DAY-LONG MARATHONS of bad pizza, bad flourescent lighting, and bad pontificating. That's Dan Drezner's characterization of faculty retreats. Irascible Professor suggests that retreats, in light of the increasing speciation of university administrators, "are intended to cushion the blow. We are told, but we are told in a way intended to make us think that we are part of the process, rather than just cogs in the machinery." This Scott Smallwood article suggests that such telling, rather than the give-and-take of the existing retreats, may become more common, if faculties become trade unionists. Here's an interesting development: "Changes were also made in the faculty's role on search committees for provost, deans, and department chairs. Under the previous rules, chairs had to be recommended by two-thirds of the faculty members in the department, and professors had a system for reviewing their chairs' performance. Neither rule is in force anymore." No big surprise. Under a union contract, the provost, dean, and chairman are part of management and (at least under the union contract I'm familiar with, from Wayne State in Michigan) have responsibilities and prerogatives spelled out in the contract, with no union representation in case other members of management take a dislike to them. Because the contract spells out the responsibilities and prerogatives, it's less likely that a chairman or a dean will be able to give a little bit on some minor yet common-sense point, lest that give be written into the contract as a right enjoyed by all bargaining unit employees.