Well, This is a Bit Unexpected
I’ve been in the driver’s seat at TechAlum for about a year, and I wanted to thank each and every one of you for helping me come to grips with it.
I know it’s not the same newsletter Dennis crafted, though we’ve both had a bit of fun with music along the way. How many people would put Public Enemy lyrics in an alumni message, after all?
Today I move over to the world of dance music for inspiration. Axwell ^ Ingrosso’s “On My Way” seems to fit. Because, as it happens, this is my final issue.
I’m gonna place my bet on every step I take
Go tell everyone under the sun
I’m on my way
I’ve mentioned more than once in this space my time in the classroom. 15 years, actually. And when you consider that I’m 37, it’s been a massive chunk of my adult life. Full-time faculty jobs can be difficult to come by, though, and my focus is on teaching, not research or publishing.
The places where I most enjoy teaching are two-year colleges. It’s where I started as an educator, and it’s where I kept coming up just short for a full-time position. So, looking at it as an arms race, I decided to get my doctorate. That brought me here.
And if I hit rock bottom
I’m gonna smile and dance with every step I take
It’s been a long road. I completed my doctorate in 2012, starting here in University Marketing and Communications a few months later. I rather enjoy writing, though I’m a very different kind of writer: I think of it as painting with words. It’s why I’ve enjoyed writing about the All-Nighter each year.
But that’s not academic writing, news writing, or marketing writing. Writing a press release is like torture to me. I was an odd hire. All the while, my time in the classroom has been limited to the irregular classes I get here and some evening classes at Finlandia.
Last spring I put myself on the job market. I really believe UMC and Michigan Tech need a different writer than me, someone better, and I needed to get back to doing the thing I got into higher education for in the first place.
Go tell everyone under the sun
I’m on my way
On my way
I was a finalist for five positions over the summer, managing to go 0 for 5. I thought I might be demoted to AAA. But it also took me to places like Petoskey and Tulsa, Rhinelander and Wenatchee, Washington. It was a reminder of what is possible.
I got two classes this term here at Tech, and juggling my writing responsibilities with that, I had a good chance to decide once and for all which I should be doing. It was, admittedly, an easy choice.
This fall I submitted more applications. I got calls from Lake Tahoe and Prescott, Arizona. And then there’s Elko, Nevada. Home of Great Basin College… and, as you’re reading this, the place that I will call home come this weekend.
So at the same time, I want to say both thank you for how wonderful you’ve all been to me and I’m sorry—sorry for leaving so soon, especially with the long terms Dennis and Dean put in.
I have a few thank-yous, of course: First and foremost I have to thank Brenda Rudiger for trusting me to steer this ship for a bit. I’ve known Brenda for longer than I’ve been in this position, and you will not meet a more wonderful human being.
Scott Balyo, editorial director and my boss, deserves a lot of credit as well. I’m not the easiest person to manage, but Scott was exactly the supervisor I needed this year. Thank you, Scott.
Crystal Verran has done so much to keep me organized, especially this year where, at one point, I was the writer. Thanks to Erin, Kay, Heather, and Steven in Alumni Relations. There are tons more. You know.
And once again, thank you.
On my way
Thanks for reading.
A big thank you to Kevin for taking on TechAlum over the past year. We wish him all the best in his new role in Nevada. (I suspect he is leaving his Yooper Scoop behind.) [Yes, yes I am. –Kevin]
Over the next few months, a variety of guest columnists will be sharing their expertise in this space. We would love to hear what you would be most interested in reading about. Just send a note to techalum@mtu.edu or give me a call at 1-906-487-2400.
Happy New Year!
Brenda Rudiger
Executive Director
Alumni Relations
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