Running a leg of a marathon relay team is fun each year. I get excited on race day and can't wait until my turn. That is a problem though. I get the race chip and take off. My pace is faster than it should be, and I tire out much faster than during training. Excitement and momentum is great, but we should all remember, the tortoise wins the race.
OCU hired a new dean last year, and he is outstanding. We had a meeting recently where he reemphasized pacing. He called it sustainable momentum. The idea is that many people within the law school have great ideas and help students in many ways. However, each person can only keep increasing responsibility to a point. Momentum is great to improve and make changes, but the improvement goes away when everyone tires out.
I believe ASPers are very susceptible to this problem. We conduct numerous workshops, reviews, and individual meetings while also serving on numerous committees and teaching classes. Students have needs within the school, so we try to solve them. Many of the new solutions require another workshop, individual meeting, or class. I believe most of us do a great job with our new activities. The additional work has immediate impacts, so the energy keeps us going a while longer. Bar pass rates improve, so we are energized further. We continue to do everything we can to help students.
Unfortunately, the energy and momentum won't last forever. Great rates, even if they keep coming, won't always fully energize us. Continually adding more programs is unsustainable. I know that most ASPers intellectually understand this idea. I also know that many of us say we won't let our commitments get beyond our abilities. I know those things because I said them to myself many times over the past few years. One program won't be too hard, but after a few years, the scope of our jobs can be enormous.
One of the best suggestions is to evaluate the range of programs each year. Evaluation is difficult with everything else going on, but the time spent prioritizing what works will have a tremendous effect on the balance we all strive to achieve.
As everyone finishes this year and planning next year, I encourage everyone to be a tortoise. Keep building high quality and sustainable departments to serve students for the long term.
(Steven Foster)
