dealing with Oregon college administrators for nearly seven years now, some good, some bad. Well, some really bad.
But my point is they aren’t all burnt-out or unethical, or just plain mean to students. I wish I could say that I had the magic bullet to turn the sour apples into sweet ones, but I don’t. I do know that even with the bad apples in the bunch it is import to honor and respect the good ones, to encourage their growth.
That is why we are really lucky in Oregon to have presidents like Elizabeth Zinzer from Southern Oregon University and Dan Bernstiene from Portland State University and Ed Ray from Oregon State University and even Dave Frohnmayer here in Eugene, to name a few. These people genuinely care about what they are doing and have a thirst for learning unmatched by anyone I have ever met. They are excellent human beings and it shows in their work.
Some college administrators, like Chancellor George Pernstiener and others, I like to think of as students that couldn’t help but eventually grow up. They care about our campuses, like a good student body president would, and take steps to ensure the well-being of their peers.
I guess my point is, when reading about salary increases that go against the directions of the governor and public employees that get caught stealing money from us so they can renovate their homes, keep in mind that they aren’t all bad and that there is hope for us. Not every public employee deserves jail time or a public flogging and if we throw all of them into one category, we are going to do harm to the good ones. To go against the cliché: One bad apple will not spoil the bunch.
Tim Young
Graduate Studen