No, this is not a photo of a professor trying to strangle one of his students.
With all the activity of the past few weeks, I’ve neglected to mention or post any photos of the ceremony pertaining to my graduation with an MBA from the University of Oregon’s Oregon Executive MBA program. What is pictured above is one of the finest professors under whom it is has ever been be honor to study, Mark Phelps, J.D., M.B.A., the Donald A. Tykeson Senior Instructor of Business at the University of Oregon, trying to attach the ceremonial beige (they used up all the good colors before business was taught at a graduate level) hood of the holder of an advanced degree in the study of business over the top of the light blue hood indicating the holder of an advanced degree in education that I was already wearing.
While this looks to be an exercise undertaken in the spirit of the highest level of formality and seriousness, readers should be relieved to know that under the robes of an eminent and accomplished scholar I was wearing an aloha shirt and my personally ubiquitous (as my dear friend Amy call them) “Jesus creepers” (Birkenstock Arizona sandals). I capitulated to wearing long pants instead of my usual field cargo shorts out of regard for the fact that the robe did not go all the way to the floor and when I tried it on wearing shorts it looked as though I was, as they say in Glasgow, wearing nae trews. I have enough of a reputation for free-spirited behavior, I didn’t need to add that to it.
Peace and good bird watching.
