[CAUT] New Department Administrators

[wimblees at aol.com]

Rob

My recommendation is to stay out of the fracas. Let those faculty 
members that want to control things, and argue over everything, have 
their way. The best you can do is make a list of the pianos you think 
need replacing, including their condition, current value, replacement 
value, and the cost of parts to fix them. Give that list to the 
department chair, then get out of the way. Offer advice or opinions 
only when asked, and accept any decisions the faculty makes with a 
smile. It's not worth it to get involved in department politics. It's 
the new chair's job to bring order to the chaos.

Wim
Willem Blees, RPT
Piano Tuner/Technician
School of Music
University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL USA

-----Original Message-----
From: Rob & Helen Goodale <rrg at unlv.nevada.edu>
To: caut at ptg.org
Sent: Wed, 14 Jun 2006 17:29:51 -0700
Subject: [CAUT] New Department Administrators

Hello all,

Our music department will be getting a new chair this summer. This 
could mean a lot in terms of pianos. We are in desperate need of new 
instruments. Lately piano replacement funds have been appearing in 
occasional various lump amounts which has allowed the purchase of 17 
pianos within the last few months. I am told that another lump sum can 
be expected. The prospect of this trend continuing, however, is not 
known. We have at least another 25-30 small and medium size grands to 
purchase in order to remedy our immediate needs.

A new Chair could potentially introduce a new way of doing things. My 
feeling is that there are presently "too many cooks in the kitchen". 
There are several individuals contributing to the process which in my 
opinion are hindering more than helping. Although the project involves 
an enormous amount of money and important decisions, I think this is a 
task can best be handled by two or three people rather than a 
"committee" that must debate and argue e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.

I'm sure many on this list have experienced administrative changes and 
certainly every university tech has fought the unsung battle of 
replacing old rotten pianos. This change could either be a blessing or 
make things more complicated than ever. It seems to me a first step is 
to find out a little about this person's past philosophies. I would 
also be interested in hearing other experiences with new 
administrators. Any thoughts/stories appreciated.

Rob Goodale, RPT
Las Vegas, NV
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