Like a fish needs a bicycle - Does a Head of College need a blog?

Patricia Williams’ book The Alchemy of Race and Rights- Diary of a Law Professor has always appealed to me, in part because I liked the vision of her sitting in her candlewick dressing gown writing high flying thought about law-and property law in particular which always struck me as a mystery accessible only to a very elite cult of academic lawyers. I also adored her story about how when walking down Fifth Avenue in New York she overhears the parents of a child explain that there is no difference between two dogs-one a slavering wolfhound and one a Pekinese-(such iron clad objectivity in her view confirming them as lawyers)-when the child can clearly see the difference (as can the wolfhound to which the Pekinese looks like a lamb chop!) Being the owner of a Shih Tzu myself, I particularly appreciate the reference to the ‘fox trotty step’ which stops the Pekinese from ever been taken seriously (of course appearances can be deceptive and I know better what steely determination that walk obscures!) All of this is by way of a long winded introduction to the posting of my first blog which I guess is a kind of a diary, but unlike Patricia Williams is not (or not exclusively) in my role as Professor of Law but rather as Head of the College of Arts Celtic Studies & Social Sciences (CACSSS) in University College Cork .  Why in that role and why now? Quite simply because I was struck by a comment at our last Assembly meeting regarding the need to find a creative space in which to communicate with the members of the College and the Assembly/Council, which is too large even to fit in the assigned meeting room- that is if we ever did reach the enviable position where all 300+ members would want to attend! That fact combined with a feeling of being unable to reach or communicate with very many of the members and staff of the College since I was appointed Head of College in October last. Many people cannot or do not -for whatever reason- attend College meetings, which would have been my anticipated forum for discussion, and that has led me reflect on how I might better communicate with such a large and diverse grouping as exists within this College on matters of ongoing interest or concern. In this I am conscious of, and driven by,the need to harness the wealth and talent there lies within the College-and hear the different, divergent and dissenting views which should inform my decisions as Head of College. There has never been a more important time for the Arts Humanities & Social Sciences to collectively combine wisdom ideas and insight into how our research and educational mission might influence the University locally and nationally, as well as contribute to public policy, national dialogue on educational and cultural affairs, and the curriculum offered to our students and graduates. If this blog provides such a forum for such ideas, that is success. At the very least it should provide a quicker means of engaging with colleagues than perhaps than a physical ‘tour’ around all the schools and their premises -though I will not exclude the possibility of doing that either, and admit the latter might well have the additional merit and similar effect as that fondly recalled by my colleague the Inspector of prisons Judge Kinlen on our visiting Cork prison that the smell of fresh paint (like the Queen) greeted him on every occasion!

I am also conscious, though by no means a techie, that it is the technology that will enable us to reach other audiences-with our research, our programmes-recruitment wise and for collaboration- and which perhaps may even eventually assist us in our educational mission through finding a larger audience for online offerings.  After all Theo Dorgan in his inspirational address to our graduates this winter (which I will upload here if I can manage it) commended our graduates to do so-and Philip King our Alumni award recipient this year celebrates and practices the embracing of technology and its power for the sake of creativity in the arts in West Kerry and around the world.

So is it a good idea for the Head of CACSSS to have a blog? What do you think?

Caroline Fennell