[CAUT] CAUT credential vs. academic program?

[Cy Shuster]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ward & Probst, Inc" <wardprobst at wardprobst.com>
To: "'College and University Technicians'" <caut at ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2007 9:27 PM
Subject: Re: [CAUT] CAUT credential vs. academic program?


> Hi Fred,
> My quibble (not objection) is that "beyond" is inaccurate. The RPT
> examination is based on a relatively broad base of skills that most
> technicians will use in field service- it's general not specialized. The
> CAUT endorsement will be for a relatively narrow base of skills that fit 
> the
> CAUT environment- it's specialized. To me categorizing one of them as 
> beyond
> the other is like comparing a BA in Philosophy with a BA in Piano
> Performance or a BS in Physics with a BA in English.
> My take,
> DP
> Dale Probst, RPT
> Midwestern State University

Here's the easy way to put it: Will RPT status be required in order to 
receive the CAUT endorsement?

* * *

I have another question.  Will the CAUT endorsement result in higher 
salaries, more status, or both, simply because decision-makers in the 
academic enviroment respect "post-grad" degrees?

I'm on this list by virtue of just a year of contract work for a community 
college, but years ago I made an interesting observation when I worked for a 
defense contractor (Hughes).  Since we were a supplier to the Army, we 
gradually took on more and more characteristics of our client.  Our campus 
was assigned building numbers, not names (and painted ugly green to boot). 
Our parking lot had separate areas, with the closer areas assigned to people 
with higher rank.  Job titles and responsibilities paralleled our 
counterparts in the Army.  Some of these changes made it easier to work 
together; others were more cosmetic or cultural, and had a less tangible 
effect (but still real).

There's nothing wrong with aligning the CAUT endorsement to the academic 
environment in such a way as to get the most bang for the buck (as long as 
no PTG goals are diminished).  The easiest wins are sometimes just in 
choosing familiar words, such as "continuing education credits" for PTG 
seminars (this might involve a formal process, too).  What kinds of 
additional credentials can a music professor earn (other than a degree)? 
Choosing a similar name could help.

***

It seems that there's a need for a job title for CAUTs that is farther away 
from Facilities, and closer to a highly-skilled person who maintains 
expensive items to high artistic standards, like someone responsible for a 
collection of paintings in a museum who arranges the gallery as well as 
repairing damage.  At the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, the title is 
"Curator of Musical Instruments".

--Cy Shuster, RPT--
www.shusterpiano.com