Between the lines.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The Dog Ate My Budget: Tares about

Teaching and Managing in the Ivory Tower

By Ross A. Webber

BookSurge, htt://tinyurl.com/7bl522,

2008; 273 pp.; $15.99

NEARLY 100 SHORT, ENTERTAINING STORIES in the work life of Ross A. Webber, now a professor emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, are included in this memoir. After a short section on teaching, the majority of the book details experiences in management and administration, including Ross' positions as chairman of the management department and VP of development and university relations.

The title essay comes from early on in Ross' time as a VP. He spread out every departmental budget request on his dining room table so he could contemplate department priorities. "At some point, an errant breeze blew some sheets onto the floor where they were chewed up by my golden retriever Rebecca," he recalls. While announcing the new budget, someone asked about a $100,000 request that was missing. Ross found himself using an excuse not unlike ones his former students had used about [ate reports: "The dog ate my budget."

Two other memorable tales: "My First (and Only) $1,000,000,000 Check" (about donors' hesitation on Large, unrestricted gifts), and "Friendly Cutthroat Competition" (about meeting with other institutions to compare fundraising performance).