|
I am not Fenwick Pettipotter, I swear I’m not. Well, maybe just a little I am. I more resemble Dr. Wanda Funderbinder for whom tenure loomed large and choices had to be made. These are just two of the characters in Gerald Stone’s Faculty Fables: A Campy Exposé (Chautauqua Press, 2011). There are more, many, many more, characters in Stone’s delightful and amusing romp through the halls of academia. In Faculty Fables you will find them all: faculty members, students, and administrators; Stone spares no one with his humor. All are here with theirglorious idiosyncratic eccentricities. And anyone who has ever graced a college campus will recognize traits in faculty, students, and administrators we have encountered. Why, we might even see a bit of ourselves in these pages! Fenwick Pettipotter spends his day circling campus in hopes of spotting a parking place. Who among us has not set our daily schedule by the availability of parking? Dr. Wanda Funderbinder discovered being agood teacher interfered with publishing, and tenure hung in the balance. Sound familiar? Then there is Weggie Thorenblatt who made the mistake of accepting a student’s interpretation of an exam question in class. Or how about those student excuses why I didn’t get my paper in on time. This caused Professor Grimsley to virtually quiver with sensitivity. Gerald Stone sees it all, albeit through rose colored glasses. In the book there is the grading scale, the faculty member who delighted in large words, the administrator who built an empire, how students select a major, and how to build enrollment (a degree in salad bar management will help). Stone’s campy expose pokes fun at all the eccentricities and behaviors found on college campuses, and Stone not only does it with good humor but with a touch of truth that comes too close to home for comfort. Gerald Stone is well suited to write this campy expose. His credentials are impeccable: He is my friend and a long time TAA member (I believe the order correct). In addition Gerald has been a faculty member, scholar, dean, visiting professor, and journal editor. So he has gotten to know (possibly become) many of the characters in the book. Although I believe his long association with TAA, including a turn as president, did not bring him into contact with any of the figures found in the book. I highly recommend Gerald Stone’s Faculty Fables for anyone who has even been a faculty member oradministrator at a college or university. You will recognize these characters on your own campus, only the names have been changed to protect the guilty. And should you have any insecurity about buying this book, consider Dr. Swizzlestix. Buy the book, become a department chair, and all your doubts will disappear. ----------------------------
About the Reviewer
|
Ronald Pynn is Professor Emeritus from the University of North Dakota where he taught political science from 1971-1997 and TAA President. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. While at North Dakota he served as chairman of the Department of Political Science for 12 years and he was Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs from 1992-1994. Pynn has written several books on political science, including Watergate and the American Political Process, American Politics: Changing Expectations (5 Edition), Political Economy, and The Election of 1994. Pynn was a charter member of TAA, serving as a senior member during its formation. He has twice been President of TAA (1992-93, 1996-97), and he served as TAA's Executive Director from 1995-2005. He presently resides in Burlington, Vermont.
