A job well done? by M. Mitchell, The Battalion (Student Newspaper at Texas A&M University), Wednesday, 24 January 2001, p. 9.

Summarized by J. T. P. Yao, 1/29/01

"… Professors work for the students, plain and simple. … But often, many students do not feel they are receiving instruction that will significantly help them in the future. It seems an alarming number of professors are here at A&M not to teach, but to conduct research and achieve personal acclaim. … Professors at A&M should make teaching their primary goal."

"Professors have one job: attempt to get the information across to their students to the best of their ability. It is up to the students to make the most of it. ... If the professor is truly passionate about the material, the students will soon share in that enthusiasm. …"

"… Universities gain prestige and respect primarily through publication of their professors and research. … The need to have professors teach and pursue independent research at the same time creates somewhat of a catch-22."

"… To solve this problem, the University has implemented a fool-proof method of carefully and painstakingly weeding out all substandard professors: student evaluation. … Perhaps student evaluations should be set up on a merit system as opposed to a demerit system. …"

"It all boils down to two simple facts. First, professors and administrators work for the students. Second, students should be left to decide what is best for them. The next time a professor calls your name out for sleeping, politely ask him if you were snoring. … If he replies that you were not, put your head back down on your desk, and politely ask him not to disturb you again unless you begin to snore. As the boss, you should be the one calling the shots."

[Readers who are interested in this article are encouraged to read the original paper in its entirety. Other summary notes on faculty reward systems are available on the Internet at http://lohman.tamu.edu under the heading "Summaries of Papers ..."]