The Heusens

Lately I've been feeling like an academic joke...kind of like the Sarah Palin of the academic world. Allow me to highlight some similarities for you, boys and girls:

1. Just had baby. Nobody thinks I will be able to pull my weight academically (sort of true)
2. Stopped making sense in conversations due to sleep deprivation.
3. Palin fakes foreign policy skills: "I can see Russia from my house!" I fake econometric skills: "I can see the econ department from the place I eat my lunch!"
   

The latest is this. Indiana hired me to fill their Management Science faculty position. To my credit, I was very transparent in my interviews about having no coursework or research experience in management science. They hired me anyway. Unfortunately, they now want me to TEACH management science in their MPP program. Kill me.

My recent conversation with the dean bore a striking (frightening?) resemblance to Charlie Gibson's recent Sarah Palin interview:

GIBSON: Do you agree with the Bush Doctrine?
PALIN: In what respect, Charlie?
GIBSON: The Bush -- well, what do you -- what do you interpret it to be?
PALIN: His world view

IU DEAN: Can you teach Management Science?
ASHLYN: In what respect, Dean?
IU DEAN: Management Sci...well, what do you interpret management science to be?
ASHLYN: Um, something I know nothing about?

Posted by Ashlyn on Sunday, September 28, 2008 at 2:32 PM | Permalink