New Digs

The assistant dean over my division at the college asked me to change offices in order to be closer to the director of my program area and my other colleagues. This was an unexpected opportunity, but not one I was about to turn down. My current office is a typical 12' x 12' space for junior faculty. In all, I was impressed by the privacy, the corner desk, and the storage space I got. After all, it wasn't the cubicle I had as a grad student. While my current (old) office is a little far away from the action on the other end of the floor, I have been close to my secretary and to the copy room, and I have had friendly neighbors. The change in offices is an opportunity not only because I am closer to the other members of my program area, but also because it's effectively twice as large as my current space. In what is sure to be a contoversial move on the part of my assistant dean, I effectively have been given the kind of upgrade that is typically bestowed upon more senior faculty (i.e., those with tenure). For this reason, I don't know how long my good fortune will last before I am asked to switch again, and I am taking advantage in the meantime. My old office had a southern view of the Student Center Building and a fair amount of good, if intense, southern light (I'll take all the light I can in a city with an average 180 sunny days per year compared to the 273 per year I grew up with). My new office faces east and has views of the art building and the conference center through a row of shade trees along Gullen Mall. I'm looking forward to the extra space and the chances to interact with my new neighbors. The funny thing is that the two offices share essentially the same set of furniture. The only difference is that the new office has a slightly larger round table (for meeting with students) and another table along the window wall. So, I have the same amount of storage space in both offices. I'm looking forward to this new office with more room to stretch out and a nicer view (at least until I get asked to move again!).