I've been at my job for 6 yrs. But the change in philosophy at the Uni has everyone on their tip toes. I am completely soft funded now, the Uni pays none of my salary, my contracts do. No job security - if the state or feds pull out of the contracts I oversee (which could happen in this economy) guess where that leaves me! If funding dries up for one major contract, that's the end of me and my operations!!! The economy is bad everywhere, unfortunately. But, I've looked at a few options that will really work to my advantage (fingers crossed) before I quit my job. It really is in the line of outsourcing, but not everyone wants to outsource to India for $1.14/hr (unless they don't value the quality of work they are getting). I'm going to put myself out there before I take the next step - at minimum, I can see how much extra money I can make in my spare time. And, I already oversee My Virgo's business, and that can get quite tenuous when doing it on the job (my job). As far as 5 yrs from now, the way the Uni's president is running the show, I don't want any part of it. We are, and always have been, a non-profit institution... an institution that valued service to the state, an institution that valued community service, an institution that valued their students and the product produced. But, no more! If we want to do community service, bill the client. Service to the state is in the form of 53% overhead, and the students? Well, they completely go by the way side if they don't have money (or top 1% of SAT scores - because that will make us look better in the long run and bring us more money). Today, I walk into work today and there is an email to all the staff that includes the statement: "The need to pursue philanthropic gifts in support of a new law school is critical, particularly in a revenue-based-budgeting world." Philanthropic gifts and revenue-based??? How can those be used in the same sentence? I'm livid, I've lost all faith and am disgusted beyond words.
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