A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article about how unappreciated I felt at Romulus University, primarily because my tenure denial had occurred. At first, I was upset that the school decided to move on from me. However, my perspective is shifting, and I am curious to know if others felt this way when they were leaving an institution. I have 10 months before I no longer work for this place, and I was worried that bitterness would make me more jaded than I already am. I watched two other faculty members lose their tenured positions, only to rot for a year or two before their final day. I understand why institutions do this, but it does feel like a slow poisoning of the water. At least it isn’t the Cuyahoga River; nobody would notice the poison since it caught fire over a dozen times.

It seems weird to me that I am allowed to linger around here, all the while knowing that there is a definite finishing date that is not of my choosing. I genuinely enjoyed coming to campus every day. I like the place so much that I still come to my office in the summer. I am writing this article in my office because there is nobody here to bother me. The whole campus is a ghost town, yet I commute here to conduct my research and work on other projects.

A week or two ago, I was a camp director for a series of academic camps held by Romulus every summer. On the final day, the campers showcase their work to parents and administrative members in Hazel Hall. Afterward, the provost and associate provost walked around with the head of IT, assessing the “new possibilities” of the building. We are currently undergoing a restructuring, and the department occupying Hazel is relocating into my building.

I didn’t catch a lot of their conversations, but the suggestions they were making didn’t sound like they had a clue. I don’t expect leadership to have all the answers right away, but even their initial ideas lacked forethought or reflection. If I had stock in a Barilla, I might see a bump in my portfolio because it seems like the school’s brain trust is throwing tons of spaghetti around.

After they left, I had a massive grin on my face. I started to wonder if I was dodging a bullet by not earning tenure here. In some ways, it feels like I’ve lost my travel ticket, but it’s for the Titanic. Whatever the case may be, I am feeling better that I won’t be around to see it. I already watched a program crash and burn after my departure, and now I might witness an entire institution go under.