The rest of the story

Growing up overseas, I listened to a lot of armed forces radio and enjoyed listening to Paul Harvey's "The Rest of the Story." It was always so informative and well-crafted. He died and with him his catch phrase. Although, it does ring through my head from time to time. With all of the retirement drama currently circulating this place, I keep awaiting the conclusion and Harvey's words, "now you know the rest of the story." Having institutional knowledge - an actual oral history of a place - is necessary and fun. Did you know that the position VC for Student Life was actually created as a favor to a friend? That intended favor went horribly wrong and the friend did not get the position. Yet a decade later, the position still exists at the institution in question. Why? No one who knows the story remains in power. Organizations should take the opportunity to re-evaluate its structures, assess the viability of changes, question whether or not an entity is needed, and then act appropriately.