Argggh.
The semester begins in one week.
I still need to hire another adjunct. I have a MATH 260 (Linear Algebra) course to staff. Tick-tock.
I will be teaching Mathematical Programming (using Mathematica.) I'm ready for that, but because physics is also not completely staffed I may end up teaching Quantum Mechanics too--and I haven't even started preparing. That's not a big thing--I've taught it before (though with a different text)--and I can do QM with my eyes closed 1 --but the uncertainty is a royal pain.
Also, we are hiring another tenure track faculty in math. (And in physics, but I am not the chair of that committee.) That will consume many hours when we return. That also is stressful--although also very rewarding when you land someone who is just spectacular, as we did last year. Do you know the first rule in a successful hiring? Get someone better than yourself. If you hire someone who would not have beaten you out had you applied together--then you have failed.
Being chair has taught me one thing: I don't want any more administrative positions. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.
1 I can do it, as in the formulas and the problems and the methods. I don't actually understand it. Knowing and using wave-particle duality ain't the same thing as grasping wave-particle duality.
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