Almost anyone who has ever written a dissertation knows what happens after those years of work are finally over. It gets filed in the library stacks of the granting institution and no one will ever read it again. I finished mine sixteen years ago.
So I was astonished and not a little flattered today to receive this email. I've checked it out, and Professor Kuykendall is legit.
I feel rather like I've been complimented on a sweater and my response is "Oh, this old thing?" But still, you have to love it.
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Dear Ross: I am reading your dissertation for something I am writing about votes of no confidence. I think your dissertation is very well written and provides a rich set of case studies. It's a great resource on a number of levels.
I would love to chat with you about the research issues you thought about in writing the piece. Perhaps you have put all that behind you, but if you have some interest in good research and in advancing consideration of the topic you wrote about, perhaps you could take some time for a chat.
I hope we can talk at some point.
Sincerely,
Mae Kuykendall
Professor of Law
Michigan State University College of Law
463 Law College BuildingEast Lansing, MI 48824-1300
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Well, of course the answer is yes. We have a phone date for next Friday. I found my dissertation in the basement, and now I get to read it again after all these years.
2 comments:
I know the thrill. My dissertation is now 23 years old, but every 2-3 years someone in the world will find me (usually through my ex-wife, who is vastly more present on the internet and its searches).
I, too, like my dissertation, and the fact that a couple people throughout the world have actually read it pleases me in a way that now you can fully understand.
If you get famous, remember the little people...
I had a wonderful phone conversation with my new friend/colleague Mae. She's interested in the phenomenon of votes of no confidence. I did my dissertation on three failed college presidencies, so it popped up in her literature search.
We talked for over an hour about some of the theoretical angles I looked at, specifically borrowing from political science to look at power in organizations and from anthropology to look at the role of symbols, myths, stories, and other nonrational elements.
Well, at least we though it was interesting. She's offered to share a draft of her work when she has one. I look forward to reading it as I haven't kept up with the literature for sixteen years now.
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