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Don’t mistake me. When I said I changed my view last week, I meant whether Boss would be a merry VC, not my view on administrators. For the latter point, I still fully support Fuller Albright, who provided practical tips for clinical investigators:

"The first time you are asked to serve on a committee, be anything but efficient."
"Never make the mistake of proposing some new reform."
"The desk of the good executive should be clear; that of an investigator should be littered."

Following this line, I am glad that my academic career had a wonderful start.

After joining the Department, my first task was to pick up external examiners with VM. While we were waiting at the parking area, the neurologist mentioned that he never succeeded in receiving the examiners. Somehow they always arrived at a different spot.

Luck seemed to be on our side. When I was about to suggest splitting up to wait at another spot, a mini-bus arrived. Five smart and powerful figures came out. We greeted them, said it must be tough serving at the College examination, and brought them to our conference room. I smiled at VM. It was a piece of cake, wasn’t it?

After we had gone up to the ninth floor, one examiner spoke up, "The examination took place at the out-patient clinic yesterday." I was puzzled. "But this is the first day of the examination here. Do you mean the clinic of the other hospital?" "No, the surgical clinic was on the second floor, right?" he said. At this point, we finally realized that we picked up the surgical examiners.

I can still remember the loud squeak that VM made.