I have not managed to check in often lately, and am hopelessly behind in reading the various posts since ... well ... the end of June, but thought I might give a little update.

At the end of June, just before I left France where I was working with a university exchange program, dragging students off on WWI-related field trips and the like, I got a call from my home institution, asking me to become interim Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies. I am a Professor (and former Chair) of English and Film Studies, so this came out of left field for me, but MLCS had lost its recently-hired Chair to another institution, right after an external unit review mandated significant alterations to the way som things were run in this Department, which is responsible for instruction across 19 different languages and numerous programs. Following a month in Germany, touring, doing a little research, and attending a conference, I came home and moved into my beautiful new office, which features a desk owned by the University founder and first President, and got to work. Life has been busy ever since. But this past Friday I held my first Department Council in my new Department, and laid out some pretty controversial changes. In a kilt.

One might have thought that the kilt would provide sufficient distraction that no one would actually hear what I had to say, but no. It was, on the other hand, the subject of much coversation and many compliments.

Wiat until they see my new Keltoi Highland Cathedral box-pleat, forthcoming...