Last Day
17 Aug 2006|
Last Day... Begin Carousel... (from the movie Logan's Run [1976]) Today was my last day at WVU Tech. For the past year I have held the rank of Visiting Instructor. That is a one-year appointment, which I had hoped would be renewed or that I would move into a fulltime permanent position. Unfortunately, neither happened. (Maybe unfortunately, we'll see.) Tech has been my campus. I was a physics major there 1987-1991. I taught in the math department 1992-1997 (and completed my math degree in 1993), and taught for multiple departments 2004-2006. The commute to Tech all those years comes to an estimated 117,000 miles and 2,600 hours on Route 61 from Oak Hill to Montgomery and back. (That averages 45 MPH! <chuckle> Did I mention my physics and math?) Throughout my years at Tech, I have always had to deal with some issue. As a student, my freshman year's tuition waiver was lost. As an adjunct instructor, I had no benefits and rather low pay. As an instructor the past couple of years, parts of my salary have been lost on more than one occasion. For the past three months I have been chasing more than $8,000 that somehow was lost in the system. (Last year it was over $7,000 that escaped but was finally located.) This summer, two fulltime positions were posted, both of which I have done before on a parttime basis. Below are the lovely letters (click to view) I received following my interviews. 
I love Tech. I love working with the faculty and staff at Tech. But, the past few months have been sufficiently frustrating that I am not disappointed to not be working there now. That is unfortunate. So, tonight, I met my computer class in Charleston for our last session. As of 9:00PM, I was unemployed. I returned to Montgomery with the state vehicle, slid some paperwork and my keys under the president's secretary's door, and listened to the front door latch behind me as I walked out of Davis Hall. Below are some pictures from the day, my Last Day, at Tech. |
| One Moment |
