Justifying our existance

In this world of economic instability and financial fear. I have to ask myself how do I justify my existence to my employer. I work for the University of Nebraska. Every year we have to put together a file of all the things we have done over the past year that justifies our existence. As I put that document together I wonder if those are the things that really have impact on the world around me. One of my heroes once told me that the most important thing is to go out and do good things. If that is what I am doing how am I doing it? How do I count it? How do I measure it? How do I know it?

A friend and I were talking about this and he said "I wonder how Martin Luther King Jr. would have been evaluated the year he was killed." Would all of the bean counters have found a way to measure the global impact of a man who 50 years later is still a guiding light in the storm. The interesting thing about Dr. King is that the impact on me isn't only from the changed policies and beliefs but how I am personally different because of his teachings.

That makes me wonder which is most important for me a professor the global policy impact or the personal impact on those I interact with. In the end I will need to have both. Maybe Dr. King is a good example of how to count impact. When historians are measuring his impact on history they talk of the rallies, speeches, leadership, and works that shaped and moved our country forward. When I measure his impact I think of what kind of a person he was and how his example can lead me personally.

Who knows maybe there isn't a good way to accurately justify our own existence in an academic world. But I do know one thing, "going out and doing good" is a wonderful charge and full of ups and downs, good days and challenging days. However, at the end of the day I must find a way to justify my existence because I love what I do. maybe that is the key, play the game well so you can stay on the team.