Back in ...

**NewGuise** · 19th September 10, 12:06 AM

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...

**Jock Scot** · 19th September 10, 12:19 AM

Nice to see you back Professor and congratulations. I hope you don't mind me asking, but the high echelons of academe are a bit beyond my ken. Anyway my question is this. Once you are called a Professor are you always called(if you wish) a Professor even if you have no Chair, for example when you retire?

**NewGuise** · 19th September 10, 12:56 AM

Originally Posted by Jock Scot

Nice to see you back Professor and congratulations. I hope you don't mind me asking, but the high echelons of academe are a bit beyond my ken. Anyway my question is this. Once you are called a Professor are you always called(if you wish) a Professor even if you have no Chair, for example when you retire?

Generally, yes. When I stopped being "Chair of English and Film Studies" I went back to being just "Professor;" when I retire I will be "Professor Emeritus" ... unless I do something really nasty in the meantime ...

**Downunder Kilt** · 19th September 10, 03:35 AM

Congratulations on the new post NewGuise. I would have like to have seen the faces on on your staff when you made your announcements. Will you be wearing the kilt regularly to work?

**Mike_Oettle** · 19th September 10, 04:39 AM

Congratulations, Garrett. Or should I say professor?
Keep up the kilting!
Regards,
Mike

**Paul Henry** · 19th September 10, 05:03 AM

Good to hear you are back after all your travels.
We never got to see Macbeth at the globe but last week saw The comedy of Errors there, and it was truly wonderful, a great evening full of great acting and lots of good laughs

**NewGuise** · 19th September 10, 09:41 AM

Originally Posted by Downunder Kilt

Will you be wearing the kilt regularly to work?

Yes, indeed.

Paul: one of the difficult things about taking on this job was having to hand my carefully-planned Macbeth course off to someone else. Such courses are normally offered only once, so I will likely never get the chance to teach it. But the guy teaching it now did get to see the production at the Globe!

On the other hand ... he doesn't own a kilt.

**CDNSushi** · 21st September 10, 07:56 AM

I can only say, that it's a pity we hadn't met when I was still attending the U of A. Perhaps that would have gotten me into wearing kilts ten years earlier than it did.

Either way, thanks for the update and welcome back.

**NewGuise** · 22nd September 10, 08:28 PM

As noted, I had to give up my Macbeth course this term. That meant also giving up the plan of wearing a Great Kilt in the MacBeth Modern tartan to class, in order to provoke discussion regarding what Shakespeare's contemporaries may or may not have known about Scotland and Scottish culture c.1605. So today I shipped that lovely length of tartan back to John at Keltoi, to be turned into a military box pleated kilt. My new Highland Cathedral kilt hasn't even arrived yet, and I'm already putting in new orders, which always seems to lead to my being talked into still other orders (more hose this time, and a tie). I have very nearly forgotten what life is like without jonesing for a Keltoi delivery...