Law students, who compete aggressively but receive grades only twice a year and little feedback in between, are particularly starved for attention. But professors are little different. Indeed, even in moments when a faculty member is making tremendous professional strides the article published to a glowing reception in a major journal, the class that is going extraordinarily well, the attention of the media to the professor s work that faculty member is likely to be experiencing discouragement about how he or she is valued by the school. The administrators and staff are even more vulnerable to discouragement. They serve demanding students and are ultimately responsible to tenured faculty who seem to have much greater freedom in their work, and much better job security, than they do.
Alumni are also prone to feel taken for granted by the school.
Many believe they hear from the school only when it needs money, as a gift or as a loan payment, and that other alumni whose contributions to the school and the world are less significant nevertheless receive greater attention. This seems a grim and exaggerated picture. There are of course exceptions. Almost all of us, at some point in our academic careers, have felt treasured and respected by the administration or the dean. And some have learned to treasure the moments of appreciation that a harried and busy institution can afford, and to get on with the work the rest of the time, including during the many instances where a personal sacrifice for the institution goes uncelebrated.