The Week Ahead
Looking at my calendar I see a very busy few days coming up, so I have to knuckle down and finish a couple of jobs today, as I won’t get time later in the week.
The most important events of the week ahead are various meetings of various examination boards culminating in the PAB (Progression & Award Board) at which final degree classifications are determined. There is a new system in place this year, and it requires the Head of School (i.e. Muggins here) to chair this meeting, which a number of external examiners also attend and which covers Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy.
Of course the decisions made at this Board can have a huge effect on students’ lives and career prospects, so a huge amount of work goes on beforehand: not just checking and double-checking marks, but also ensuring we follow the regulations scrupulously; because I’m new and the regulations have recently been revised, that’s required quite a lot of behind-the-scenes activity. Some will no doubt be disappointed come the end of the week, but at least we do everything we can to make the process as fair as possible.
The PAB take place on Thursday and marks will be released on Friday (14th) at which point the suspense will be over for this year’s graduating students at Sussex and the celebrations can begin..
I suppose the timetable at universities elsewhere is similar. I know it is in Cardiff, where some students I have known for 4 years will also be getting their results next week. I’ll be thinking of them, though obviously I can’t’ be there in person to congratulate them.
Anyway, good luck to all those at Sussex, Cardiff and anywhere else who are eagerly anticipating or completely dreading news next week. Just remember that triumph and disaster are indeed both impostors..
In between all the exams stuff I also have to fit in trips to London for a meeting of SEPNET and a Royal Society event, as well as Senior Management Group and Senate at the University of Sussex.
Then the undergraduate teaching year will be over, though I don’t see fewer appointments my calendar!
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In the Dark 
June 9, 2013 at 2:49 pm
I’m sure your salary will provide an adequate compensation for your efforts.
June 9, 2013 at 3:04 pm
I’m paid a good salary, but that’s secondary for me because I find my job personally rewarding and I think it’s important. The only downside of the move to Sussex so far is that I miss the teaching. I hope to fix that when the next academic year starts..
June 9, 2013 at 3:29 pm
I’ll do the job for half* the salary. 🙂
* I write half because I don’t know the salary. I might be prepared to do it for a third.
June 9, 2013 at 4:03 pm
Perhaps the salary should be seen as compensation for the endless committee meetings.
June 9, 2013 at 5:51 pm
Some committees are certainly excruciating, but others are actually very interesting – either because they involve a people with a wide diversity of perspectives or because the topic is interesting and/or important. A lot is down to the chair, who has to prevent things from getting bogged down or hijacked by belligerent people while still facilitating a good discussion.
I’ll still grant that this sort of thing is not as interesting or rewarding as either teaching or research, but someone has to do it so that other staff have the best possible environment for them.
June 9, 2013 at 5:36 pm
Bryn,
As far as I’m aware you didn’t apply for the job, so presumably you either didn’t want it or you felt you weren’t qualified…
Peter
June 9, 2013 at 6:45 pm
Ouch.
June 9, 2013 at 8:50 pm
why does the Head of School chair such a committee – are the awarded degrees actually classed as awarded in PMA? otherwise why aren’t your HoD’s competent to chair the Board of Examiners meetings for each of P, M or A?
here in the North the chair of BoE (not the HoD) presides over (what i assume is) the equivalent of your PAB… and given all the levels of anonymisation (?sp) it is almost an algorithmic task.
June 9, 2013 at 9:03 pm
Degree classifications are determined at School rather than Department level at Sussex. It is one of my jobs as Chair to ensure consistency across Departments, e.g. of borderline candidates. Our procedure is also almost algorithmic, which I think is a good thing, but it is my responsibility to ensure that it is actually followed.