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September 19, 2006
Countdown
Dear Kirsten,*
The purpose of this letter is to inform you of my l-o-n-g contemplated decision to terminate my AULA core faculty position. I have made that decision and it will become effective the end of the Summer Quarter, 2007. As you know, I have been a proud and grateful member of the Antioch community since 1992. 2007 represents, for me, a 15 year milestone at AULA. By anyone’s calculation, that’s a long time to spend under the “umbrella” called retirement. Yet, I have a plethora of rich and rewarding memories as a direct result of my affiliation with the school; and there are no regrets.
The reality, however, is that I was naïve in assuming I could maintain that relationship (albeit on a part time basis) and still conquer a “monster wish list” filled with the names of places to visit, photographs to take, mountains to “conquer”, grandchildren to chase, books to read and poems and essays to write. Try as I might, it just has not happened. This is a simple acknowledgement of fact and not a complaint. My real need is to have at my disposal long uninterrupted periods of time during which to do just about anything…or nothing! Teaching is inarguably both a necessary and noble profession. As you certainly know, it is likewise a time-consuming enterprise. Having recently entered another grand and glorious decade of life, it is now more apparent to me than before that time is a non-replaceable commodity.
With this in mind, I will continue to assume my current responsibilities as a core faculty member (until the above-indicated quarter) with no intention of slowing down. My plan is to then make a total separation from teaching and associated duties (at both Antioch and Redlands) through the end of 2007. If, beginning January 2008, my teaching services are viewed as beneficial to Antioch, I would want to be considered for an available adjunct assignment. Should that not be the case, I will certainly understand.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of what I have shared here, I am available to do so at your convenience.
Sincerely,
Robert T. Bowen, M.A.M.
cc: LucyAnn Geiselman, President
Neal King, Academic Dean
Susan Nero, Chair, MAOM
Posted by mbowen at 03:56 PM | Comments (0)