Suffering Accreditation

So yes, I am alive. Two accreditations - one to deliver documents and numbers for, and one to suffer visitation - is exceedingly trying. Yes, it is good that we are forced to gather all this stuff in one place on dead trees. But even for the new program - the numbers aren't worth the paper they are printed on!

The number of professors we had in August is not the same as January. One left, we had a number of new hires, and a guest professor. The financial planning has been turned around numerous times. Teachers, responsibilities, rooms - all in flux. It is, after all, a new program.

Sure, it would be wonderful if the school first hired teachers, who carefully created module descriptions that are nicely balanced and nicely built on top of each other. Then these teachers would work out the curricula and hire and train tutors and sort out the room situation and get it all set to go before starting a great advertising campaign and accompanying the program with all sorts of research about the students.

Welcome to Reality 101. No extra money until we demonstrate interest. No interest until we set up the program and it looks good. Chicken and egg. So we build up something out of nothing, bootstrap up, and manage to get students in, hiring process pushed forward, tutors lined up for when financing is available (well, I can spend 75% of last year's budget, which was 0...).

We picked up a lot of flak for things we have no control over. I accept getting beat for things I did myself. But for things I tried to fix but where beyond my control - I don't like that. Yes, I should have thought of this and that and anticipated whatever. I was also busy with a major move and incidentals such as teaching.

And the school could have bought a lot of stuff for the students with the money we sank in the accreditation.

I'm crossing my fingers that we at least get accreditation with conditions that we can fulfill.