James Padfield
I did not prepare a text for the Board of Governors meeting, just a few
notecards from which I tried to express my feelings in this matter. From these
notecards, I attempted to present the following points:
1) I regretted finding myself in opposition to several colleagues I have come
to admire and respect. I have served on committees and councils with several who
feel differently than I, and I know first-hand of their dedication and loyalty
to the institution.
2) Nevertheless, I came forward because it has been suggested that
dissatisfaction with the summer schedule — and dissatisfaction with the current
administration — is rampant and widespread across the campus. Within my
experience in the Health and Exercise Sciences program, we are not dissatisfied
with the schedule, we do not feel alienated towards the administration, and our
morale remains high.
3) Our program functions as a team, with each person performing their
position and depending upon the performance of everyone else. In order to
fulfill our primary responsibilities as teachers and researchers we have
willingly given a great deal of administrative authority to our program
director. Our summer program has always been centrally determined in accordance
with the needs of the students. I have absolute confidence in my program
director, he is the best boss I have ever had, and I know that when a decision
is made it has been made for the good of the entire program.
4) I am a high altitude researcher, and that requires me to spend time out in
the mountains of Colorado and Utah. Some summers I teach, and some summers I do
research. That is my choice, as no one promised me employment beyond my
nine-month contract.
5) Large groups are almost always resistant to change. This is a positive
function, as they act as a brake or a muffler to any quick shift in position. At
the same time, if an organization is to remain vibrant, this group conservatism
must be balanced by strong and innovative leadership. All too often groups are
governed by inertia, and it is individuals who initiate change.
6) Five years ago I made one of the biggest gambles of my life. I was three
months unemployed and almost broke when I received an offer for an editorial
position at a scientific publishing house. I turned down that job opportunity
solely on the hope that I might fill the open position in the Health and
Exercise Sciences program at Truman State. Working here has been the grandest
experience in my professional life. My confidence in the administration goes
beyond my program director to include the VPAA and the President. I have worked
many places, both in education and in the corporate world, and I can say
unequivocally that I have never had better bosses — more dedicated to the
institution, more open to input — in my entire life.