Sunday, February 13, 2011

Back to Work

Retired and back to work? Good news or bad? For me it is good news. I retired on 30 June and spent three months reviewing copy edits of Practical Research Methods, then we headed to Malaysia and India. Since then our days were spent packing or unpacking. Now that is done I welcome the chance to do something more challenging then going to the Y, reading the Times, and answering e-mail.

On Monday I head to Starkville, Mississippi to lead a NASPAA accreditation site visit team. Fortunately I still have 4 black suits; I put one on to make sure that my shape hadn't changed in the past 10 months when I last wore it. This site visit should be interesting - bad economy, diminishing budgets, and disdain for government. I wonder how students will view their futures and if the faculty plans changes in reaction to current challenges.

Once I return I will start to design a workshop for the United Nations Staff College in Italy. This unexpected opportunity came via a former student. The course, as of yet untitled, will focus planning and evaluation skills. I have surfed the web to identify potential resources and examples and reviewed resources that I have used in the past - resources that clicked with me and students. I am surprised and forunate that what I have learned, taught, and written about has opened up international opportunities (India, Italy, and Malaysia).

This week I "attended" a webnar on partnerships. Not exactly what I expected, but interesting enough to get me ready to resume my research on Malaysian collaborations.

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