You heard it first at The Chronicle of Higher Ed. I agree that taking away our private offices would encourage interaction. I'm surprised that the office rent scheme that Lawrence Biemiller suggests hasn't already been floated by an administration. This is the first time I've heard this idea floated, but I'm sure it won't be the last.
The End of the Office
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As an adjunct instructor, I've never had my own office and thus have shared a very, very (i.e., large closet size) small room with my adjunct brothers and sisters. It works out fine unless you have a colleague or two who is inconsiderate (especially a problem if there's no janitorial service). Of course the logistics with regard to office hours may be a bit irksome but thus far it seems to have played itself out fairly well. I can imagine other arrangements similar to the above scheme that might work, but I always thought having an office was one of the privileges or perks of full-time teachers. In my mind's eye I pictured it: shelves packed with my favorite books, posters of Marx and the Dalai Lama….
If collective office schemes ever become the norm, I suppose I'll rest content with my home "office:" the dining table and any living space outside the kitchen or bedroom, never again dreaming of my private, personalized cell on campus.
I read the title of this post and assumed it was an announcement of the end of the TV show. Shows where my head is, I guess.