The end of one semester and the beginning of another are extremely busy weeks for me and I rarely have time, or take time, to reflect on the meaning of things.  This year is different, I believe, because of four events that I attended.  During the past two weeks, I have participated in the Evening MBA end-of-semester social at Jillians, the Delta Sigma Pi holiday dinner, the Kelley faculty holiday party, and the staff holiday pitch-in lunch and gift exchange in my own office at the Kelley School.

At each of these events, I saw Kelley students, faculty and staff enjoying each other’s company and conversation without the usual barriers between us; barriers of grades and rank and program and level.  I saw laughter, joy, and selfless giving.  I watched surprise and pleasure wash over someone’s face because of unexpected recognition he or she received, and the wonderful gift of two relative strangers getting to know each other and the surprising common ground they share.  From blue jeans and air hockey tournaments, to formal wear and professional celebrations of accomplishment and brotherhood, students and faculty and staff put down the business of everyday life and just had fun – together.  From the warmth and welcome of a faculty member’s home, to the crazy corner of my own office, I celebrated with my colleagues and enjoyed talking about something other than work for an hour or two.

Work is what we do, and it binds us together while we are associated with Kelley.  I am proud of the work that I do as a faculty member, and proud of the work I do with the wonderful, patient and talented staff members (including our student employees) who work in the Program Office.  I am very proud of the work that our students do.  But there is a different type of glue that really holds, a tie that truly binds me to all of you.  It is that non-work moment when we share a smile or a sandwich, a handshake or a hug, a laugh, a sudden realization that we simply enjoy each other’s company and we have one or two things in common.  This is what keeps me coming back to work each day, and what I will remember when my career with Kelley is over.

Jane L. Lambert

I just finished grading final exams from my class. This may sound odd because most students have three or four weeks of school left! But I teach a shorter course so my students and I are deeply involved with final exam/grade stress now. I suppose it seems strange that a faculty member could be stressed out about exams, but I am and have been every semester for the 25+ years that I have taught. But I will save that conversation for my next post at the official end of the semester. I should introduce myself!

I have several roles in the Kelley School on the IUPUI campus but I've agreed to become a blogger as a faculty member. I'm a senior lecturer in the Accounting department and I teach several undergraduate accounting courses. I've been with Kelley at IUPUI for a little over ten years. I started my teaching career at IU South Bend in the early-1980s as an adjunct or part-time faculty member. But I fell in love, so to speak, with the university and teaching so I've been doing that, more or less, since that first semester. I taught my first class only because a friend of mine was hurt in an accident and I agreed, at the last minute, to teach his A201 class for him. Kicking and screaming, I might add, convinced I would HATE it and the students would HATE me. Ten minutes into my first class, I realized how wrong I was, at least on my end. After reading my first semester teaching evaluations (that's another story for another day), I realized I might be wrong on the students' ends as well.

I started my academic career as a student majoring in English Literature, my first and most enduring love. I spent three years in the English department in Bloomington in the 1970s (now you know how old I am!!) and loved every minute of it. I wrote plays and poetry and read everything from Brecht to Brautigan, from Shaw to Shakespeare. I was in heaven. Then I realized I was going to have to get a job, that English majors were starving, and that I had better figure out what else I might be good at in a hurry! (I do not advise changing your major in your senior year unless you want to be an undergraduate student forever!) My brother told me to take an accounting class – he said that accountants always had jobs! I was convinced I would hate it. I was wrong about that one, too. Are you seeing a pattern here?

In future posts, I will fill in the blanks between the English department and Accounting, and why I find them so similar and love them both. I'll tell you why I get stressed out to the max concerning exams and grading. I'll tell you what I love and what concerns me about teaching and higher education. And I'll answer any questions or comments that you send me. I haven't quite made up my mind about this blogging thing – it seems to be a bit of a one-sided conversation. So I hope you will feel free to make it a two, three, four, or more-sided conversation.

Jane L. Lambert Nov. 18, 2008