Beware of

After 23 years of working in higher education there is one thing I know is true - with each new administrator comes a new way of doing things. I have always been amazed at how quickly new hires plow in and start changing policy. As an example, a new VP comes in and based on very little knowledge, if any, on topic A and learning the culture of the institution he suggests that the school should mandate that students take a placement test in math regardless of their SAT scores. Now, if you follow the logic that SAT scores predict success in college this plan would run counter to the previous policy where only a few students would be tested. In this example, there would be a mini war from several factions. And why would a war erupt? There are three reasons why an uproar would take place.

First, its very possible that any prior conversations about this topic was never relayed to the newby or better yet, he may have been privy to the conversation via a colleague but chose to ignore it. Second, as a new person he needs to test his mettle and has decided to put his new loved theory into practice. Third, he may not have a lot of experience in this area but he was put in charge. The end result would be a new policy put in place on top of another policy that probably worked just fine but this one now has the signature of the new VP.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not simply trying to be melodramatic here but this is reality in higher education and other places as well. I think its unfortunate but like many other things, i.e. illegal immigration, the policy already in place should be looked at and tweaked if need be. Creating new policies aren't always the most cost effective, most reasonable or simply most appropriate.