For most of the 2013-14 school year, Jeffrey Dodge split his workday.
In the morning, he would work in the law school as an associate clinical law professor and as the college”s associate dean of students.
In the afternoon, he would work as interim assistant vice-president for enrollment management.
He said both his work life and personal life suffered from taking on both jobs.
“It was certainly a challenge,” Dodge said, who now only serves the law school”s associate dean of students and administration and as an associate clinical professor of law. “I never felt like I could do either job to the best of my ability.”
Dodge had been at the University of Idaho for one year when then Interim Provost and Executive Vice President Katherine Aiken requested he fill the interim enrollment position. Dodge would go on to spend nine months in the interim position.
Jeffrey Dodge
Although he said he saw the position as a chance for professional advancement, Dodge said he had no intent of a long-term, permanent position.
He said some people who are in associate positions and are looking for a permanent promotion when serving in interim roles, but he was not.
Beyond professional development, Dodge said he saw the new position as a chance to learn about UI since he was new to the university. Additionally, Dodge said he thought being involved in another department could help him develop a reputation for the law school, which he said is usually isolated from the rest of campus.
“I felt like it was a position where I could make a difference and an impact,” he said.
Dodge said he hoped taking the extra position would show commitment, since he was willing to step up and take on more hours and more stress.
In the position, Dodge said he had no intention of pushing his own agenda or making changes he personally wanted.
“I had to think strategically,” he said. “I had to evaluate what was urgent enough and decide what was best delayed for the permanent person.”
Not all administrators with interim positions feel their work suffers from doing two jobs at once. Erin Agidius, who currently serves as both interim director and associate director of the Office of Human Rights, Access and Inclusion, said that although doing two jobs at once forces her to prioritize, none of her jobs” vital duties suffer.
“Where I would like to spend more time is with the big picture things,” she said.
Agidius said this is the only place where her output potential suffers.
Agidius said that for a while she has wanted to make a Q&A page since it would be helpful, yet, creating a page is not a priority.
Although Agidius said she has had to sacrifice personal time to accommodate the extra work, she sees the position as an opportunity to help both the university and herself.
“I feel like I”m providing a service,” she said. “I get to do things I wouldn”t have been able to do otherwise.”
Nishant Mohan can be reached at [email protected]