Early feedback on my book, Out
on a Limb: A Branch Campus Life, has
been gratifying. I’m pleased that people
find it an interesting read, but even happier when they find helpful information
or ideas. There are so few resources for
people working on branches that I hope my contribution might provide some
support or encouragement.
A few friends have asked about my intended audience, and that’s a good
question. Although I’d like to think that
lots of people might find Out on a Limb
interesting, the specific reader I kept in mind as I wrote was a campus chief
administrator (dean, director, or whatever the title). In particular, I was thinking about an
individual who recently landed on a branch campus without having an extensive branch
background. I know from meeting people
at NABCA and RBCA meetings that one can feel a little lost and alone out on
that limb, and so I wanted to extend a helping hand.
Secondarily, I also was thinking about a main campus administrator who
has branches reporting to him or her and wants some help in thinking through
the branch mission, opportunities and challenges. I’ve met a number of individuals, from
presidents on down, who have more or less inherited branch responsibility, and
they may quickly begin to realize that working with branches is different than
anything they’ve done before.
More broadly, I think the book will be of particular interest to
administrators and other professional staff.
Faculty members may or may not be interested in most of the topics
covered, although I personally believe the more anyone understands about how
branches grow or decline, the better they will be able to contribute to the
success of their own campus and to design a satisfying professional career.
I’ve also been asked about my decision to approach the book more or
less as a memoir. Frankly, that decision
was the most difficult planning choice that I made. It was driven partly by the lack of research
or other sources that could have supported the broad presentation that I wanted,
but also by my desire to present something of a branch campus story, rather
than necessarily a work of scholarship.
Eventually, the book concept fell in place for me, when I organized
chapters to follow my career trajectory.
Thus, my decisions about audience and to use what I call a
“quasi-memoir” approach were conscious decisions on my part that gave the
project its focus and structure.
Just as a reminder, Out on a
Limb: A Branch Campus Life is
available through Amazon, in either a print or Kindle version. Tell your friends and colleagues!
