This morning I received an e-mail inviting me to attend a course offered by Human Resources called “Time-wise.” Once again, after more than three decades on the faculty at this university it looks like the new administration is hell bent on “civilizing” and teaching us, the indigenous “primitives,” how to conduct ourselves in our work. After all, the times are a’changin’, and we must learn new tricks.

In the interest of time and brevity, I will make my points short and concise.

• It is absolutely ludicrous to spend money and time on this course when the university is in such dire financial straits that the administration has frozen hiring of new faculty and staff who could ease our burdens.

• It is equally ludicrous and insulting to assume that individuals who have earned Ph.D.’s, publish, teach, and do committee work do not have time management skills or could not figure them out if they had any desire to improve.

• It is scary but reasonable to think that existence of the course, whose purpose is to “discover how mastering time saves money, and devise a plan to start incorporating positive habits” and thus do a better job at work and one’s life, may be used to argue that faculty are not presently productive enough.

In short, I resent and am deeply offended by this offering’s implication that the “productivity” of Kent State faculty is apparently deemed insufficient. What a waste of time… and a great faculty morale booster!!!

Yoram Eckstein, Professor Department of Geology