Posted by Gwen Urey on November 17, 200 at 09:18:00:
In Reply to: a right to say no? posted by Deirdre Lashgari on October 16, 200 at 17:18:05:
: One of the questions that perpetually nagged me when I was reaching toward tenure:
: "Is it really necessary to say yes to everything?"
I said yes to a lot of things, but tried to keep the responsibilities I added consistent with several principles:
1. Will this help me meet people who I want to be part of my personal or professional networks. In both cases, I want networks that span across departments and beyond the university.
2. Will this responsibility by something about which I can write a valid and meaningful (noncynical) claim about its contribution to my teaching, service or professional development. Do I know how I'll phrase such a claim?
3. If this seems like a shaky undertaking, if I say "yes," do I know ahead of time how I will back out?
Gwen