Like so many, I am transitioning away from the classroom and entering into something other. Don’t go reading too much into it as this decision has more to do with my age rather than any other motivation.

Let’s be honest, academia is broken, there are cracks in that ivory tower and with politics the way they are, just a couple of more cannon blasts are all that are needed to bring the watchtowers down (thinking of Bob Dylan, now, which is not a bad thing).

Also, I didn’t mean to do it. Becoming the Project Director for the Working Lands Workforce Development Pipeline, a grant-funded pilot project to locate students interested in outdoor work to mitigate the ravages of climate change that affect the State of California, was accidental. I guess it’s true – it’s not what you know but who you know. In this case, my dean.

I walked steadily into his office and announced that at the end of the semester, “I will retire. I’m hanging it up.” He turned slowly in his swivel chair, putting up his hand. “No, you’re not,” he said. “I have something for you.” That began a month-long process of making it official. I am now part of my college’s administration.

Don’t get me wrong. I love being in the classroom. I call it “passing the torch,” getting students excited about History and what it means to them on a personal level. I truly enjoy passing on skills that historians use, knowing full well that these skills will assist students in other coursework and in their lives. Creating folks addicted to learning has long been my goal.

But now I am a director of a worthy project, hopefully one that will become a permanent part of collegiate training aimed to climate-mitigation. So, here I go!