Scientists Find Joy, Challenges In Academic Administration

Love of their institutions motivates many to make the transition from university laboratories to executive offices What's it like to be a medical school dean? Geneticist Leon E. Rosenberg, dean of Yale University's School of Medicine, describes the experience as sometimes elegantly harmonious, sometimes extraordinarily fast-paced--and rarely dull. "When I'm feeling serene," Rosenberg says, "I say that [the job] is sometimes like being a conductor of an orchestra: searching for the right sound

Written byBarbara Spector

| 9 min read

Save for Later

Listen with Speechify

0:00

9:00

Love of their institutions motivates many to make the transition from university laboratories to executive offices

What's it like to be a medical school dean? Geneticist Leon E. Rosenberg, dean of Yale University's School of Medicine, describes the experience as sometimes elegantly harmonious, sometimes extraordinarily fast-paced--and rarely dull.

"When I'm feeling serene," Rosenberg says, "I say that [the job] is sometimes like being a conductor of an orchestra: searching for the right sound with the right players. When I'm feeling oppressed, I say it's like being a chariot driver with four--or 40--extra-powerful horses running at top speed. It's exciting to be a chariot rider, but you never know if you're going to complete the ride."

While women in academia still have a hard time reaching the top of the administrative ladder, those trained in the sciences appear to have an even steeper climb. A 1988 study by the American Council ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!

Join for free today

Already a member?