President Obama's inauguration speech was less about hope and more about the challenges we face as a country. And yet, even though there was an acknowledgement of the challenges, it was really more of a challenge to all of us. We the American people are the solution.
It was more We than I. It was sobering yet uplifting.
America has her rallying point. Will we listen? Will we individually act?
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
The Inauguration is almost here
I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's inauguration of President Obama. Truly an historic day in our country.
The challenges to his administration and our country are tremendous. The economy is teetering between bad recession and depression. Jobless rates are approaching 10%. We have record deficits. Our often failed foreign policies, our influence on the rest of the world, our very moral authority, are questioned and our acts as a country have been questionable.
Obama and his team have impressed the majority of the American population with their intelligence, preparation, and planning. They will be hitting the ground running. He's picked a tremendous cabinet. The expectations are high, and things really may get worse before getting better. But for a change we have a President who is not only giving hope, but also challenging all of us to be part of the solution. Public service is being openly encouraged at the highest levels.
I can't wait until tomorrow.
The challenges to his administration and our country are tremendous. The economy is teetering between bad recession and depression. Jobless rates are approaching 10%. We have record deficits. Our often failed foreign policies, our influence on the rest of the world, our very moral authority, are questioned and our acts as a country have been questionable.
Obama and his team have impressed the majority of the American population with their intelligence, preparation, and planning. They will be hitting the ground running. He's picked a tremendous cabinet. The expectations are high, and things really may get worse before getting better. But for a change we have a President who is not only giving hope, but also challenging all of us to be part of the solution. Public service is being openly encouraged at the highest levels.
I can't wait until tomorrow.
6 weeks and counting!
Talk about expectations not living up to reality. There has not been an official decision concerning the selection for the Director's position I interviewed for. As I wrote below it was thought that a decision would be made the following week. At the end of that week, I got word (officially) it was in the hands of the Area Director and he was delaying a decision for a few days, then it was "we're not sure what's going on", then first week of January it was "the Area Director and his Deputy are in SC and a decision will be made, so hang in there."
When nothing happened that week, I called (a week ago) the retired Director and I got hints (without direct that the original selection was not me, and that the Area Director did not accept the board's choice. I also got some other insight into the politics of it all, including some issues with board decision making, and budget. He suggested I call another person, director of a 'sister' center and a member of the hiring board, so I did. Off the record he gave me similar information, confirming the first choice was not me. He was also good enough to give me a little feedback as to why, and as I suspected, the issue against me was my lack of experience in the areas of management, facilities, and strategic planning. My science was a home-run and evidently there were comments of "brilliant" although I've never felt that about myself (I work hard but I'm not brilliant). But again, what's not clear is what's going to happen next. Either it's been thrown back to the selection committee for reconsideration or they'll open up the job again. If the former they have until the first week of February to decide or else the job certificate (some kind of government HR thing) expires.
Now interestingly, a week after my interview I was contacted by a member of the hiring board who's faculty with the Medical University of South Carolina and also represents his university on the Laboratory Science Board. He strongly encouraged me to apply for the Endowed Chair in Marine Genomics, a new faculty position where the incumbent will fill new lab space at the same NOAA Laboratory. This would be a full professor position (tenured) with not only research responsibilities but also to drive collaborations and coordination with members of the South Carolina Genomics program, made up of researchers at MUSC, Clemson, USC, and Charleston College. After a phone conversation with him (I needed to make sure he was talking about me!), I decided to apply. As yet, I haven't heard anything back from them beyond confirmation they got my application, although he 'promised' an interview in February. It could be that they're waiting to decide on the Director's position as well.
In any event, the wait is a killer mentally and emotionally, a real roller coaster. I find myself only half at work sometimes because I think about it so much. It's also really hard to decide whether or not we would make such a move for either job without knowing that there's an offer. I think my wife has decided we could make the move if I was to be offered the Director's job, but again that's not the same as really making the decision. She's less thrilled about me considering a faculty position because of the all -consuming nature of starting out. Our kids were great about the possibility when we discussed it with them. Our parents are concerned but supportive. A few friends know and they're all great and supportive as well.
When nothing happened that week, I called (a week ago) the retired Director and I got hints (without direct that the original selection was not me, and that the Area Director did not accept the board's choice. I also got some other insight into the politics of it all, including some issues with board decision making, and budget. He suggested I call another person, director of a 'sister' center and a member of the hiring board, so I did. Off the record he gave me similar information, confirming the first choice was not me. He was also good enough to give me a little feedback as to why, and as I suspected, the issue against me was my lack of experience in the areas of management, facilities, and strategic planning. My science was a home-run and evidently there were comments of "brilliant" although I've never felt that about myself (I work hard but I'm not brilliant). But again, what's not clear is what's going to happen next. Either it's been thrown back to the selection committee for reconsideration or they'll open up the job again. If the former they have until the first week of February to decide or else the job certificate (some kind of government HR thing) expires.
Now interestingly, a week after my interview I was contacted by a member of the hiring board who's faculty with the Medical University of South Carolina and also represents his university on the Laboratory Science Board. He strongly encouraged me to apply for the Endowed Chair in Marine Genomics, a new faculty position where the incumbent will fill new lab space at the same NOAA Laboratory. This would be a full professor position (tenured) with not only research responsibilities but also to drive collaborations and coordination with members of the South Carolina Genomics program, made up of researchers at MUSC, Clemson, USC, and Charleston College. After a phone conversation with him (I needed to make sure he was talking about me!), I decided to apply. As yet, I haven't heard anything back from them beyond confirmation they got my application, although he 'promised' an interview in February. It could be that they're waiting to decide on the Director's position as well.
In any event, the wait is a killer mentally and emotionally, a real roller coaster. I find myself only half at work sometimes because I think about it so much. It's also really hard to decide whether or not we would make such a move for either job without knowing that there's an offer. I think my wife has decided we could make the move if I was to be offered the Director's job, but again that's not the same as really making the decision. She's less thrilled about me considering a faculty position because of the all -consuming nature of starting out. Our kids were great about the possibility when we discussed it with them. Our parents are concerned but supportive. A few friends know and they're all great and supportive as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
