Monday, August 21, 2006
Not one of us
But the problem is, there is no official state office of climatology, and while he was appointed 25 years ago by a governor, Michaels' office is run by UVa.
U.Va. spokeswoman Carol Wood provided this statement: "We are grateful to the secretary of the commonwealth for her letter about the state's relationship to the Office of the State Climatologist. As it has since 1978, the University will continue to operate the office as an institutional program in accord with the American Association of State Climatologists, the body that oversees state climatology offices nationwide."The governor's office said Michaels could refer to himself as the "AASC-designated state climatologist."
You have to wonder why Governor Kaine's office is making such a fuss over this. Sure it provides funding to Michaels' office, but that would be true of any faculty member on campus. And any of them are able to speak as experts under their grant of academic freedom, as long as they are clear that they do not speak for the state or the university.