After last week’s post, I realized a note of melancholy had crept in. That’s no good for public relations, and it’s not making me any happier. I decided to reflect a bit on what I like about Whitman and Walla Walla, both the ridiculous and the sublime.
Some readers have expressed interest in hearing about differences between Whitman and Grinnell. I recently encountered and responded to one such difference.
On Thursday, I met with a student to discuss possible independent study projects for the spring semester. At the end of our discussion, we talked about next steps. I asked, “How does one register for an independent study at Whitman?” The student didn’t know; he hadn’t done one before. Being resourceful people, we checked the college catalog online and discovered there was an independent study course in Mathematics, but not in Computer Science.
It’s been three weeks since my last post. As you might guess, I’ve been busy with new faculty orientation and the first days of class. The topic of “being new again” seems too timely to pass up today; I’ll save lab design for another post (soon, I promise!) Continue reading
Leaving Grinnell was hard. July 1 is the date I physically left Grinnell, and July 31 was my official resignation date, but the truth is it was a process of many months.
The first step was realizing I could leave.
Please note: Whitman College is hiring two tenure-track faculty members in computer science, research area open, beginning in August 2016. Apply online by September 20 for full consideration.
As described in my previous post, immediately after signing my contract with Whitman I engaged with the process of proposing a minor. I also was immediately involved in hiring a visiting faculty member for next year. Soon after, I would also be drawn into searches for a technical staff position and the two tenure-track positions advertised above. Continue reading
A year ago today, I was at the CRA‘s biennial chairs’ summit at Snowbird, having never been a department chair myself. At home, I was preparing to teach a new software development course, putting up jam, and planning a renovation project. I had no interest in leaving Grinnell and no idea I would soon be founding a new computer science program. So how did I get here? Continue reading
Two weeks ago today, I arrived in Walla Walla with my intrepid husband, Brooks, and our two anxious cats. My mission: To build a brand new computer science program at Whitman College.
Although this is the first post in my new blog, “Counting from Zero,” it is by no means the beginning of the story. In this post, I’ll narrate my arrival at Whitman and my first two weeks here. My story briefly introduces many of the players and many topics for future posts. Continue reading