In this lighthearted yet serious look at the trials and tribulations of an academic dean, Josef Martin recounts stories that may astonish many members of the academic community but will sound hauntingly familiar to other deans. He describes the dean's role in such matters as tenure decisions, budgeting, affirmative action, and coping with "unreasonable demands" of faculty members, department chairs, vice presidents, parents, and students. His characterizations of typical faculty members will delight academics--except, perhaps, when they read about themselves.

Josef Martin is a pseudonym of Henry H. Bauer.

Henry H. Bauer is Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Science Studies and Dean Emeritus of Arts& Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). Earlier he had worked at the Universities of Sydney, Michigan, Southampton, and Kentucky. His publications include more than a hundred articles and eleven books, most recentlyDogmatism in Science and Medicine: How Dominant Theories Monopolize Research and Stifle the Search for Truth (2012).