So, um,

Dilbert is good today.

 

(Substitute names as appropriate)

 

Today’s Dilbert

seems particularly apropos, for so many reasons …

[cross-posted to La maison]

 

So the saga

in Newfoundland continues:

• “Education minister vetoed two MUN presidential candidates,” cbcnews.ca (July 30/08).
• “Minister defends right to veto choice of university president: Rejection of two candidates sends Memorial University’s search committee back to square one, as critics see Premier’s hand in process,” globeandmail.com (July 30/08).

The reader comments, on both articles, are interesting. There is a smattering of the usual “who pays the piper gets to call the tune” sort of stuff — though the question of who pays the one who pays the piper never seems to arise — as well as some blaming of the universities for various widespread ills, but there are a heartening number of comments that indicate a clearer understanding of the dangers of direct political interference in university governance.

Prize for the best response to the former goes to Clutch Cargo (possibly a pseudonym):

So the taxpayers of NFLD have a say in this? Yes, let’s open it up to public scrutiny. People across the province can phone in their favorite. We can call it: “How do you solve a problem like an intellectual?”, or maybe “Canadian Professor” or even “Can you Administer?”

Bruce B.’s comment (2008/07/30 at 10:56 AM ET) on the CBC article offers food for thought, particularly given our own impending search for a president at UNB:

The Minister is being dishonest and attempting to mislead the public. Everyone internal to MUN knows what happened and it has spilled over into the alumni ranks which are spread across the world, and it is political interference at the highest level. Now, it is laudable that the Government would wish the best candidate for such an important office, but to try and control a time honored and efficient process of peer recruitment and review is not appropriate in NL and is certainly not done anywhere else in Canada. What does the Premier think this will do to potential candidates? Will the “brightest stars” even dare to take on such a challenge? Unlikely since they will no doubt have to assume they will have no autonomy and suffer under the thumb of a politician. No, it is sad given that MUN ranks as one of the best institutions in this country…despite the conditions under which it operates which includes, by the way, minimal financial support from Government. As an alumni outside of the province, I along with many others, am disgusted and embarrassed!

One hopes that the controversy will incline Premier Graham to tread gingerly here in N.B., though one fears that he is probably jumping up and down while pumping his fist.

In closing, here is a Dilbert strip that I have been saving since May 1:

 

Still waiting for the PSE report

 

Thought for the day

nataliedee.com

 

Congratulations to all our graduates!

 

Scott Adams has his finger on the pulse …

 

Nothing to do with anything. Really. (revised)

 

More fun with professors!

Following from an earlier post about representations of academics in popular culture, here is a new favourite panel:

[First comic in the retired series, Professor Weigo's Lab]

 

It’s funny because it’s true

 

Professors in popular culture

Continuing the solipsism of an earlier post today, I bring you some images of professors in popular culture. If I missed any of your favourites, drop me a line:

(click on the thumbnails to see larger images: Jerry Lewis, The Nutty Professor (1963); Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein in Frankenstein (1931); Dr. McNinja; the professor, Felix the Cat; the professor, Futurama; Fred McMurray, The Absent-Minded Professor (1961); Eddie Murphy, The Nutty Professor (1996); Professor Hastings, Sesame Street; The Professor, Gilligan’s Island; Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins, My Fair Lady (1964); Professor X, X-Men; Vincent Price, The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971); Professor Chaos, South Park; Professor Frink, The Simpsons; Professor Cuthbert, Tintin; Professor Corpussal, School Bites; Dr. Fate)

 

More

eerily appropriate Dilbert.

 

Here

are samples of an amusing set of icons of professors, one for each week of term, from perky to passed out.

 

Quite.

Caption: “All I’m saying is, giving a little something to the arts might help our image.”

 

It’s funny because it’s true

Dylan Horrocks drew this comic for the Assn. of University Staff of New Zealand (AUS):

[Click panel to see a larger image.]

 

Don’t

let this happen to post-secondary education in New Brunswick.

 

The masked cartoonist strikes again

 

Another cartoonist enters the lists:

 

The masked cartoonist releases the hounds