I have not posted here for several months and I intend to begin to remedy that neglect soon.
Right now I am using this forum to announce I intend to pursue a full leave of absence over the course of the entire 2020-2021 academic year from all of the normal responsibilities of my job as a professor in order to focus my overwhelming priority attention on writing significant portions of two prospective books: Ian Curtis, the Myth and the Music–Critical Theoretical Perspectives and 21st Century British TV Detective Series: a Critical Guide. My aim is to write sufficient portions of both books to send these off to prospective publishers to elicit interest in a book contract in each case.
I have been working on, and especially toward, these two book projects for quite some time now. Both draw upon my experience teaching five classes in each case, and both represent enormous personal passions of mine. Increasingly I have recognized these are career-culminating projects, as in the former book I will address how I make sense of critical theory, and of its relevance and importance, especially in connection with popular culture, and in the latter book I will address how I make sense of moving-image culture and in what ways I find critical studies in moving-image culture to be especially valuable.
My partner and I have secured external funding to pay the entire cost of this leave of absence, so this will be a fully funded leave, and not a partially funded leave, as would be the case with a sabbatical.
I applied for a sabbatical while also seeking to secure this external funding for a leave of absence, in which I will give up the entirety of my university salary for one full year, because I wanted to maximize my opportunities and because I knew at this stage in my career, and in my work on and toward these book projects, giving myself a fair shot to make significant progress toward realizing what I have in mind to do with them is by far the most important work I could possibly be doing. I love teaching, it has been a fantastic life, and I am happy as well to do my part as a responsible university citizen in a variety of forms of institutional service, but I have accomplished everything in both directions I have ever maintained any ambition to accomplish. Now I need to give myself the opportunity to do the serious and sustained scholarly work I worked long and hard to train to be able to do, and which I know I can do, but which is virtually impossible in combination with the routine demands of a regular academic year and a full series of teaching and institutional responsibilities, especially as someone who deals with the significantly impairing impacts of multiple serious health and ability issues, which worsen with age. I cannot shortchange my students, and aim to do any less than the best I possibly can in teaching, and I aim to do my fair share in institutional service, even though I do that primarily out of a sense of duty, not any intrinsic satisfaction for what it encompasses (totally unlike teaching, which is an absolutely brilliant experience, and an absolutely brilliant vocation).
In my sabbatical application I followed the explicit advice, from our meeting and discussion late last spring, of the Director of our UW-Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, and I also prepared and submitted an early version of my proposal so that she, and an external reviewer, could carefully review what I had prepared and offer advice on how to improve it before submitting this proposal for official consideration. I followed all of their advice. Both told me that my proposed sabbatical project was impressive and important, and deserved funding. However, I knew sabbaticals are extremely competitive at UW-Eau Claire at present, younger people earlier in their career are given priority, and a host of different people at successive levels of scrutiny, maintaining multiple different motives, are involved in making the judgments of what proposals receive official support, and what not. I didn't want to risk losing out, so I made contingent plans well ahead of time. Certainly I believe this is by far the strongest and most impressive and worthwhile project for which I have ever sought any kind of institutional funding support during my entire time at UW-Eau Claire, and I worked harder on this proposal, by far, than on any other such application. Nevertheless, I have no time to be disappointed, or to worry about any of that. I have the means I need to attempt to do what I want to try to do. In fact, I will have greater financial support, and no responsibility of accountability to the university, since my work on these books will be 100% funded, at my full salary rate, and not funded at all by UW-Eau Claire. This is freeing, and I expect it will prove so in a useful array of different directions, as I proceed.
I had already arranged for a 40% leave of absence in the Spring 2020 semester, in significant part to work on these two books, so I will be able over the course of the Spring and Summer of 2020 to complete all the reading and research I need to do as well as to gather and organize all the materials I will be engaging and drawing upon; that way I can focus entirely on writing throughout the 2020-2021 academic year. I may realize I am not capable of writing these books, given how ambitious they are, but I am optimistic that will turn out not to be the case, and, in any event, it is important for me, as a matter of principle, that I give this my best shot. I owe these two books, and all they represent, no less. I cannot do work like this without securing the necessary material conditions of possibility to realistically strive to do so, and I have now done that–finally. It is exciting, even if somewhat daunting. But I know, from past experience, once I become fully immersed in writing I develop a considerable drive to push forward, a great deal of energy and adrenalin–and considerable passion. I am looking forward to once again reaching that state.
Unlike with previous sabbaticals or partial leaves I maintain no other significant activities I plan to pursue during this period of time. I will aim to be more consistently conscientious in pursuing a comprehensive health and fitness regimen. I will continue to do my radio show, Insurgence, and to help out with WHYS Community Radio. I am interested in pursuing other radio production and broadcasting opportunities, thinking long-term, and will share more about that later. I will continue to help out with NAMI @ UW-Eau Claire, if we can sustain sufficient student interest and help out as useful as faculty advisor for Progressive Students and Alumni. I will continue to contribute as Vice-President of United Faculty and Academic Staff of UW-Eau Claire, including as principal organizer of Empowerment Through Solidarity: a Progressive Film Series. And I will also post here more regularly, including less often merely in the form of a report on what I am and have been doing, or am planning to do. I hope to return to participating actively in the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Eau Claire, and also to pursue a few more local community activities and attend a few more local cultural events. Other than that I expect to be focusing on my, and our (Andy's and my), future, post-retirement plans, including learning more about where we aim to be and how to get ourselves established there, as well as clearing our lives of accumulated possessions we won't need in making that transition. But, again, working on writing the two books will be the overwhelming priority focus for me throughout the 2020-2021 academic year and I will be able to make a crucial jump start toward that end in the spring and summer of 2020.
This has been a busy fall semester. My classes overall have been fine. I've enjoyed all of them and working with the students and teaching assistants a great deal, although I've struggled keeping up with massive amounts of student papers. I have however attempted to be more overtly mindful of how much time and energy the work I do takes and to set strict limits each day beyond which I do not attempt to do more than I am capable. This makes it clear at this institution you cannot, during the fall and spring semesters, be a highly dedicated and hard-working teacher, maintain a conscientious commitment to doing a fair share of institutional service, and take care of significant needs, in terms of chronic illness and invisible disability, while also making any real headway on substantive scholarly projects; it is unfortunate the extent to which this not entirely appreciated by members of the institution, especially in administration, and especially in the perpetual, relentless expectations that we are always ready with ample time and energy still yet available to embrace and take on active roles in a host of new, top-down initiatives. We cannot maintain unrealistic and unhealthful expectations of faculty–and instructional as well as administrative and professional and university service staff–if we want to continue to make this an institution at which people will want to come to work, and stay to work, for a long time–for decades, like me. UW-Eau Claire needs to recognize, respect, and appreciate how absolutely crucial to me, and to my success in everything I do, is the opportunity to carry out the kind of scholarly work I am embarking on during this leave of absence, and that after seven years between leaves, with the pace and extent of what is expected, required, and demanded here ‘full-time', one is likely to become extremely exhausted, and in need of a real break–especially as one gets older and more frail. Sometimes the words are uttered, to suggest such recognition, respect, and appreciation, but the follow-through , often enough, is lacking. When the time comes, I will offer my ‘valedictory' perspective on the prospective future of the kind of institution, and educational offering, that UW-Eau Claire provides. Not yet. I have other priority focuses ahead.