8:04 a.m., Those who go for face-to-face interviews are likely to have an advantage (unless they are terrible dressers, smell of last night's rum, etc.). I'm actually more troubled by the small number of schools that don't advertise, but quietly go around CAMWS trying to fill positions the rest of us don't ever hear about. This sort of thing apparently goes on...
Why do you think having a face-to-face interview is an advantage? To my way of thinking, there is none, or it may even be a disadvantage. Think of how much can go wrong.
I have 2 of those CAMWS interviews, too, and I'm doing both by phone - I asked about half a dozen people whether this would hurt me, and the resounding answer was "no." At this point, with no job, I'm not spending at least $500 to spend 24 hours in Tucson on top of a 3-course load.
Hey, is Poldy still out there? How are things going with you?
Anonymous 3:17, You should have reported that school to the APA. I'm sure that they were violating some sort of rule. That's just deplorable. I'm not sure where you've been for the past year, but it was probably at a better place.
Anonymous 6:25, You're such a pessimist. Think of how much can go right!
About having to go to CAMWS just for an interview....I didn't mind so much because I've always wanted to see Cincinnati.... on the other hand, it was a lot of money to spend for someone who didn't know (in mid-April) about future employment. I have to say, I think a lot of the people on search committees, being well-ensconced in their middle-class existence, really don't understand how burdensome these expenses are for some candidates. I would also note (as long as I'm whining) that they don't seem to understand how many incidental expenses there are to doing a one-year job (i.e., subletting your apartment back home, finding somewhere to live in the new place, moving your stuff and/or buying new stuff in the new place, then when they show you the door, buying out your 12-month lease, shipping everything back home....)
What's the word here? The wiki says that the one position has been expanded to (possibly) two. I heard (on extremely good authority) there was an inside candidate that basically had this one sewn up. I didn't even bother to apply because of this. Are they adding an additional slot for an outsider now?
Colgate...a VAP already there decided to leave as well. The Latinist job had been given to an insider, yes, but this new departure meant that their search was reopened (but for a Hellenist). Too bad they didn't readvertise, just looked for Hellenists in their pool from the first ad...
more Colgate..... So does this mean that the Latinist position is now filled (presumably by the "insider")? Were there even interviews, or was this whole thing a sham from day one?
Sham! Wonderful! We haven't see mud slinging on the blog for a few weeks! (Not since the Rutgers & Berkeley searches QED'ed.) <- I'm pretty sure that's a neologism, which is pretty awesome.
Kinda. It is very frustrating to scramble to send out dossiers, ask for updated letters, etc. etc. etc. if the SC is simply going to hire somebody down the hall! I don't think VAP searches need to be national, so why waste everybody's time? I just wish that they'd hired the person straight up (I would have. If they've done a good job already, it makes sense.) and hadn't wasted my (and others') time. Grrrrr...
Yes, my frustration got the better of me. Sorry, Toothpaste U.! I'd have loved to love you.
I don't think VAP searches need to be national, so why waste everybody's time? I just wish that they'd hired the person straight up (I would have. If they've done a good job already, it makes sense.) and hadn't wasted my (and others') time. Grrrrr...
It is very unfortunate that these searches involve so much time and effort on the part of everyone which often turn out to be unnecessary - however, in this case (and in most others) that "person down the hall," is probably also sending out zillions of applications in a desperate attempt to crawl up the ladder. The SC then has a good rationale for doing a search in order to have someone else ready in case the internal candidate is succesful in any of his/her applications.
The Colgate VAP Latinist hire was NOT a sham: they did not hire an "insider" from down the hall, but originally wanted to hire a former insider without a search (since that person had already gone through the wringer once, a few years back). The former insider, however, was not sure at first whether he/she would accept the job, since he/she was hoping for a t-t job. That is why Colgate had to do a search. Anyway, the position is filled at this point.
In general, I sincerely doubt that anyone would run a search for a visiting position if they already had the candidate in a bag. For T-T jobs, yeah, of course, sham searches are bound to happen, since APA rules do not allow to offer a tenure-track job without a search. For spring jobs, however, departments are not obligated to hold a search of any kind, and many indeed do not.
It's not listed on the wiki, but the Lewis and Clark position announced on the WCC list a few weeks back has been cancelled (a faculty member going on leave decided not to).
The well of news is nearly dry, eh? Not being lucky enough to get an interview in Tucson, I'm home, relaxing with my thoughts, and counting all the money I saved. Translation = I'm coming to terms with reality. I'm not getting any sort of position next year, most likely.
Have any of you with PhD in hand been in this situation before? In some respects I don't mind, since it will give me a break from teaching and more time to publish. In other respects, I wonder if it will be obvious when I apply for jobs next year that I failed this time around? How do you word the cover letter without hinting at failure?
Thanking you in advance for bits of your collective wisdom. And best of luck to those still in the running!
To maybe next year and others on the same boat: Don't give up too early. I know that some people who have successful carreers today have had periods of limbo, but I have never experienced that myself so can offer no advice for the questions you are asking. But I can say this: there always are a few unadvertised VAP's and lectureships offered through personal connections - so if you haven't done so already, be sure to let your advisors, mentors, friends etc. know your situation. Believe me, this kind of thing does happen often enough as a last resort.
Yes, I agree, don't despair...of course I felt pretty despairing until about 10 days ago, when I finally got some interview requests. Last minute stuff does happen.
Speaking of which, here are 8 schools with jobs that have nothing going on, according to the wiki. Any ideas?
What do "average" VAPs normally get paid? $20k $30k? $40k? What are the chances of getting some help with moving expenses? I ask because I'm getting my degree next month and I have an option to stay here and teach. If anyone's been in my situation, I would appreciate any opinions on approximately what conditions in a VAP tipped the decision in its favor.
On VAP conditions: varies by institution, public vs. private. If you're FT, expect health coverage. Don't expect moving costs or research funds ... sometimes salaries are figured by teaching load.
A "typical" VAP probably earns 30~40K. Moving expenses, health care and research support would depend on region, institution type, teaching load, and also whether the candidate has been nationally searched or not. Emotionally and financially it is probably less stressfull to stay in your home institution, if you have the choice. But teaching at a new institution can give you invaluable work experience and a whole new set of connections in the field - ultimately, only you and your trusted friends can intelligently decide which is the better option.
I had a VAP last year in a SLAC in the midwest (small town) - full time. It was a generous package. Salary was $46,000 without a PhD, $50,000 with PhD. Good health care, retirement plan, and health insurance. There was also money for moving expenses and conferences. The teaching load was 3-3. They basically treated visitors about the same as incoming tenure-track.
I should note that I was ABD, and I had a finishing fellowship lined up at my home institution (a top school in a cosmopolitan area). Nonetheless, I jumped at the chance, and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made (although I would not particularly recommend finishing a thesis while teaching a 3-3 load. but, so it goes). The faculty there were really supportive. The experience I got at that job and particularly the letter from the department chair definitely played a role in getting subsequent interviews and in the end a permanent position at a good school.
That said, I agree with earlier posters that there is a lot of variation in schools/situations - I just thought I should share my experience. Had the pay been a lot lower, had the classes concerned topics I wasn't particularly keen on teaching, and/or had I not liked the school/department - I probably would have passed.
Position Announcement - in case folks hadn't seen this:
The Department of Classical Studies at Boston University seeks applications or nominations for a full-time position in Latin at the rank of visiting assistant professor (non-tenure track) for the 2008-2009 academic year. PhD or advanced ABD status required. Candidates must demonstrate exceptional potential as teachers of undergraduate students of classical civilization and Latin. Applicants should send a CV and at least three letters of recommendation to Professor Loren J. Samons, Chair, Department of Classical Studies, Boston University, 745 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston MA 02215, to be received by 15 May 2008. Boston University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.
So, those of you who attended CAMWS... Were the only interviews that took place those that were known in advance to be taking place, or were other schools conducting informal interviews, either for jobs that were advertised or for jobs that few know about?
So I'm curious: is there anyone out there who's fallen out of the profession (i.e., didn't get a job one year) and gotten back in? I'm not yet at that stage - still have interviews to do - but I'm worried, and it sounds like others here are too. So it would be nice to know if it's possible to recover from that. I've heard stories, of course: "X drove a taxi for 9 years before landing a job," etc., but it would be nice to hear an actual voice.
On Monday a new art history/archaeology/Latin job was listed by Rollins College (as the wiki already indicates). For reasons that I at the moment am not going to go into -- I both want to choose my words carefully, and to go to sleep (and most certainly NOT in that order) -- I STRONGLY advise that no one apply for this position. Yes, that's right: do not apply.
What I'll say for now is that Rollins College has announced that it is closing down its Classics program, and this one-year position is being created only so that the (very vocal) group of majors can satisfy their graduation requirements. (That claim in the posting that the job might extend into a second year, by the way, is VERY dubious, based on everything I know.) At the least, you would be walking into a very unhappy situation. But there is much more that you should all know about the situation than this, so there is more to come -- either from me or from others out there who also have been briefed. I/we might not be able to tell you everything, but I/we will certainly make a pretty convincing case for giving Rollins a pass. Stay tuned...
If you're uncertain whether to take this seriously, I'll point out that you've got nothing to lose by waiting 24 or 48 hours before applying -- as we all know, no department moves THAT fast to fill a position. So you've got time, and waiting just a bit might save you from taking a regrettable step, one that impacts negatively on your life and the lives of others.
P.S. If you know anyone who is considering applying to Rollins but doesn't visit this blog, please direct his or her attention here.
So, even if the Rollins job is a one-year boondoggle at a school run by rednecks and with a cretinous dean, why wouldn't an otherwise unemployed person like me apply anyway? I mean, most one-year VAPs are dead-ends anyway.
Can a position be SO bad that simply applying for it will hurt you? Surely you can decline the offer once it is made, right? I guess what you might mean is that the profession must collectively send a message to the school that the way they are acting is not to our liking, but if that is so I think you need to explain it more clearly.
Anonymous 8:35, Completely valid questions, I’m just asking that you and others wait a bit. Then you’ll know more, and can decide whether I’m loopy, or justified in suggesting that everyone on the market avoid applying.
Anonymous 9:09, It will be explained more clearly. I have a good reason for not writing more just now. But as I stated before, waiting a day or two before deciding to apply won’t hurt. (And solidarity within the field is just part of it. You should also know that while “a job is a job” – to repeat the mantra of advisors everywhere – this one will come with some definite downsides.)
Anonymous 10:43, What you say is partly true, but shows – and I absolutely do not mean this in a harsh or critical way – that you do not know all of the issues involved.
Again, just a bit of time and I’ll make as much of my case as I feel comfortable making in this forum. I would add that a growing people in the field know the full and true story of what is happening at Rollins -- from grads to the highest levels of the APA, from state universities to women's colleges to the Ivy League, there are a good number who are informed, and can appreciate why I'm making this request. So if you don't like waiting for me to fulfill my promises, you can always ask around a bit.
Please remember to honor Servius's Rule #1 for this blog, that we don't post negative comments about our colleagues here. The reason I'll be providing for not applying to Rollins is not directly related to whether or not the classics program was sabotaged from within: there are other issues at stake.
Same here - eagerly awaiting more guilty pleasure. But honestly, until contrary evidence emerges, I can't completely discard the possibility that someone with an entirely personal gripe against Rollins (or even someone who wants to get into it and wants to scare others away!!!) is making all this noise. Sorry tiresias if I am mistaken (as I very well may be).
Please, please, please don't make me delete two comments like that again! The first comment was completely out of line, while the second suffered serious collateral damage simply because it had quoted the first.
This conversation about Rollins has the potential to steer much too close to the Shoals of Impropriety, so please be mindful of what you say, and how you say it. There may or may not be information regarding the situation at Rollins appropriate to this forum. We will all see shortly. Do not, however, forget what this space is for.
Negative comments or attacks directed towards individuals, even if they are not "named", will not be tolerated. Period.
Okay, time to post some more information and state my case. First, I should say that I can understand why someone might suspect that this is all about someone’s gripe with Rollins, but I think that the rest of my post will indicate that there are some pretty serious issues. Also, heeding Servius’s message, I will not post anything negative about anyone in our field; however, it is impossible to discuss this situation without making more general comments about Rollins and its administration. It is also impossible to write about this subject without making references to one of our colleagues, but these references are all favorable, and I would not be writing them if I had any doubts about whether I should do so. Finally, I want to give my word that, whoever I am, I am not affiliated with Rollins, and would not be applying for the job there even if I did not know what I know, so this isn’t some clever way of ending up the only one who applies for the position. (Would someone named Tiresias lie?) [Servius, if you have any doubts about any of this, I would be happy to e-mail you privately. Everything I write in this post can be backed up.]
What I’m about to write provides the broad outlines of the current situation. How the situation reached this point is something I cannot post here, but those of you with an insatiable desire for gossip can ask around and eventually you’ll find one of the several dozen people aware of the situation and why the Rollins classics program is imploding – when just a year ago it was expanding.
So here is why none of you should apply. For many years, Rollins has had a classics program consisting of two faculty members (in art history and philosophy), but not a department. Last year, a tenure-track position was filled by a promising teacher and scholar (and, full disclosure being appropriate, friend) who was assured that a classics department was being created. That assurance came before a partial change in administration and some developments among the Rollins faculty led to a decision to phase out classics over three years. As part of that phasing out, the administration dismissed its new, untenured faculty member, waiting until January to do so. (Those of you on the market can appreciate just what that means.) This also means that the tenure-track posting was, in retrospect, fraudulent, and that promises made to the employee were broken.
I realize that some of you are new to how academia functions, but it is a VERY serious problem when a university does this sort of thing. The dismissal violated numerous Rollins procedural rules and, perhaps more importantly, rules of the AAUP. A faculty appeals committee at Rollins looked into the claim of wrongful dismissal and said that a prima facie case existed for an investigation into wrongful dismissal. As I say, this is very serious: this type of administrative malfeasance and violation of proper procedures is the sort of thing that causes accreditation problems for universities, and Rollins may well be facing some troubles along those lines, not to mention the bad publicity that comes with that sort of thing. (Four words: Chronicle, of, Higher, Education.)
The A.P.A. has been investigating this allegation of ethical problems in terms of hiring at Rollins. No decision has been reached – after all, committees do take time – but if the committee were to decide that Rollins has acted unethically it would have the option of blacklisting Rollins (a way of saying that “Rollins is dead to us,” and letting the rest of the academic world know it). Being familiar with the same evidence that the A.P.A. has, I think that Rollins is in grave danger of some serious backlash (but, I stress, that is just my opinion).
Now, what does this have to do with the job posting, and whether any of you should apply? The current situation is that the untenured faculty member has reached the final stage of the appeals process, and should hear the results of the appeal argued last week any day now. (Hence my request that people wait a short time before applying.) If the appeal is upheld and he is allowed to keep his job, this replacement position will be completely kosher, and there will no longer be a need for an investigation by the A.P.A. or any other outside organizations that monitor the behavior of universities and colleges, and you will then be able to apply without anyone having any reservations. However, if the dismissal is upheld – and believe me, I could say A LOT more on just how wrong that would be, but will not do so here – then that means that the job posting that came out the other day is itself highly unethical, because the position being filled might on paper be that of a faculty member who was recently hired away, but in truth it is a way of letting majors finish their degrees while getting rid of the classicist who had been hired to make classics more of a force at Rollins. Moreover, the ad is unethical because it implies that the job applicant has a future at Rollins – believe me, you don’t.
What Rollins should be doing is coming to its senses and realizing that it can’t violate all sorts of rules of procedure, and should reverse course. (The truth is, like some king from tragedy, the administration has been warned repeatedly from numerous sides that it is headed down a path to disaster, but has been as senseless to the danger as Pentheus.) Moreover, putting aside the legalities and p.r. risks to the school’s reputation, the administration should simply focus on the fact that there are countless students and parents upset by this move. Believe it or not, when word of the closing of the classics program and dismissal of the new faculty member came out, there was a large protest that involved students dressing in togas and holding up signs with classical allusions (or, at least, allusions to the movie “300”). A petition with 300 signatures was collected. The student newspaper covered the situation. Students who have been swelling both enrollment in the classics program’s classes and the ranks of classics majors and minors since last fall are doing whatever they can to persuade the administration to reverse course, and the administration has been fielding letters and calls from angry parents. Perhaps the administration will finally listen.
Back to those of you on the market who might be considering the position: you must show solidarity. By applying for the position, you make it easier for the administration to wrongly terminate one of your fellow junior classicists. This is the moral equivalent of crossing a picket line to work as a scab: maybe you do it because you have to feed your family, but you do it with the knowledge that your actions come at the expense of someone else’s being able to feed theirs. But if you want to think about this more in terms of how applying for the job will affect you personally, I’d say that if Rollins is blacklisted you will not want to be there – you will not want to be applying for jobs next year with “Rollins College” on your C.V.; you will not want any of their faculty serving as a reference; and, you will not want others to think of you what they will think of you should you apply for and accept this position.
So, as I wrote last night, pretend this position does not exist. If the appeal is upheld and Rollins does the right thing, then you should definitely apply; but if the appeal is not upheld, setting in motion a chain of events, you will not want to be anywhere near the place.
It's all very terrible but I don't see why someone who is facing unemployment next year, such as myself (and I don't have a family to feed, only myself) shouldn't apply for the job if it means staying alive in academia for another year until his or her book comes out (for example). You seem to be saying that it would be unethical, but it sounds as though the ethical dispute is being handled in the usual way; how is it our job to make that decision and enforce it by refusing to apply for a job? As for having "Rollins College" on your C.V., I really don't think it could look worse than not having any academic employment at all for the current year. As for solidarity, I think it's an empty gesture. I'm sure the professor in question, if s/he has been genuinely victimized, will be able to get satisfaction, either through internal reviews or, failing that, litigation in court.
In searching the web for anything about Rollins and the details stated above, I have found absolutely nothing -- not even an online search of the school newspaper turned up anything. Can you point us to anything, anything at all, online that discusses any of these details, from the impending cancellation of the classics program to the dismissal of the untenured professor? If things are as bad as you say, and if the school newspaper did report on the protests, there should be something that turns up in a Google search...Thanks in advance.
Anonymous 11:29, Sadly, the Rollins student newspaper doesn’t do a very good job updating its website – it went for several weeks without doing so. (Probably because with such a small student body they don't have enough dedicated staffers.) If you had access to the print version, you’d have been able to read, for example, an article entitled "Death of the Classics," which has photos of the protesters. One of the captions reads, "THIS IS SPARTA: These academic warriors chose to fight with words in the sun rather than swords in the shade" and another “TONIGHT WE DINE IN HELL: Charred cow flesh was given to the devoted students who gathered to show their support for the classics liberal arts major which now faces extinction.” The article referred to “Classics majors and radical students alike” getting together for the protest. One student, Classics major Jacob Trickey, Sr., was quoted as saying of the professor who has been wrongly terminated that he “is an excellent professor and many students are interested in the Classics. It's ridiculous that the administration believes that a Classics major is no longer viable on campus. Our demonstration is an effort to get both students and faculty to realize that they need to save the Classics."
As a general aside, I should say that on this blog there have been some fairly intense discussions about how to keep classics from dying out (or, to be more accurate, being killed off). It's pretty obvious from a situation like this that students can still be taught care deeply about the classical world, especially at places with strong liberal arts traditions (as Rollins purports to be). It's just a matter of teaching classics the right way. No rocket science here, no need to reinvent the field for the 21st century, no need to merge with other disciplines. Teach it right, and they'll come. Sermon over, back to Letterman. (Thank goodness for DVR's...)
All too often, the old fxxts sitting in administration buildings think that classics has no future, no student can possibily be interested in it and therefore it should be cut. It is both amazing and amusing to me how many of the older people (50's and above), while purporting to be modern and forward-looking, are really out of touch with the bright, enthusiastic and often classics-loving 20 somethings. Anyway I have personally experienced a situtation similar (though not so clearly rule-breaking) to what is being reported about Rollins here both where I did my undergrad and another school where I VAP'd for a couple of years. Fortunately, in both cases the administration relented in the face of combined student-faculty resistence. I hope things will turn out well at Rollins too.
Yep, all these 20-somethings are hankering to study Greek and Latin. RIP Rollins, Wayne State, and a bunch of other departments. We're mistaken and in for a rude awakening if we think that the problem lies mostly with administration. This isn't a razor-thin margin decision. Classics departments are cheap and we know the bottom line drives administration. If an administration decides to shut classics down, it almost certainly was not a close decision.
I'd like to support what Tiresias has said about Rollins -- what s/he has written fits with what I have heard about the situation. What this faculty member has gone through is deplorable. Even if you choose not to heed Tiresias's call to support our colleague, do at least take note that this is an unhealthy environment not just for classics but for all faculty there.
1) no environment is more unhealthy than unemployment (we're not talking about sweatshops here).
2) How is the appt. of a VAP going to affect the aggrieved faculty member currently appealing against their mistreatment? Surely that is an entirely separate process from any temporary hiring?
If the administration wants to close Classics down they're not going to care whether applications arrive tomorrow or next week, surely? Doesn't sound like much of a protest to me. The students' actions and any potential APA / AAUP action - that sounds like a protest.
This entire topic is rich. You want us to feel sorry for a senior scholar who as a group rarely empathizes with young graduates from my experience? This is the same group who more often than not happily takes advantage of struggling young scholars so they can take their sabbaticals and maintain their 2/2 teaching loads? If the senior scholars out there want to make a statement, change the outdated culture of the discipline instead of insuring stability for themselves. Once this happens, I'll think about "taking one for the team" myself.
This entire topic is rich. You want us to feel sorry for a senior scholar who as a group rarely empathizes with young graduates from my experience? This is the same group who more often than not happily takes advantage of struggling young scholars so they can take their sabbaticals and maintain their 2/2 teaching loads? If the senior scholars out there want to make a statement, change the outdated culture of the discipline instead of insuring stability for themselves. Once this happens, I'll think about "taking one for the team" myself.
I can't figure out what you're referring to. What senior scholar(s)?
The person in question is junior person int eh first year of his TT there. A recent grad (3 or 4 years ago, I think) who was on the VAP circuit before that. We should be concerned about this since it could happen to any junior person. Its one of the reasons why tenure is a good thing--so things like this can't happen.
2) How is the appt. of a VAP going to affect the aggrieved faculty member currently appealing against their mistreatment? Surely that is an entirely separate process from any temporary hiring?
They are intimately related. Just read the Rollins job posting: "Successful applicant must be able to teach Greek and Roman art and archaeology, survey of Western art from ancient to Medieval, and classical humanities." The art history department probably does need to find someone who can teach Greco-Roman art, since that's what the senior Roman art/archaeology professor who was hired away by George Washington University was doing. But "classical humanities," that's referring to the courses in classical civ and lit that would be taught by junior scholar at the heart of this discussion (who, by the way, is more than capable of teaching Greco-Roman art/architecture). So by applying to this position, you would be complicit in enabling Rollins to oust their tenure-track classicist and terminate the program.
If the administration wants to close Classics down they're not going to care whether applications arrive tomorrow or next week, surely? Doesn't sound like much of a protest to me. The students' actions and any potential APA / AAUP action - that sounds like a protest.
I'm not calling for a "protest," since a protest from the likes of us junior classics types would be meaningless. I'm 1) warning people about the situation and what getting the job could mean for them, and 2) calling for people to take a moral stand and not apply for a job that had no business whatsoever being advertised, especially after Rollins was strongly advised not to do so.
The one thing that I find ridiculous about the previous discussion is the lack of consideration, even for a mere moment, that there was a legitimate basis for the firing of the individual at Rollins. Needless to say, the administration of Rollins has a very different take on the situation, as well as the future of classics on campus.
Secondly, there is a significant disconnect between the calls for boycotting the Rollins Classics Department and the job that is posted. Lets get the facts straight. The Rollins job advertised will not even sit in Classics, but is an Art History position with a minority of classes taught under the Classics rubric. The posting of this job was the result of internal events that led to the need to replace an Art History professor who happens to be departing, and NOTHING to do with the Classics dismissal. In addition, the future of the position is tied to the future of Art History at Rollins, not Classics.
The whole discussion has failed to take any of these points into consideration. The assertion that archaeologists and art historians should boycott a position unrelated to the one under controversy is insane. I agree that this reflects a significant disconnect between those who have jobs and can afford to advocate protest, and those of us trying to gain employment. If Rollins were posting a position to replace the individual under question, then you MIGHT have a case for calling for a boycott. Even this assumes that Rollins was in the wrong for their dismissal, a fact that has not been established.
If the Rollins situation is as serious as Teiresias say it is (and I have no way of knowing either way), then why has there been no statement by the APA? If the facts are known, and Rollins is playing dirty pool, why hasn't there been any information put forward by the "powers that be" in our field?
Shouldn't the APA at the very least post some hand waving/wringing comment on their website? Why are we discussing this on a random blog, instead of signing petitions circulated by the APA?
Anonymous 10:42, It's a good question, but one that I sort of dealt with earlier. The APA is still going through the process, and since the individuals involved are responsible people they are not going to make a statement until they feel ready to do so. (The timing here, of course, is unfortunate. Essentially, Rollins got its ad out before the APA had reached an official position.)
Rollins Sympathizer, You speak on the subject to with enough conviction to make me suspect that you are not a Rollins “sympathizer,” but an actual employee. (My sympathies.) But that doesn’t really matter, so I’ll respond to your points.
Regarding your claim that the advertised job is unrelated to the terminated job, I believe I’ve already demonstrated that that’s not the case – the two positions are most definitely linked. (But I’ll add that since Rollins has a classics “program” that has included one person in art history who has also taught traditional classics courses, the distinction being made that this one-year position will be in art history is meaningless.) Moving on, then...
Yes, you are undeniably correct, it is possible that the person was fired for a damn good reason. (I don’t believe that to be the case, and no one else with whom I’ve discussed this situation does either, but I'll play along.) If you read my post a bit more carefully, though, you will see that this whole issue is not about whether Rollins was right or wrong to terminate him, but the allegation (and, to my thinking, fact) that there were multiple violations of procedure in doing so. Not to mention the fact that someone who is tenure-track is entitled to more than a four-month warning that he or she is being let go. I mean, that’s such a basic right for us academics that I’m shocked you are overlooking it. So yes, the person who is being terminated could be the worst professor in the world and could have engaged in all sorts of improprieties and could have built a crystal meth lab in his office, but that would all be irrelevant.
Moreover, I’d say that it appears that someone in the administration is very much opposed to classics -- in fact, it was recently brought to light that at this person’s last college he/she was involved in the closing down of the classics department there -- embarked on a mission to get rid of the newest hire, the person around whom a legitimate classics department was to coalesce. And that’s what’s really going on here. (But of course, if you are indeed at Rollins, you already know this, even if you’d never write it publicly...)
In my rush to post before Letterman began, I wrote something misleading. (Yes, Letterman's on now, but I do have DVR technology, for times just like this.) I wrote in response to Anonymous 10:42:
"It's a good question, but one that I sort of dealt with earlier. The APA is still going through the process, and since the individuals involved are responsible people they are not going to make a statement until they feel ready to do so. (The timing here, of course, is unfortunate. Essentially, Rollins got its ad out before the APA had reached an official position.)"
What I should have pointed out was that, as I wrote in an earlier post, if the Rollins administration upholds the appeal and reverses the dismissal there will be nothing for the APA to go to the mats over. So I don't believe that there can be an official APA position on the Rollins classics situation just yet.
I happen to have been a candidate in the Rollins search last year...I had a good friend with connections to Rollins who warned me strongly against even considering taking that position. I don't know the hire or the alleged reasons for his firing, but it is certainly a strange coincidence that he finds himself in a situation similar to one that I was warned about 18 months ago.
I would like to state, emphatically, my sympathy for the situation of the person referred to in this discussion. But deplore this situation as we all must, I think posters here have a point about the relationship between the two positions.
Quote: But "classical humanities," that's referring to the courses in classical civ and lit that would be taught by junior scholar at the heart of this discussion (who, by the way, is more than capable of teaching Greco-Roman art/architecture)
Actually, in fact, the way the visiting job is posted is very very similar to the way it was when first listed, lo the many years ago. Yes. I'm dating myself. The senior person we will not name, now moving on, has taught a range of courses that even a "Classics Generalist" well versed in let's say the city of Rome or Athens could not teach unless he/she (for here I am speaking generally) has done a ton of quite specialized coursework. Yet the original 'art' job also asked for someone to teach both Latin and civ courses too.
I am not advocating that people should or should not apply for this; that is an individual decision. But I do think that the visiting position is in a different field than was the t-t position they created last year. Take a look at the ad from last year: it clearly draws a line between the Classics Generalist job and the Art/Arch.
Let us all hope that Rollins does the right thing, and allows the present position to continue on the t-t, while also hiring a VAP in art/ arch.
Yes, if you're a superstar who gets job offers from Toronto, NYU, Penn and pretty much every top school like someone this year, you should avoid jobs with potential baggage. But for most of us, we get one or two offers at best. Many more don't even get a TT offer. So for the vast majority, who would have passed up Rollins 18 months ago? Heck, I would still take the job now even knowing what might happen. We're not choosing between a sweat shop and a salt mine people.
The Rollins student paper has updated its online edition, and you can read more here: http://media.www.thesandspur.org/media/storage/paper623/news/2008/04/04/Opinions/Classics.Program.Protests.Injustice-3313886-page3.shtml
Anonymous 10:59, I admire your diligence in digging up the old Rollins ad, but it's not relevant to the situation, since at the time no one was being ousted from a tenure-track job. I repeat, this person is being hired to teach the courses needed to let majors finish up, and Rollins already has someone more than capable of teaching all of the necessary courses. And regardless of what anyone at Rollins will say, that's the situation.
There are few MC job postings, even fewer that show much interest in specific mastery of the sub-field (e.g., "Roman archaeologist with active field project" vs. "did the summer program in Rome"), and, of those, several failed, were canceled, or at least have the appearance of being over (Toronto, Columbia [again], Arizona, LB State, did I leave some out?). Some have it worse (philosophers?), some have it better (Vergil scholars?), some seem in between (historians?). (This blog has helped me understand the field and the job process better, but my education is still in progress; it's not my aim to offend anyone who thinks I don't understand your sub-field, because I'm admitting here that I don't.) That said, what are the MC people supposed to do about the Rollins VAP?
Don't get me wrong--Rollins' actions are looking very shady from where I'm sitting--but it's hard for me to pass up any position at this stage. Is it worse, do you think, to apply and see what shakes down, or to not apply and hope for a generalist position? Nevermind the answer, I'm just saying that, unlike Anon. 12:00 ("We're not choosing between a sweat shop and a salt mine people."), I feel that all of us, and perhaps especially those whose primary evidence is not text-based are making some hard choices right now. Even thinking about the Rollins situation makes me feel sad, sorry and tired. Mainly tired.
So if anyone wants to pick up the discussion (started earlier) about how to deal with having a year-long gap in academic employment, I'm all ears. I'm not looking for encouragement (not that it's unwelcome!), really, just practical suggestions. Surely someone out there knows how to spin an employment gap? Has done it? Has seen someone else do it? Knows some sort of non-academic position that looks good on paper? Or?
I find that picking the color of my parachute, however temporarily needed, is kind of helpful--and somehow actually encouraging. More encouraging, to be sure, than the MC VAP market.
I believe some people in your situation take on a position called "visiting scholar" or sim. - it is non-teaching, non-paying, no salary, but lets you use the library of the school you are affiliated with. One of my advisors did it when he was jobless (a long time ago), and recently our department had a retired scholar from somewhere else ask for and get that privilege (just so that he could use our library for research). It is of course not a very exciting position to be in, but at least allows you to put something on the resume, get library (including ILL) access for free, and who knows, you may be asked to pitch in to do real work when the dept. is in an emergency.
Factual clarification from someone at Rollins might help this discussion. The claim that Classics is shutting down at Rollins is simply false, or as Mark Twain once said: "The report of my death is exaggerated." The *major* is temporarily "suspended" -- the *program* is not closed. Moreover the executive committee has mandated that a timeline and plan be developed within one year for reactivating the major. Let me quote verbatim the directive from the Executive committee: "the Executive Committee approved the temporary suspension with the requirement that a plan/timetable be submitted to the AAC regarding when and how CS can resume accepting majors."
However, this is beside the point since this is a one year VAP intended to replace a departing faculty member who was tenured in Art History.
Wow, you don't know much about how university administrations work (or else you know perfectly well and are dissembling)...with no new majors for a year or two, and the "tenure-track" position that would have serviced said majors eliminated, it will be far easier (and cheaper) to eliminate the program altogether than to attempt to rebuild it. The one (or perhaps two) year VAP in Art History will then expire and when a tenure-track position is eventually advertised in Art History the Classics 'program' --now just a few sad minors--will be easily eliminated simply by rewriting the job description to no longer include courses in classical civilization. Goodbye Rollins classics. The funny thing is that last year they were trying to attract candidates with the promise of a plan to have not just a program but a whole department.
"and, of those, several failed, were canceled, or at least have the appearance of being over (Toronto, Columbia [again], Arizona, LB State, did I leave some out?)."
Add Brock and Akron to your list. Overall, I think there are way too many games played in the classics job search, especially for MC positions. Most disciplines, people are looking for a dance partner. In classics, it seems like SCs are looking for the love of their life - way too many emotions in my experience.
MC people have it especially tough as many SCs are looking for that archaeologist with that sexy project, but sexy project don't happen overnight. They take years of development so a few high profile scholars with some years under their belt seem to get fought over. What are recent grads supposed to do until they reach this point? Work in the basement of some dank museum hoping that they will direct a sexy project one day?
Had we wanted to send a unified message to Rollins (assuming, of course, that they are in the wrong here), then we should have done this:
1. Encourage everybody we know to apply for the position, whether they were on the market or no. Best case, Rollins gets around 150-200 apps for this one job.
2. Encourage every finalist to accept a campus invitation if forthcoming.
3. Finally, encourage every finalist to back out at the last possible minute (at the airport?) and claim that, having just heard of the way that Classics is treated at Rollins, they have no interest in continuing their candidacy at the institution. Thanks, and good luck with the search!
Once the administration gets a couple of these in a row, they'd get the message loud and clear. It might backfire, but damn, it would feel good.
Brilliant idea - but then, sending an app. still costs some postage money. I would prefer to spend that money on a bottle of wine or a bag of Columbus salami, selfish and unhealthy as this may sound.
Anonymous 5:37 of April 24 did a fine job responding to Anonymous 4:24 (a Rollins professor, quite obviously). I would add that the business about that faculty committee’s vote appears to be fresh information, and is different from what the students were told. I would consider that a hopeful sign – at least one showing that members of the faculty who aren’t involved in classics care – but as one who has been following this saga from afar since the beginning of the school year I know of (at least) three instances when Rollins administrators showed complete disrespect for the opinions of high-level faculty committees, so this really doesn’t mean all that much unless the administration wants it to mean something.
On a separate note, the post by Anonymous 10:57 a.m. on April 24 (= the person who was also a Rollins candidate last year but was warned about how messed up things were there) has got me thinking. That person’s friend/colleague is now one of several people I have spoken to myself or heard about who knew that anyone accepting the Rollins job would be in the process of getting undermined, backstabbed and eventually fired from the moment he/she arrived there. (Sort of like the way we begin to die the moment we’re born.) Since Rollins classics is/was not the only dysfunctional place that would be a bad place to land, in the future people should use this blog to warn those who are on the market. Obviously, we should be careful not to violate Servius’s Rule #1 by writing negative comments about specific colleagues, but one could easily write something vague, such as “Before accepting an offer from School X, you should be sure to ask around about the place.” That could save people a lot of trouble.
The Department of Classics has received budgetary approval to appoint a full-time lecturer for the academic year 2007-8. The successful candidate must have all requirements for the Ph.D.completed by the time the position takes effect, i.e. August 15, 2008. Courses to be taught include elementary Greek and Latin, upper division Latin prose, upper division Greek prose, and an upper-division in-translation course "Approaches to Mythology." Candidates should send letter of interest, cv, and letters of recommendation to Thomas Habinek, Chair, Department of Classics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0352 by May 6, 2008, but the position will remain open until filled. Unsuccessful applicants for the tenure-track search earlier this year should not send duplicate materials but may send a statement of interest to Christine Shaw, shawc@usc.edu.
The Department of Classics at Emory University seeks to fill a one- year position for a full-time visiting instructor of Classics beginning in August 2008 through May 2009. The candidate should be qualified to teach Latin, Greek, and Classical civilization at all levels and show evidence of strong teaching ability. Ph.D. preferred. The teaching load is five courses a year and will include Elementary Latin I and II and a survey course on Greek literature and civilization. The other two courses are likely to be a course on Classical Drama and a small advanced seminar in an area of particular interest to the applicant. Candidates should send a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and dossier including graduate transcript, three letters of recommendation and documentation of teaching ability to Louise Pratt, Chair, Department of Classics, 221F Candler Library, 550 Asbury Circle, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30322. We will begin reviewing applications immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Materials may also be faxed to (404) 727-0223 or e-mailed (lpratt@emory.edu). Candidates who will be attending the Feminism and Classics conference and would like to talk to a departmental representative should e-mail Louise Pratt (lpratt@emory.edu) prior to the conference to express interest and provide contact information. Emory University is an EEO/AA employer.
I don't know where they came from as I didn't post them, but over the past 48 hours they each made their way to me via friends. I assume the WCC list, or perhaps institutions sending ads to "top" Classics departments in the US, from which they filter down to others, or just word of mouth/email.
I want to point out two definite mistakes on the wiki. First, the Swarthmore job has NOT been offered. They just brought the last candidate in last week and the search committee hasn't had time to meet and make a decision.
Second, UPENN never made another offer for the Anc. Hist. search. The search failed, and a new search will take place next year.
The lesson: while this forum may be somewhat useful as a source of information and venting, it is also a significant source of misinformation and unnecessary anxiety. It'd probably better if we focused our attentions elsewhere as April 25, 2008 9:58 PM and others have suggested.
I guess we have different definitions for significant. I wouls say 99% of the info has been accurate. You make it sound like a tabloid that should be disregarded, which suggests to me that you're a senior scholar disgruntled about the democratization of info that takes some of the power away from "you guys."
I don't agree that the wiki is a "significant source of misinformation." It has in my experience been largely accurate. And I think it does nothing to increase the anxiety of the job hunt, but rather helps to alleviate it - for instance, I knew exactly where I'd be interviewing (or not) at the APA, thanks to the wiki, so no last-minute surprises, and I knew when to give up hope, so no living with false expectations. And that's why this blog exists, to correct any misinformation on the wiki - as you just used it.
I've been on the market pre- and post-wiki. Post-wiki is DEFINITELY better.
Does anyone have information about these searches?
UCLA (1 year) Iowa State (3 years) College of Charleston (1 year) University of Utah (1 year) University of Oklahoma (1 year) Howard University (1 year)
These seem to be the only schools still in play, apart from those whose deadlines haven't passed yet.
I was thinking maybe we should create a new section for people who are dropping out of academia after this round..... it could be a venue for griping but also for sharing practical information, like how to apply for unemployment, finding a good social worker.....
What we really need is the name and number of a firm who specializes in placing academics who for one reason or another wish to leave their fields. And is such a firm doesn't exist, then some of us should band together and establish one. Actually, I think that this would go over like gangbusters, you know? Because I personally have no idea how to get a job outside academia, but I have no desire to teach high school as a stop-gap until I get that academic job next time around.
Look - we're all smart and bright, and corporate firms should be begging to hire people like Classicists. And I have it on good authority that they are. But there is no way for them to reach us, or for us to know about them.
I heard that Howard met over a week ago so I assume that they have made a decision and offer, but this isn't 100%. FWIW, they tend to draw VAPs every year from the abundant pool in the DC area.
That's pretty funny...an academic should learn how not to be an academic by reading a book.
I'm not looking for reading materials. I want to know if there is a firm (or whatever) that places PhDs who have left academia. Think of the skills we have: research, outreach, writing, speaking, etc. Surely these matter in the real world, right?
I'm just tired of being a pathetic loser, fighting for scraps, begging for a job - eleven years of schooling for this? Unemployment?
That's pretty funny...an academic should learn how not to be an academic by reading a book.
I'm not looking for reading materials. I want to know if there is a firm (or whatever) that places PhDs who have left academia.
No need to be snotty - people are just trying to help. Have you tried talking to the career placement center at your PhD institution? That's what they are there for. Mine had seminars on this very topic, with lots of good advice - how to turn your cv into your resume, how what you've done in grad school translates into real world skills, how to market yourself, etc. I didn't follow up on it, but there seemed to be an infrastructure there to help PhDs get jobs outside of the academy.
There is a very helpful list called "wrk4us" for humanists and social scientists contemplating nonacademic careers. Subscription info is here: https://lists.duke.edu/sympa/info/wrk4us. The list membership includes people just starting to think about alternative careers and ex-academics who have been out for some time. They have periodic organized discussions with specialists on various careers and ongoing chat about jobseeking strategies.
If you really need to make a living and turn to good use the training you have had, I really see no reason why you should not consider secondary education through places like the following > spectrum.troy.edu/~acl/ At least you will (probably) be in a much more familiar territory than if you were to go into a computer firm or a hedge fund.
I heard the Swarthmore job had been offered and turned down by an inside (not internal) candidate who took another position and that they then invited people to campus. Just what I heard.
Time for another update from Rollins, probably the last for a while. Yesterday the provost rejected the appeal filed against himself and his dean for wrongful termination. (Some of you who read too fast might want to read that sentence again.) Last week, I had said that people should hold off on applying until the appeal had been accepted or rejected. Now that it has been rejected, this saga will enter a new phase (or phases), so there is no need to hold back your applications any longer. Obviously, though, if you get a job anywhere else you should take it. If you do get an on-campus interview, you might want to ask the undergrads their impression of what has been going on -- my guess is that some of them would have quite a tale to tell from their perspective, as that campus newspaper piece indicates. (I’m assuming that the students will be given a chance to speak freely, and won’t be accompanied by Soviet-era “minders” at all times.) Also, as I have written before, there is no reason to believe that the job has a future, beyond possibly a second year. The administration has acted or spoken dishonestly a number of times -- both with individual faculty and important faculty committees -- so there is no reason to believe the claim that the classics program will be brought back in a year or two or three. By then the students who in the past year have become passionate about the classics will have graduated or chosen other majors and therefore will not fight as they have been; nor should you expect the faculty to fight for classics, since even the ones who should have been fighting the hardest to preserve it did nothing to help, and even those who were deliberately deceived by the administration seem to have taken it lying down. But most importantly, the administration has recently stated unambiguously that classics should go away for a time, so even if some faculty members there have rosy expectations of bringing classics back soon, it would be wise to be skeptical.
From all that I have learned in following this ordeal since it began late last summer, it has become clear that Rollins is an exceptionally dysfunctional place, and in the future if I have any friends in other fields who are considering applying there I will try to warn them away -- and would advise that you do the same. From what I hear, Rollins repeatedly gets itself into these sorts of situations, wrongfully terminating faculty in violation of all sorts of rules and then having to deal with the consequences. So it is not as if this was an isolated instance that happened because the victim was a classicist -- this sort of thing has happened to people there who are in other fields, and will no doubt happen again and again with this administration in place. It’s a shame to have to say this, because it is supposed to be a beautiful campus and many of the students there are very good, but the administration runs it as if it’s a banana republic, and the students and parents seem oblivious to how poorly they are being served (not to mention how much of their money is wasted paying out settlements to those who have been wronged).
As I mentioned above, this will probably be my last post for a while (though, of course, if there is a need for me to respond to someone else’s post I shall do so). I would have no business discussing in a public forum what else has been going recently, or what will be going on in the future. (If I know you personally, I might share the latest. And as I’ve said before, you can certainly ask around to find out the full story of what happened at Rollins, and perhaps you will speak to someone who is well informed enough to know where things currently stand, as well as what happened there in recent years.)
Can people chime in with how departments have notified you about VAPs? I've heard that some treat it almost like a TT position while others will call you out of the blue offering the position. Is there a "typical" manner in how VAPs are closed out or is it too all over the place to characterize?
In my experience for VAPs there's a phone call (usually after an interview or some other communication) and then an email (if they have to leave a voicemail). Is that what you meant?
Depends on the school. I've had: -phone call and email w/no interview -offer by email w/no interview (though I was abroad) -phone call and email w/phone interview
One thing worth noting about VAPs: Don't be afraid to negotiate. Yes, you want a job, but the department also really wants its search to be over. I negotiated a teaching load down by 1/3rd and also got moving expenses, for instance. It's very easy to feel desperate at this point, but don't let that stop you from getting what you need from a position. More salary is usually hard to ask for, but they can bend about the workload and so forth.
A place really wasn't going to offer you moving expenses? Yikes.
I once had a situation in which I only got $500 for a $1000 move, but since the school was operating tens of millions of dollars in the red I couldn't really push it.
Just a quick note. Anyone notice what was missing from the latest APA job listing? That's right, the Rollins position. Either the APA refused to run it or Rollins knew it's in hot water over the situation and didn't try. (I'm not privy to what exactly happened.)
Looks like ol' Tiresias was right about that job not being kosher...
Perhaps Tiresias is looking in the wrong place. The Rollins position is up on the AIA site, and after all it is an art historian that they're looking for.
So it is. Who knew that the AIA had a jobs list? (Well, archaeologists and art historians, I guess.) But that doesn't detract from my observation that it is quite unusual that a job like this one -- which is, after all, half classical studies -- was not announced through the APA.
But more importantly, how could you be so insensitive as to refer to me "looking" in the wrong place? Next thing I know, you'll start telling Helen Keller jokes... (Or making fun of androgynes.)
I'm curious -- how many other archaeologists or art historians didn't know that the AIA listed academic jobs that do not appear on the APA/AIA Placement Service list (besides me)?
I am sorry to disappoint anyone but I don't think that there is a conspiracy here. This is what happens when a philosopher (me) tries to post an ad for an Art History job. I thought Classical Art jobs go to the AIA site and philology jobs go to the APA site. Mea culpa.
I agree it's no conspiracy. A few MC jobs only get posted via AIA every year and some are posted only via CAA (etc., etc.). Anyone on the market in classical archaeology (or related) needs to check out the link on the AIA website to a PDF entitled "Helpful Links for Job Seekers in Classical Archaeology." It seems pretty solid, though basic.
It doesn't seem like there's been enough whining lately (come on, people!), so I'll add this: it still kind of bothers me that the APA site purports to be the AIA/APA Placement Service, but doesn't link to either of these other sites.
It would be a real service (pun intended) if the AIA/APA Current Positions page linked to the AIA postings (i.e. those within its own organization) to keep folks from being surprised about this every year. Or perhaps there is a link already that I can't see, in which case I say make it more prominent.
I wouldn't even dream of suggesting that they cull ads from CAA and other sites, though I think it would be another good service (there I go again!) if they mentioned them on the job listings site instead of on the second page of a PDF. (As they list already ACL and library science info.) Adding links to these other sources would be a great boon. Of course, you have to be a member of CAA to access its ads, but that's another whine for another day.
I'm sure they're other constructive ideas out there about how the service website could improve. That's my 2 cents.
On a semi-related matter, I just wrote to the APA president and director to point out how detrimental it is for the APA at this time of year to stick to bimonthly job postings, instead of sending them out right away. During the fall semester MAYBE it's a good idea -- though I think even then the ads should go out as soon as they're approved -- but right now with departments scrambling to fill positions and candidates desperate to find jobs it makes no sense to put in an artificial delay. (And on a related note, if you can believe it, the APA is asking departments to extend their deadlines -- as if this is the fall, and there is all the time in the world. One school reset its deadline to be five weeks after its initial announcement of a position, when NO ONE needs five weeks to apply for something these days.)
I'd encourage those who agree to write the APA leadership, too. Perhaps they will make some much-needed changes.
The Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies invites applications for a one-year Limited Term position at the rank of Assistant Professor, effective July 1, 2008. We are seeking a candidate with a research specialty in Greek history (including social history) and who is competent to teach courses in Greek history, ancient Greek language and Classical civilization. Preferred applicants will have completed a PhD or be close to completion by the time of appointment. Other requirements include a demonstrated excellence in teaching and evidence of a research program; publications are preferred. Applicants are asked to submit, in hard copy, a curriculum vitae, a covering letter outlining research interests and teaching experience, a short teaching dossier, and the names and contact information for three professional referees, to Professor Gerald P. Schaus, Chair, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario, N2L 3C5. Applications will be assessed after May 23, 2008, until the position is filled. Wilfrid Laurier University is committed to equity and values diversity. We welcome applications from qualified individuals of all genders and sexual orientations, persons with disabilities, Aboriginal persons, and persons of a visible minority. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. Members of the designated groups must self-identify to be considered for employment equity. Candidates may self-identify, in confidence, to the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Dr. David Docherty.
Does anyone have updated information about the search at Cornell College in Iowa? Information may not be available, since the review of applications didn't begin untl April 30, but for personal reasons I'm eager to know the status of this search.
I applied to the job at Cornell College but haven't heard anything from them yet.
For what it is worth, Penn State has contacted people to arrange phone interviews for their one-year position.
I also happen to know that UCLA's one-year position is still in play. They are meeting in the next week or two to make a decision. I suspect their search got held up by California's budget problems.
More: silence so far on the BYU front; no news on the Kenyon job either.
Does anyone know anything about the other Cornell, the Ithaca one? By now they must be pretty far along, but seem to be doing a good job moving under the radar.
"I also happen to know that UCLA's one-year position is still in play. They are meeting in the next week or two to make a decision. I suspect their search got held up by California's budget problems."
The original ad said, "UCLA invites applications for one or two full-time lecturer positions." Based on the budget problems you mentioned, I suppose it's safe to say it ended up being one position instead of two?
I don't know, if the school in question was USC or some other private, I would have more hope for two positions. State schools across the country are having their budgets reamed. NY, FL, MI, AZ, and CA seem to be scrambling more than others for some reason. FL unfortunately put their money into housing, the auto industry is crumbling in MI, and the housing market driving the economy in AZ went bust. What's NY and CA's excuse? Shouldn't they have been better prepared for the economy slowdown?
There will be one Lecturer position at UCLA for 2008-09, and it was just approved by the Dean this past week. The people who are still on the applicant list for that position should hear something in the next few weeks.
And housing in Irvine does not equal housing in Los Angeles, so I'm not sure what that particular post was about.
And housing in Irvine does not equal housing in Los Angeles, so I'm not sure what that particular post was about.
Not sure what you are talking about. The two links were a response to questions about budgetary issues and higher education. California schools are hurting because of the economy in general, and because of the collapse of the housing market in particular. That goes for UCLA as much as for UCI. The Irvine Housing Blog documents that collapse, and its general lessons are applicable everywhere. Irvine is simply an egregious example.
Looks like Howard University has filled their position, according to a rejection e-mail.
By the way, about two years ago I spent a very enjoyable hour listening to my best friend's father-in-law, a senior professor at Howard (not in anything ancient), regaling us with stories of how corrupt and screwed up Howard is. Stories that would make the front page of the Washington Post if they got out. So I'm a bit disappointed in not getting the one-year, but I would never even consider applying for a tenure-track position at a place like that.
Depends, do you shoot a public access channel tv show called Tiresias' World in the basement? If so, it's definitely a prospect as you'll likely get compensated better than your average VAP...
I never watched the show, but I believe the proper expression is, "Patience, grasshopper." Emory's deadline doesn't pass for another ten days -- why are you already looking for rumors?
Oh, there are still people out there. Maybe there will be news on Boston University, which had its deadline pass a week ago, soon. And there are one or two other places still in play.
Not to rain on your parade, but Joukowsky VAP/post-doc positions typically go to young scholars tied to Alcock/Cherry or one of their close colleagues.
I haven't posted in ages, but I feel like I have to say something now...
It really is unpleasant and unkind for people to be second-guessing departmental picks. If you really have good reason to believe that a department picked "pedigree over quality" then that's one thing (although you shouldn't talk about it in "public"), but I don't think that a degree from a fancy school should immediately raise red flags -- sometimes good scholars come from good programs, and they have earned their job by doing good research. So maybe before we start scanning the wiki to see who has a "fancy" degree and speculating what got them their job, why don't we just give people a chance to prove themselves on the job? When they've failed, then you can say, "Well, you know Susie Q only got that job in the first place because Billy Bob Philologist was her adviser. She never produced a coherent thought on her own."
I speak as one who does not have a "fancy" degree and who has lost out to "fancy" degrees in the past...sometimes they were the quality pick, sometimes they weren't -- but you might as well give them two years on the job to see what they can do.
I was forced to delete a string of comments (some of which were responding critically to an abusive, earlier comment) because they discussed an original attack on some of our colleagues. Names were not used directly, but it was easy to figure out who these individuals were.
I apologize to those of you who posted good and reasoned responses to the original offender. I thought, however, it best to take down the whole string in order to kill the discussion. It was an act of Damnatio Memoriae on behalf of those "named", although I realize some positive comments suffered collateral damage.
So, let me remind all readers and potential commenters. Comments directed at or about individuals will not be tolerated. Period. If you respond to such a comment, please do so in such a way as to protect the identity of the person named otherwise your response will be deleted as well.
This site is designed to be helpful and supportive. Please participate in that spirit and in that spirit alone.
358 comments:
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Those who go for face-to-face interviews are likely to have an advantage (unless they are terrible dressers, smell of last night's rum, etc.). I'm actually more troubled by the small number of schools that don't advertise, but quietly go around CAMWS trying to fill positions the rest of us don't ever hear about. This sort of thing apparently goes on...
Anon. 5:15pm,
Why do you think having a face-to-face interview is an advantage? To my way of thinking, there is none, or it may even be a disadvantage. Think of how much can go wrong.
I have 2 of those CAMWS interviews, too, and I'm doing both by phone - I asked about half a dozen people whether this would hurt me, and the resounding answer was "no." At this point, with no job, I'm not spending at least $500 to spend 24 hours in Tucson on top of a 3-course load.
Hey, is Poldy still out there? How are things going with you?
Anonymous 3:17,
You should have reported that school to the APA. I'm sure that they were violating some sort of rule. That's just deplorable. I'm not sure where you've been for the past year, but it was probably at a better place.
Anonymous 6:25,
You're such a pessimist. Think of how much can go right!
Anon. 10:30-
Your glass is half-full, mine is realistic.
About having to go to CAMWS just for an interview....I didn't mind so much because I've always wanted to see Cincinnati.... on the other hand, it was a lot of money to spend for someone who didn't know (in mid-April) about future employment. I have to say, I think a lot of the people on search committees, being well-ensconced in their middle-class existence, really don't understand how burdensome these expenses are for some candidates. I would also note (as long as I'm whining) that they don't seem to understand how many incidental expenses there are to doing a one-year job (i.e., subletting your apartment back home, finding somewhere to live in the new place, moving your stuff and/or buying new stuff in the new place, then when they show you the door, buying out your 12-month lease, shipping everything back home....)
Colgate Latinist Position?
What's the word here? The wiki says that the one position has been expanded to (possibly) two. I heard (on extremely good authority) there was an inside candidate that basically had this one sewn up. I didn't even bother to apply because of this. Are they adding an additional slot for an outsider now?
Colgate...a VAP already there decided to leave as well. The Latinist job had been given to an insider, yes, but this new departure meant that their search was reopened (but for a Hellenist). Too bad they didn't readvertise, just looked for Hellenists in their pool from the first ad...
Since you two seem to know what's going on, Colgate has invited Hellenists to campus?
more Colgate..... So does this mean that the Latinist position is now filled (presumably by the "insider")? Were there even interviews, or was this whole thing a sham from day one?
Sham! Wonderful! We haven't see mud slinging on the blog for a few weeks! (Not since the Rutgers & Berkeley searches QED'ed.) <- I'm pretty sure that's a neologism, which is pretty awesome.
Ok, ok, ok.... I retract "sham".
Kinda. It is very frustrating to scramble to send out dossiers, ask for updated letters, etc. etc. etc. if the SC is simply going to hire somebody down the hall! I don't think VAP searches need to be national, so why waste everybody's time? I just wish that they'd hired the person straight up (I would have. If they've done a good job already, it makes sense.) and hadn't wasted my (and others') time. Grrrrr...
Yes, my frustration got the better of me. Sorry, Toothpaste U.! I'd have loved to love you.
I don't think VAP searches need to be national, so why waste everybody's time? I just wish that they'd hired the person straight up (I would have. If they've done a good job already, it makes sense.) and hadn't wasted my (and others') time. Grrrrr...
It is very unfortunate that these searches involve so much time and effort on the part of everyone which often turn out to be unnecessary - however, in this case (and in most others) that "person down the hall," is probably also sending out zillions of applications in a desperate attempt to crawl up the ladder. The SC then has a good rationale for doing a search in order to have someone else ready in case the internal candidate is succesful in any of his/her applications.
Colgate has invited at least one Hellenist to campus that I know of.
Has anyone who got an email from Gettysburg last week heard back from them? They seemed pretty definite they'd have a shortlist by Friday.
The Colgate VAP Latinist hire was NOT a sham: they did not hire an "insider" from down the hall, but originally wanted to hire a former insider without a search (since that person had already gone through the wringer once, a few years back). The former insider, however, was not sure at first whether he/she would accept the job, since he/she was hoping for a t-t job. That is why Colgate had to do a search. Anyway, the position is filled at this point.
In general, I sincerely doubt that anyone would run a search for a visiting position if they already had the candidate in a bag. For T-T jobs, yeah, of course, sham searches are bound to happen, since APA rules do not allow to offer a tenure-track job without a search. For spring jobs, however, departments are not obligated to hold a search of any kind, and many indeed do not.
Has anyone who got an email from Gettysburg last week heard back from them? They seemed pretty definite they'd have a shortlist by Friday.
They now have a shortlist.
Stanford IHUM Fellowship is notifying semi-finalists on a rolling basis.
It's not listed on the wiki, but the Lewis and Clark position announced on the WCC list a few weeks back has been cancelled (a faculty member going on leave decided not to).
No other news?
Good luck to those interviewing in Tucson!
Santa Clara has e-mailed finalists.
Does anyone know if Villanova has made an offer?
The well of news is nearly dry, eh? Not being lucky enough to get an interview in Tucson, I'm home, relaxing with my thoughts, and counting all the money I saved. Translation = I'm coming to terms with reality. I'm not getting any sort of position next year, most likely.
Have any of you with PhD in hand been in this situation before? In some respects I don't mind, since it will give me a break from teaching and more time to publish. In other respects, I wonder if it will be obvious when I apply for jobs next year that I failed this time around? How do you word the cover letter without hinting at failure?
Thanking you in advance for bits of your collective wisdom. And best of luck to those still in the running!
Villanova? Again? I thought that one was put to bed a long time ago. It really is the Bueller/Buehler question of the blog!
To maybe next year and others on the same boat:
Don't give up too early. I know that some people who have successful carreers today have had periods of limbo, but I have never experienced that myself so can offer no advice for the questions you are asking. But I can say this: there always are a few unadvertised VAP's and lectureships offered through personal connections - so if you haven't done so already, be sure to let your advisors, mentors, friends etc. know your situation. Believe me, this kind of thing does happen often enough as a last resort.
Yes, I agree, don't despair...of course I felt pretty despairing until about 10 days ago, when I finally got some interview requests. Last minute stuff does happen.
Speaking of which, here are 8 schools with jobs that have nothing going on, according to the wiki. Any ideas?
-UCLA
-Northwestern
-Utah
-Georgetown
-Swarthmore
-Oklahoma
-Knox (ancient history)
-Howard
The last two were just due, though.
What do "average" VAPs normally get paid? $20k $30k? $40k? What are the chances of getting some help with moving expenses? I ask because I'm getting my degree next month and I have an option to stay here and teach. If anyone's been in my situation, I would appreciate any opinions on approximately what conditions in a VAP tipped the decision in its favor.
On VAP conditions: varies by institution, public vs. private. If you're FT, expect health coverage. Don't expect moving costs or research funds ... sometimes salaries are figured by teaching load.
A "typical" VAP probably earns 30~40K. Moving expenses, health care and research support would depend on region, institution type, teaching load, and also whether the candidate has been nationally searched or not. Emotionally and financially it is probably less stressfull to stay in your home institution, if you have the choice. But teaching at a new institution can give you invaluable work experience and a whole new set of connections in the field - ultimately, only you and your trusted friends can intelligently decide which is the better option.
Re: VAP conditions
I had a VAP last year in a SLAC in the midwest (small town) - full time. It was a generous package. Salary was $46,000 without a PhD, $50,000 with PhD. Good health care, retirement plan, and health insurance. There was also money for moving expenses and conferences. The teaching load was 3-3. They basically treated visitors about the same as incoming tenure-track.
I should note that I was ABD, and I had a finishing fellowship lined up at my home institution (a top school in a cosmopolitan area). Nonetheless, I jumped at the chance, and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made (although I would not particularly recommend finishing a thesis while teaching a 3-3 load. but, so it goes). The faculty there were really supportive. The experience I got at that job and particularly the letter from the department chair definitely played a role in getting subsequent interviews and in the end a permanent position at a good school.
That said, I agree with earlier posters that there is a lot of variation in schools/situations - I just thought I should share my experience. Had the pay been a lot lower, had the classes concerned topics I wasn't particularly keen on teaching, and/or had I not liked the school/department - I probably would have passed.
Position Announcement - in case folks hadn't seen this:
The Department of Classical Studies at Boston University seeks
applications or nominations for a full-time position in Latin at the
rank of visiting assistant professor (non-tenure track) for the 2008-2009 academic year. PhD or advanced ABD status required.
Candidates must demonstrate exceptional potential as teachers of undergraduate students of classical civilization and Latin.
Applicants should send a CV and at least three letters of
recommendation to Professor Loren J. Samons, Chair, Department of
Classical Studies, Boston University, 745 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
MA 02215, to be received by 15 May 2008. Boston University is an
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.
So, those of you who attended CAMWS... Were the only interviews that took place those that were known in advance to be taking place, or were other schools conducting informal interviews, either for jobs that were advertised or for jobs that few know about?
So I'm curious: is there anyone out there who's fallen out of the profession (i.e., didn't get a job one year) and gotten back in? I'm not yet at that stage - still have interviews to do - but I'm worried, and it sounds like others here are too. So it would be nice to know if it's possible to recover from that. I've heard stories, of course: "X drove a taxi for 9 years before landing a job," etc., but it would be nice to hear an actual voice.
On Monday a new art history/archaeology/Latin job was listed by Rollins College (as the wiki already indicates). For reasons that I at the moment am not going to go into -- I both want to choose my words carefully, and to go to sleep (and most certainly NOT in that order) -- I STRONGLY advise that no one apply for this position. Yes, that's right: do not apply.
What I'll say for now is that Rollins College has announced that it is closing down its Classics program, and this one-year position is being created only so that the (very vocal) group of majors can satisfy their graduation requirements. (That claim in the posting that the job might extend into a second year, by the way, is VERY dubious, based on everything I know.) At the least, you would be walking into a very unhappy situation. But there is much more that you should all know about the situation than this, so there is more to come -- either from me or from others out there who also have been briefed. I/we might not be able to tell you everything, but I/we will certainly make a pretty convincing case for giving Rollins a pass. Stay tuned...
If you're uncertain whether to take this seriously, I'll point out that you've got nothing to lose by waiting 24 or 48 hours before applying -- as we all know, no department moves THAT fast to fill a position. So you've got time, and waiting just a bit might save you from taking a regrettable step, one that impacts negatively on your life and the lives of others.
P.S. If you know anyone who is considering applying to Rollins but doesn't visit this blog, please direct his or her attention here.
So, even if the Rollins job is a one-year boondoggle at a school run by rednecks and with a cretinous dean, why wouldn't an otherwise unemployed person like me apply anyway? I mean, most one-year VAPs are dead-ends anyway.
Can a position be SO bad that simply applying for it will hurt you? Surely you can decline the offer once it is made, right? I guess what you might mean is that the profession must collectively send a message to the school that the way they are acting is not to our liking, but if that is so I think you need to explain it more clearly.
Anonymous 8:35,
Completely valid questions, I’m just asking that you and others wait a bit. Then you’ll know more, and can decide whether I’m loopy, or justified in suggesting that everyone on the market avoid applying.
Anonymous 9:09,
It will be explained more clearly. I have a good reason for not writing more just now. But as I stated before, waiting a day or two before deciding to apply won’t hurt. (And solidarity within the field is just part of it. You should also know that while “a job is a job” – to repeat the mantra of advisors everywhere – this one will come with some definite downsides.)
Anonymous 10:43,
What you say is partly true, but shows – and I absolutely do not mean this in a harsh or critical way – that you do not know all of the issues involved.
Again, just a bit of time and I’ll make as much of my case as I feel comfortable making in this forum. I would add that a growing people in the field know the full and true story of what is happening at Rollins -- from grads to the highest levels of the APA, from state universities to women's colleges to the Ivy League, there are a good number who are informed, and can appreciate why I'm making this request. So if you don't like waiting for me to fulfill my promises, you can always ask around a bit.
Please remember to honor Servius's Rule #1 for this blog, that we don't post negative comments about our colleagues here. The reason I'll be providing for not applying to Rollins is not directly related to whether or not the classics program was sabotaged from within: there are other issues at stake.
Now I'm dying of curiosity... seems that everyone knows but me! Please tell!
Same here - eagerly awaiting more guilty pleasure.
But honestly, until contrary evidence emerges, I can't completely discard the possibility that someone with an entirely personal gripe against Rollins (or even someone who wants to get into it and wants to scare others away!!!) is making all this noise. Sorry tiresias if I am mistaken (as I very well may be).
Please, please, please don't make me delete two comments like that again! The first comment was completely out of line, while the second suffered serious collateral damage simply because it had quoted the first.
This conversation about Rollins has the potential to steer much too close to the Shoals of Impropriety, so please be mindful of what you say, and how you say it. There may or may not be information regarding the situation at Rollins appropriate to this forum. We will all see shortly. Do not, however, forget what this space is for.
Negative comments or attacks directed towards individuals, even if they are not "named", will not be tolerated. Period.
Sincerely yours,
Servius
Okay, time to post some more information and state my case. First, I should say that I can understand why someone might suspect that this is all about someone’s gripe with Rollins, but I think that the rest of my post will indicate that there are some pretty serious issues. Also, heeding Servius’s message, I will not post anything negative about anyone in our field; however, it is impossible to discuss this situation without making more general comments about Rollins and its administration. It is also impossible to write about this subject without making references to one of our colleagues, but these references are all favorable, and I would not be writing them if I had any doubts about whether I should do so. Finally, I want to give my word that, whoever I am, I am not affiliated with Rollins, and would not be applying for the job there even if I did not know what I know, so this isn’t some clever way of ending up the only one who applies for the position. (Would someone named Tiresias lie?) [Servius, if you have any doubts about any of this, I would be happy to e-mail you privately. Everything I write in this post can be backed up.]
What I’m about to write provides the broad outlines of the current situation. How the situation reached this point is something I cannot post here, but those of you with an insatiable desire for gossip can ask around and eventually you’ll find one of the several dozen people aware of the situation and why the Rollins classics program is imploding – when just a year ago it was expanding.
So here is why none of you should apply. For many years, Rollins has had a classics program consisting of two faculty members (in art history and philosophy), but not a department. Last year, a tenure-track position was filled by a promising teacher and scholar (and, full disclosure being appropriate, friend) who was assured that a classics department was being created. That assurance came before a partial change in administration and some developments among the Rollins faculty led to a decision to phase out classics over three years. As part of that phasing out, the administration dismissed its new, untenured faculty member, waiting until January to do so. (Those of you on the market can appreciate just what that means.) This also means that the tenure-track posting was, in retrospect, fraudulent, and that promises made to the employee were broken.
I realize that some of you are new to how academia functions, but it is a VERY serious problem when a university does this sort of thing. The dismissal violated numerous Rollins procedural rules and, perhaps more importantly, rules of the AAUP. A faculty appeals committee at Rollins looked into the claim of wrongful dismissal and said that a prima facie case existed for an investigation into wrongful dismissal. As I say, this is very serious: this type of administrative malfeasance and violation of proper procedures is the sort of thing that causes accreditation problems for universities, and Rollins may well be facing some troubles along those lines, not to mention the bad publicity that comes with that sort of thing. (Four words: Chronicle, of, Higher, Education.)
The A.P.A. has been investigating this allegation of ethical problems in terms of hiring at Rollins. No decision has been reached – after all, committees do take time – but if the committee were to decide that Rollins has acted unethically it would have the option of blacklisting Rollins (a way of saying that “Rollins is dead to us,” and letting the rest of the academic world know it). Being familiar with the same evidence that the A.P.A. has, I think that Rollins is in grave danger of some serious backlash (but, I stress, that is just my opinion).
Now, what does this have to do with the job posting, and whether any of you should apply? The current situation is that the untenured faculty member has reached the final stage of the appeals process, and should hear the results of the appeal argued last week any day now. (Hence my request that people wait a short time before applying.) If the appeal is upheld and he is allowed to keep his job, this replacement position will be completely kosher, and there will no longer be a need for an investigation by the A.P.A. or any other outside organizations that monitor the behavior of universities and colleges, and you will then be able to apply without anyone having any reservations. However, if the dismissal is upheld – and believe me, I could say A LOT more on just how wrong that would be, but will not do so here – then that means that the job posting that came out the other day is itself highly unethical, because the position being filled might on paper be that of a faculty member who was recently hired away, but in truth it is a way of letting majors finish their degrees while getting rid of the classicist who had been hired to make classics more of a force at Rollins. Moreover, the ad is unethical because it implies that the job applicant has a future at Rollins – believe me, you don’t.
What Rollins should be doing is coming to its senses and realizing that it can’t violate all sorts of rules of procedure, and should reverse course. (The truth is, like some king from tragedy, the administration has been warned repeatedly from numerous sides that it is headed down a path to disaster, but has been as senseless to the danger as Pentheus.) Moreover, putting aside the legalities and p.r. risks to the school’s reputation, the administration should simply focus on the fact that there are countless students and parents upset by this move. Believe it or not, when word of the closing of the classics program and dismissal of the new faculty member came out, there was a large protest that involved students dressing in togas and holding up signs with classical allusions (or, at least, allusions to the movie “300”). A petition with 300 signatures was collected. The student newspaper covered the situation. Students who have been swelling both enrollment in the classics program’s classes and the ranks of classics majors and minors since last fall are doing whatever they can to persuade the administration to reverse course, and the administration has been fielding letters and calls from angry parents. Perhaps the administration will finally listen.
Back to those of you on the market who might be considering the position: you must show solidarity. By applying for the position, you make it easier for the administration to wrongly terminate one of your fellow junior classicists. This is the moral equivalent of crossing a picket line to work as a scab: maybe you do it because you have to feed your family, but you do it with the knowledge that your actions come at the expense of someone else’s being able to feed theirs. But if you want to think about this more in terms of how applying for the job will affect you personally, I’d say that if Rollins is blacklisted you will not want to be there – you will not want to be applying for jobs next year with “Rollins College” on your C.V.; you will not want any of their faculty serving as a reference; and, you will not want others to think of you what they will think of you should you apply for and accept this position.
So, as I wrote last night, pretend this position does not exist. If the appeal is upheld and Rollins does the right thing, then you should definitely apply; but if the appeal is not upheld, setting in motion a chain of events, you will not want to be anywhere near the place.
It's all very terrible but I don't see why someone who is facing unemployment next year, such as myself (and I don't have a family to feed, only myself) shouldn't apply for the job if it means staying alive in academia for another year until his or her book comes out (for example). You seem to be saying that it would be unethical, but it sounds as though the ethical dispute is being handled in the usual way; how is it our job to make that decision and enforce it by refusing to apply for a job? As for having "Rollins College" on your C.V., I really don't think it could look worse than not having any academic employment at all for the current year. As for solidarity, I think it's an empty gesture. I'm sure the professor in question, if s/he has been genuinely victimized, will be able to get satisfaction, either through internal reviews or, failing that, litigation in court.
All this and I see that the Swarthmore job on the wiki is listed as 'offered'. Good times!
In searching the web for anything about Rollins and the details stated above, I have found absolutely nothing -- not even an online search of the school newspaper turned up anything. Can you point us to anything, anything at all, online that discusses any of these details, from the impending cancellation of the classics program to the dismissal of the untenured professor? If things are as bad as you say, and if the school newspaper did report on the protests, there should be something that turns up in a Google search...Thanks in advance.
Anonymous 11:29,
Sadly, the Rollins student newspaper doesn’t do a very good job updating its website – it went for several weeks without doing so. (Probably because with such a small student body they don't have enough dedicated staffers.) If you had access to the print version, you’d have been able to read, for example, an article entitled "Death of the Classics," which has photos of the protesters. One of the captions reads, "THIS IS SPARTA: These academic warriors chose to fight with words in the sun rather than swords in the shade" and another “TONIGHT WE DINE IN HELL: Charred cow flesh was given to the devoted students who gathered to show their support for the classics liberal arts major which now faces extinction.” The article referred to “Classics majors and radical students alike” getting together for the protest. One student, Classics major Jacob Trickey, Sr., was quoted as saying of the professor who has been wrongly terminated that he “is an excellent professor and many students are interested in the Classics. It's ridiculous that the administration believes that a Classics major is no longer viable on campus. Our demonstration is an effort to get both students and faculty to realize that they need to save the Classics."
As a general aside, I should say that on this blog there have been some fairly intense discussions about how to keep classics from dying out (or, to be more accurate, being killed off). It's pretty obvious from a situation like this that students can still be taught care deeply about the classical world, especially at places with strong liberal arts traditions (as Rollins purports to be). It's just a matter of teaching classics the right way. No rocket science here, no need to reinvent the field for the 21st century, no need to merge with other disciplines. Teach it right, and they'll come. Sermon over, back to Letterman. (Thank goodness for DVR's...)
All too often, the old fxxts sitting in administration buildings think that classics has no future, no student can possibily be interested in it and therefore it should be cut. It is both amazing and amusing to me how many of the older people (50's and above), while purporting to be modern and forward-looking, are really out of touch with the bright, enthusiastic and often classics-loving 20 somethings. Anyway I have personally experienced a situtation similar (though not so clearly rule-breaking) to what is being reported about Rollins here both where I did my undergrad and another school where I VAP'd for a couple of years. Fortunately, in both cases the administration relented in the face of combined student-faculty resistence. I hope things will turn out well at Rollins too.
Yep, all these 20-somethings are hankering to study Greek and Latin. RIP Rollins, Wayne State, and a bunch of other departments. We're mistaken and in for a rude awakening if we think that the problem lies mostly with administration. This isn't a razor-thin margin decision. Classics departments are cheap and we know the bottom line drives administration. If an administration decides to shut classics down, it almost certainly was not a close decision.
I'd like to support what Tiresias has said about Rollins -- what s/he has written fits with what I have heard about the situation. What this faculty member has gone through is deplorable. Even if you choose not to heed Tiresias's call to support our colleague, do at least take note that this is an unhealthy environment not just for classics but for all faculty there.
1) no environment is more unhealthy than unemployment (we're not talking about sweatshops here).
2) How is the appt. of a VAP going to affect the aggrieved faculty member currently appealing against their mistreatment? Surely that is an entirely separate process from any temporary hiring?
If the administration wants to close Classics down they're not going to care whether applications arrive tomorrow or next week, surely? Doesn't sound like much of a protest to me. The students' actions and any potential APA / AAUP action - that sounds like a protest.
This entire topic is rich. You want us to feel sorry for a senior scholar who as a group rarely empathizes with young graduates from my experience? This is the same group who more often than not happily takes advantage of struggling young scholars so they can take their sabbaticals and maintain their 2/2 teaching loads? If the senior scholars out there want to make a statement, change the outdated culture of the discipline instead of insuring stability for themselves. Once this happens, I'll think about "taking one for the team" myself.
This entire topic is rich. You want us to feel sorry for a senior scholar who as a group rarely empathizes with young graduates from my experience? This is the same group who more often than not happily takes advantage of struggling young scholars so they can take their sabbaticals and maintain their 2/2 teaching loads? If the senior scholars out there want to make a statement, change the outdated culture of the discipline instead of insuring stability for themselves. Once this happens, I'll think about "taking one for the team" myself.
I can't figure out what you're referring to. What senior scholar(s)?
Dear Anonymous 2008 7:20 PM,
The person in question is junior person int eh first year of his TT there. A recent grad (3 or 4 years ago, I think) who was on the VAP circuit before that. We should be concerned about this since it could happen to any junior person. Its one of the reasons why tenure is a good thing--so things like this can't happen.
2) How is the appt. of a VAP going to affect the aggrieved faculty member currently appealing against their mistreatment? Surely that is an entirely separate process from any temporary hiring?
They are intimately related. Just read the Rollins job posting: "Successful applicant must be able to teach Greek and Roman art and archaeology, survey of Western art from ancient to Medieval, and classical humanities." The art history department probably does need to find someone who can teach Greco-Roman art, since that's what the senior Roman art/archaeology professor who was hired away by George Washington University was doing. But "classical humanities," that's referring to the courses in classical civ and lit that would be taught by junior scholar at the heart of this discussion (who, by the way, is more than capable of teaching Greco-Roman art/architecture). So by applying to this position, you would be complicit in enabling Rollins to oust their tenure-track classicist and terminate the program.
If the administration wants to close Classics down they're not going to care whether applications arrive tomorrow or next week, surely? Doesn't sound like much of a protest to me. The students' actions and any potential APA / AAUP action - that sounds like a protest.
I'm not calling for a "protest," since a protest from the likes of us junior classics types would be meaningless. I'm 1) warning people about the situation and what getting the job could mean for them, and 2) calling for people to take a moral stand and not apply for a job that had no business whatsoever being advertised, especially after Rollins was strongly advised not to do so.
The one thing that I find ridiculous about the previous discussion is the lack of consideration, even for a mere moment, that there was a legitimate basis for the firing of the individual at Rollins. Needless to say, the administration of Rollins has a very different take on the situation, as well as the future of classics on campus.
Secondly, there is a significant disconnect between the calls for boycotting the Rollins Classics Department and the job that is posted. Lets get the facts straight. The Rollins job advertised will not even sit in Classics, but is an Art History position with a minority of classes taught under the Classics rubric. The posting of this job was the result of internal events that led to the need to replace an Art History professor who happens to be departing, and NOTHING to do with the Classics dismissal. In addition, the future of the position is tied to the future of Art History at Rollins, not Classics.
The whole discussion has failed to take any of these points into consideration. The assertion that archaeologists and art historians should boycott a position unrelated to the one under controversy is insane. I agree that this reflects a significant disconnect between those who have jobs and can afford to advocate protest, and those of us trying to gain employment. If Rollins were posting a position to replace the individual under question, then you MIGHT have a case for calling for a boycott. Even this assumes that Rollins was in the wrong for their dismissal, a fact that has not been established.
If the Rollins situation is as serious as Teiresias say it is (and I have no way of knowing either way), then why has there been no statement by the APA? If the facts are known, and Rollins is playing dirty pool, why hasn't there been any information put forward by the "powers that be" in our field?
Shouldn't the APA at the very least post some hand waving/wringing comment on their website? Why are we discussing this on a random blog, instead of signing petitions circulated by the APA?
Just wonderin'...
Anonymous 10:42,
It's a good question, but one that I sort of dealt with earlier. The APA is still going through the process, and since the individuals involved are responsible people they are not going to make a statement until they feel ready to do so. (The timing here, of course, is unfortunate. Essentially, Rollins got its ad out before the APA had reached an official position.)
Rollins Sympathizer,
You speak on the subject to with enough conviction to make me suspect that you are not a Rollins “sympathizer,” but an actual employee. (My sympathies.) But that doesn’t really matter, so I’ll respond to your points.
Regarding your claim that the advertised job is unrelated to the terminated job, I believe I’ve already demonstrated that that’s not the case – the two positions are most definitely linked. (But I’ll add that since Rollins has a classics “program” that has included one person in art history who has also taught traditional classics courses, the distinction being made that this one-year position will be in art history is meaningless.) Moving on, then...
Yes, you are undeniably correct, it is possible that the person was fired for a damn good reason. (I don’t believe that to be the case, and no one else with whom I’ve discussed this situation does either, but I'll play along.) If you read my post a bit more carefully, though, you will see that this whole issue is not about whether Rollins was right or wrong to terminate him, but the allegation (and, to my thinking, fact) that there were multiple violations of procedure in doing so. Not to mention the fact that someone who is tenure-track is entitled to more than a four-month warning that he or she is being let go. I mean, that’s such a basic right for us academics that I’m shocked you are overlooking it. So yes, the person who is being terminated could be the worst professor in the world and could have engaged in all sorts of improprieties and could have built a crystal meth lab in his office, but that would all be irrelevant.
Moreover, I’d say that it appears that someone in the administration is very much opposed to classics -- in fact, it was recently brought to light that at this person’s last college he/she was involved in the closing down of the classics department there -- embarked on a mission to get rid of the newest hire, the person around whom a legitimate classics department was to coalesce. And that’s what’s really going on here. (But of course, if you are indeed at Rollins, you already know this, even if you’d never write it publicly...)
In my rush to post before Letterman began, I wrote something misleading. (Yes, Letterman's on now, but I do have DVR technology, for times just like this.) I wrote in response to Anonymous 10:42:
"It's a good question, but one that I sort of dealt with earlier. The APA is still going through the process, and since the individuals involved are responsible people they are not going to make a statement until they feel ready to do so. (The timing here, of course, is unfortunate. Essentially, Rollins got its ad out before the APA had reached an official position.)"
What I should have pointed out was that, as I wrote in an earlier post, if the Rollins administration upholds the appeal and reverses the dismissal there will be nothing for the APA to go to the mats over. So I don't believe that there can be an official APA position on the Rollins classics situation just yet.
I happen to have been a candidate in the Rollins search last year...I had a good friend with connections to Rollins who warned me strongly against even considering taking that position. I don't know the hire or the alleged reasons for his firing, but it is certainly a strange coincidence that he finds himself in a situation similar to one that I was warned about 18 months ago.
I would like to state, emphatically, my sympathy for the situation of the person referred to in this discussion. But deplore this situation as we all must, I think posters here have a point about the relationship between the two positions.
Quote: But "classical humanities," that's referring to the courses in classical civ and lit that would be taught by junior scholar at the heart of this discussion (who, by the way, is more than capable of teaching Greco-Roman art/architecture)
Actually, in fact, the way the visiting job is posted is very very similar to the way it was when first listed, lo the many years ago. Yes. I'm dating myself. The senior person we will not name, now moving on, has taught a range of courses that even a "Classics Generalist" well versed in let's say the city of Rome or Athens could not teach unless he/she (for here I am speaking generally) has done a ton of quite specialized coursework. Yet the original 'art' job also asked for someone to teach both Latin and civ courses too.
I am not advocating that people should or should not apply for this; that is an individual decision. But I do think that the visiting position is in a different field than was the t-t position they created last year. Take a look at the ad from last year: it clearly draws a line between the Classics Generalist job and the Art/Arch.
Let us all hope that Rollins does the right thing, and allows the present position to continue on the t-t, while also hiring a VAP in art/ arch.
Yes, if you're a superstar who gets job offers from Toronto, NYU, Penn and pretty much every top school like someone this year, you should avoid jobs with potential baggage. But for most of us, we get one or two offers at best. Many more don't even get a TT offer. So for the vast majority, who would have passed up Rollins 18 months ago? Heck, I would still take the job now even knowing what might happen. We're not choosing between a sweat shop and a salt mine people.
The Rollins student paper has updated its online edition, and you can read more here:
http://media.www.thesandspur.org/media/storage/paper623/news/2008/04/04/Opinions/Classics.Program.Protests.Injustice-3313886-page3.shtml
Anonymous 10:59,
I admire your diligence in digging up the old Rollins ad, but it's not relevant to the situation, since at the time no one was being ousted from a tenure-track job. I repeat, this person is being hired to teach the courses needed to let majors finish up, and Rollins already has someone more than capable of teaching all of the necessary courses. And regardless of what anyone at Rollins will say, that's the situation.
Huh. The link didn't work. Just go to the homepage, http://www.thesandspur.org/
Re: Rollins and MC positions.
Does another one bite the dust?
There are few MC job postings, even fewer that show much interest in specific mastery of the sub-field (e.g., "Roman archaeologist with active field project" vs. "did the summer program in Rome"), and, of those, several failed, were canceled, or at least have the appearance of being over (Toronto, Columbia [again], Arizona, LB State, did I leave some out?). Some have it worse (philosophers?), some have it better (Vergil scholars?), some seem in between (historians?). (This blog has helped me understand the field and the job process better, but my education is still in progress; it's not my aim to offend anyone who thinks I don't understand your sub-field, because I'm admitting here that I don't.) That said, what are the MC people supposed to do about the Rollins VAP?
Don't get me wrong--Rollins' actions are looking very shady from where I'm sitting--but it's hard for me to pass up any position at this stage. Is it worse, do you think, to apply and see what shakes down, or to not apply and hope for a generalist position? Nevermind the answer, I'm just saying that, unlike Anon. 12:00 ("We're not choosing between a sweat shop and a salt mine people."), I feel that all of us, and perhaps especially those whose primary evidence is not text-based are making some hard choices right now. Even thinking about the Rollins situation makes me feel sad, sorry and tired. Mainly tired.
So if anyone wants to pick up the discussion (started earlier) about how to deal with having a year-long gap in academic employment, I'm all ears. I'm not looking for encouragement (not that it's unwelcome!), really, just practical suggestions. Surely someone out there knows how to spin an employment gap? Has done it? Has seen someone else do it? Knows some sort of non-academic position that looks good on paper? Or?
I find that picking the color of my parachute, however temporarily needed, is kind of helpful--and somehow actually encouraging. More encouraging, to be sure, than the MC VAP market.
/ramble. Thanks!
I believe some people in your situation take on a position called "visiting scholar" or sim. - it is non-teaching, non-paying, no salary, but lets you use the library of the school you are affiliated with. One of my advisors did it when he was jobless (a long time ago), and recently our department had a retired scholar from somewhere else ask for and get that privilege (just so that he could use our library for research). It is of course not a very exciting position to be in, but at least allows you to put something on the resume, get library (including ILL) access for free, and who knows, you may be asked to pitch in to do real work when the dept. is in an emergency.
Anon. 2:26:
Thank you--that was really helpful.
Anyone else?
Factual clarification from someone at Rollins might help this discussion. The claim that Classics is shutting down at Rollins is simply false, or as Mark Twain once said: "The report of my death is exaggerated." The *major* is temporarily "suspended" -- the *program* is not closed. Moreover the executive committee has mandated that a timeline and plan be developed within one year for reactivating the major. Let me quote verbatim the directive from the Executive committee: "the Executive Committee approved the temporary suspension with the requirement that a plan/timetable be submitted to the AAC regarding when and how CS can resume accepting majors."
However, this is beside the point since this is a one year VAP intended to replace a departing faculty member who was tenured in Art History.
Wow, you don't know much about how university administrations work (or else you know perfectly well and are dissembling)...with no new majors for a year or two, and the "tenure-track" position that would have serviced said majors eliminated, it will be far easier (and cheaper) to eliminate the program altogether than to attempt to rebuild it. The one (or perhaps two) year VAP in Art History will then expire and when a tenure-track position is eventually advertised in Art History the Classics 'program' --now just a few sad minors--will be easily eliminated simply by rewriting the job description to no longer include courses in classical civilization. Goodbye Rollins classics. The funny thing is that last year they were trying to attract candidates with the promise of a plan to have not just a program but a whole department.
"and, of those, several failed, were canceled, or at least have the appearance of being over (Toronto, Columbia [again], Arizona, LB State, did I leave some out?)."
Add Brock and Akron to your list. Overall, I think there are way too many games played in the classics job search, especially for MC positions. Most disciplines, people are looking for a dance partner. In classics, it seems like SCs are looking for the love of their life - way too many emotions in my experience.
MC people have it especially tough as many SCs are looking for that archaeologist with that sexy project, but sexy project don't happen overnight. They take years of development so a few high profile scholars with some years under their belt seem to get fought over. What are recent grads supposed to do until they reach this point? Work in the basement of some dank museum hoping that they will direct a sexy project one day?
Ah, Rollins. I'm gonna go pour myself a nice tall glass of I don't give a damn.
I'm going to go pour myself a nice tall glass of Sexy Project.
Had we wanted to send a unified message to Rollins (assuming, of course, that they are in the wrong here), then we should have done this:
1. Encourage everybody we know to apply for the position, whether they were on the market or no. Best case, Rollins gets around 150-200 apps for this one job.
2. Encourage every finalist to accept a campus invitation if forthcoming.
3. Finally, encourage every finalist to back out at the last possible minute (at the airport?) and claim that, having just heard of the way that Classics is treated at Rollins, they have no interest in continuing their candidacy at the institution. Thanks, and good luck with the search!
Once the administration gets a couple of these in a row, they'd get the message loud and clear. It might backfire, but damn, it would feel good.
Brilliant idea - but then, sending an app. still costs some postage money. I would prefer to spend that money on a bottle of wine or a bag of Columbus salami, selfish and unhealthy as this may sound.
Anonymous 5:37 of April 24 did a fine job responding to Anonymous 4:24 (a Rollins professor, quite obviously). I would add that the business about that faculty committee’s vote appears to be fresh information, and is different from what the students were told. I would consider that a hopeful sign – at least one showing that members of the faculty who aren’t involved in classics care – but as one who has been following this saga from afar since the beginning of the school year I know of (at least) three instances when Rollins administrators showed complete disrespect for the opinions of high-level faculty committees, so this really doesn’t mean all that much unless the administration wants it to mean something.
On a separate note, the post by Anonymous 10:57 a.m. on April 24 (= the person who was also a Rollins candidate last year but was warned about how messed up things were there) has got me thinking. That person’s friend/colleague is now one of several people I have spoken to myself or heard about who knew that anyone accepting the Rollins job would be in the process of getting undermined, backstabbed and eventually fired from the moment he/she arrived there. (Sort of like the way we begin to die the moment we’re born.) Since Rollins classics is/was not the only dysfunctional place that would be a bad place to land, in the future people should use this blog to warn those who are on the market. Obviously, we should be careful not to violate Servius’s Rule #1 by writing negative comments about specific colleagues, but one could easily write something vague, such as “Before accepting an offer from School X, you should be sure to ask around about the place.” That could save people a lot of trouble.
Maybe less time reading/posting to blogs and more time working = better results on the job market?
If you haven't seen this ad:
The Department of Classics has received budgetary approval to appoint a full-time lecturer for the academic year 2007-8. The successful candidate must have all
requirements for the Ph.D.completed by the time the position takes effect, i.e. August 15, 2008. Courses to be taught include elementary Greek and Latin, upper division Latin prose, upper division Greek prose, and an upper-division in-translation course "Approaches to Mythology." Candidates should send letter of interest, cv, and letters of recommendation to Thomas Habinek, Chair, Department of Classics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0352 by May 6, 2008, but the position will
remain open until filled. Unsuccessful applicants for the tenure-track search earlier
this year should not send duplicate materials but may send a statement of interest to Christine Shaw, shawc@usc.edu.
And another:
The Department of Classics at Emory University seeks to fill a one-
year position for a full-time visiting instructor of Classics
beginning in August 2008 through May 2009. The candidate should be
qualified to teach Latin, Greek, and Classical civilization at all
levels and show evidence of strong teaching ability. Ph.D. preferred.
The teaching load is five courses a year and will include Elementary
Latin I and II and a survey course on Greek literature and civilization. The other two courses are likely to be a course on
Classical Drama and a small advanced seminar in an area of particular interest to the applicant. Candidates should send a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and dossier including graduate transcript, three letters of recommendation and documentation of teaching ability to Louise Pratt, Chair, Department of Classics, 221F Candler Library, 550 Asbury Circle, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30322. We will begin reviewing applications immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Materials may also be faxed to (404) 727-0223 or e-mailed (lpratt@emory.edu). Candidates who will be attending the Feminism and Classics conference and would like to talk
to a departmental representative should e-mail Louise Pratt
(lpratt@emory.edu) prior to the conference to express interest and
provide contact information. Emory University is an EEO/AA employer.
I haven't seen either of those listing and I'm wondering where they come from. Is there a venue for these that I don't know about?
I don't know where they came from as I didn't post them, but over the past 48 hours they each made their way to me via friends. I assume the WCC list, or perhaps institutions sending ads to "top" Classics departments in the US, from which they filter down to others, or just word of mouth/email.
I want to point out two definite mistakes on the wiki. First, the Swarthmore job has NOT been offered. They just brought the last candidate in last week and the search committee hasn't had time to meet and make a decision.
Second, UPENN never made another offer for the Anc. Hist. search. The search failed, and a new search will take place next year.
The lesson: while this forum may be somewhat useful as a source of information and venting, it is also a significant source of misinformation and unnecessary anxiety. It'd probably better if we focused our attentions elsewhere as April 25, 2008 9:58 PM and others have suggested.
If people know the wiki is mistaken about something, shouldn't they, well, edit the wiki to reflect that?
"significant source of misinformation"
I guess we have different definitions for significant. I wouls say 99% of the info has been accurate. You make it sound like a tabloid that should be disregarded, which suggests to me that you're a senior scholar disgruntled about the democratization of info that takes some of the power away from "you guys."
I don't agree that the wiki is a "significant source of misinformation." It has in my experience been largely accurate. And I think it does nothing to increase the anxiety of the job hunt, but rather helps to alleviate it - for instance, I knew exactly where I'd be interviewing (or not) at the APA, thanks to the wiki, so no last-minute surprises, and I knew when to give up hope, so no living with false expectations. And that's why this blog exists, to correct any misinformation on the wiki - as you just used it.
I've been on the market pre- and post-wiki. Post-wiki is DEFINITELY better.
Does anyone have information about these searches?
UCLA (1 year)
Iowa State (3 years)
College of Charleston (1 year)
University of Utah (1 year)
University of Oklahoma (1 year)
Howard University (1 year)
These seem to be the only schools still in play, apart from those whose deadlines haven't passed yet.
I only know about the following positions:
Iowa State -- job offered and accepted
College of Charleston -- job offered; verbal acceptance received
University of Oklahoma
Offered and accepted.
Thanks for coming out!
I was thinking maybe we should create a new section for people who are dropping out of academia after this round..... it could be a venue for griping but also for sharing practical information, like how to apply for unemployment, finding a good social worker.....
Excellent idea about a forum for the unemployed.
Servius?
What we really need is the name and number of a firm who specializes in placing academics who for one reason or another wish to leave their fields. And is such a firm doesn't exist, then some of us should band together and establish one. Actually, I think that this would go over like gangbusters, you know? Because I personally have no idea how to get a job outside academia, but I have no desire to teach high school as a stop-gap until I get that academic job next time around.
Look - we're all smart and bright, and corporate firms should be begging to hire people like Classicists. And I have it on good authority that they are. But there is no way for them to reach us, or for us to know about them.
There's a book, Outside the Ivory Tower, that may help.
I heard that Howard met over a week ago so I assume that they have made a decision and offer, but this isn't 100%. FWIW, they tend to draw VAPs every year from the abundant pool in the DC area.
Read Outside the Ivory Tower...
That's pretty funny...an academic should learn how not to be an academic by reading a book.
I'm not looking for reading materials. I want to know if there is a firm (or whatever) that places PhDs who have left academia. Think of the skills we have: research, outreach, writing, speaking, etc. Surely these matter in the real world, right?
I'm just tired of being a pathetic loser, fighting for scraps, begging for a job - eleven years of schooling for this? Unemployment?
I'm an adult. I have a family. I need a job.
That's pretty funny...an academic should learn how not to be an academic by reading a book.
I'm not looking for reading materials. I want to know if there is a firm (or whatever) that places PhDs who have left academia.
No need to be snotty - people are just trying to help. Have you tried talking to the career placement center at your PhD institution? That's what they are there for. Mine had seminars on this very topic, with lots of good advice - how to turn your cv into your resume, how what you've done in grad school translates into real world skills, how to market yourself, etc. I didn't follow up on it, but there seemed to be an infrastructure there to help PhDs get jobs outside of the academy.
Frustrated, not snotty.
I'm two institutions removed from my PhD. I suppose I could check to see if the school I'm at has such an infrastructure.
There is a very helpful list called "wrk4us" for humanists and social scientists contemplating nonacademic careers. Subscription info is here:
https://lists.duke.edu/sympa/info/wrk4us. The list membership includes people just starting to think about alternative careers and ex-academics who have been out for some time. They have periodic organized discussions with specialists on various careers and ongoing chat about jobseeking strategies.
University of Utah VAP
Offered and accepted...
(Had to write to them to extract that info.)
If you really need to make a living and turn to good use the training you have had, I really see no reason why you should not consider secondary education through places like the following > spectrum.troy.edu/~acl/
At least you will (probably) be in a much more familiar territory than if you were to go into a computer firm or a hedge fund.
I heard the Swarthmore job had been offered and turned down by an inside (not internal) candidate who took another position and that they then invited people to campus. Just what I heard.
Time for another update from Rollins, probably the last for a while. Yesterday the provost rejected the appeal filed against himself and his dean for wrongful termination. (Some of you who read too fast might want to read that sentence again.) Last week, I had said that people should hold off on applying until the appeal had been accepted or rejected. Now that it has been rejected, this saga will enter a new phase (or phases), so there is no need to hold back your applications any longer. Obviously, though, if you get a job anywhere else you should take it. If you do get an on-campus interview, you might want to ask the undergrads their impression of what has been going on -- my guess is that some of them would have quite a tale to tell from their perspective, as that campus newspaper piece indicates. (I’m assuming that the students will be given a chance to speak freely, and won’t be accompanied by Soviet-era “minders” at all times.) Also, as I have written before, there is no reason to believe that the job has a future, beyond possibly a second year. The administration has acted or spoken dishonestly a number of times -- both with individual faculty and important faculty committees -- so there is no reason to believe the claim that the classics program will be brought back in a year or two or three. By then the students who in the past year have become passionate about the classics will have graduated or chosen other majors and therefore will not fight as they have been; nor should you expect the faculty to fight for classics, since even the ones who should have been fighting the hardest to preserve it did nothing to help, and even those who were deliberately deceived by the administration seem to have taken it lying down. But most importantly, the administration has recently stated unambiguously that classics should go away for a time, so even if some faculty members there have rosy expectations of bringing classics back soon, it would be wise to be skeptical.
From all that I have learned in following this ordeal since it began late last summer, it has become clear that Rollins is an exceptionally dysfunctional place, and in the future if I have any friends in other fields who are considering applying there I will try to warn them away -- and would advise that you do the same. From what I hear, Rollins repeatedly gets itself into these sorts of situations, wrongfully terminating faculty in violation of all sorts of rules and then having to deal with the consequences. So it is not as if this was an isolated instance that happened because the victim was a classicist -- this sort of thing has happened to people there who are in other fields, and will no doubt happen again and again with this administration in place. It’s a shame to have to say this, because it is supposed to be a beautiful campus and many of the students there are very good, but the administration runs it as if it’s a banana republic, and the students and parents seem oblivious to how poorly they are being served (not to mention how much of their money is wasted paying out settlements to those who have been wronged).
As I mentioned above, this will probably be my last post for a while (though, of course, if there is a need for me to respond to someone else’s post I shall do so). I would have no business discussing in a public forum what else has been going recently, or what will be going on in the future. (If I know you personally, I might share the latest. And as I’ve said before, you can certainly ask around to find out the full story of what happened at Rollins, and perhaps you will speak to someone who is well informed enough to know where things currently stand, as well as what happened there in recent years.)
So, with that, back to our usual programming...
Yesterday the provost rejected the appeal filed against himself and his dean for wrongful termination.
Ahhhhhh, sweet, sweet Power.... Too bad the faculty member can't simply reject his/her own termination and carry on. Not that they would want to....
Has the Minnesota Latinist job been offered, anyone know?
Can people chime in with how departments have notified you about VAPs? I've heard that some treat it almost like a TT position while others will call you out of the blue offering the position. Is there a "typical" manner in how VAPs are closed out or is it too all over the place to characterize?
In my experience for VAPs there's a phone call (usually after an interview or some other communication) and then an email (if they have to leave a voicemail). Is that what you meant?
Depends on the school. I've had:
-phone call and email w/no interview
-offer by email w/no interview (though I was abroad)
-phone call and email w/phone interview
One thing worth noting about VAPs: Don't be afraid to negotiate. Yes, you want a job, but the department also really wants its search to be over. I negotiated a teaching load down by 1/3rd and also got moving expenses, for instance. It's very easy to feel desperate at this point, but don't let that stop you from getting what you need from a position. More salary is usually hard to ask for, but they can bend about the workload and so forth.
A place really wasn't going to offer you moving expenses? Yikes.
I once had a situation in which I only got $500 for a $1000 move, but since the school was operating tens of millions of dollars in the red I couldn't really push it.
Just a quick note. Anyone notice what was missing from the latest APA job listing? That's right, the Rollins position. Either the APA refused to run it or Rollins knew it's in hot water over the situation and didn't try. (I'm not privy to what exactly happened.)
Looks like ol' Tiresias was right about that job not being kosher...
Perhaps Tiresias is looking in the wrong place. The Rollins position is up on the AIA site, and after all it is an art historian that they're looking for.
So it is. Who knew that the AIA had a jobs list? (Well, archaeologists and art historians, I guess.) But that doesn't detract from my observation that it is quite unusual that a job like this one -- which is, after all, half classical studies -- was not announced through the APA.
But more importantly, how could you be so insensitive as to refer to me "looking" in the wrong place? Next thing I know, you'll start telling Helen Keller jokes... (Or making fun of androgynes.)
I'm curious -- how many other archaeologists or art historians didn't know that the AIA listed academic jobs that do not appear on the APA/AIA Placement Service list (besides me)?
I am sorry to disappoint anyone but I don't think that there is a conspiracy here. This is what happens when a philosopher (me) tries to post an ad for an Art History job. I thought Classical Art jobs go to the AIA site and philology jobs go to the APA site. Mea culpa.
Thanks for the heads up Tiresias!
Serenus et al.,
I agree it's no conspiracy. A few MC jobs only get posted via AIA every year and some are posted only via CAA (etc., etc.). Anyone on the market in classical archaeology (or related) needs to check out the link on the AIA website to a PDF entitled "Helpful Links for Job Seekers in Classical Archaeology." It seems pretty solid, though basic.
It doesn't seem like there's been enough whining lately (come on, people!), so I'll add this: it still kind of bothers me that the APA site purports to be the AIA/APA Placement Service, but doesn't link to either of these other sites.
It would be a real service (pun intended) if the AIA/APA Current Positions page linked to the AIA postings (i.e. those within its own organization) to keep folks from being surprised about this every year. Or perhaps there is a link already that I can't see, in which case I say make it more prominent.
I wouldn't even dream of suggesting that they cull ads from CAA and other sites, though I think it would be another good service (there I go again!) if they mentioned them on the job listings site instead of on the second page of a PDF. (As they list already ACL and library science info.) Adding links to these other sources would be a great boon. Of course, you have to be a member of CAA to access its ads, but that's another whine for another day.
I'm sure they're other constructive ideas out there about how the service website could improve. That's my 2 cents.
On a semi-related matter, I just wrote to the APA president and director to point out how detrimental it is for the APA at this time of year to stick to bimonthly job postings, instead of sending them out right away. During the fall semester MAYBE it's a good idea -- though I think even then the ads should go out as soon as they're approved -- but right now with departments scrambling to fill positions and candidates desperate to find jobs it makes no sense to put in an artificial delay. (And on a related note, if you can believe it, the APA is asking departments to extend their deadlines -- as if this is the fall, and there is all the time in the world. One school reset its deadline to be five weeks after its initial announcement of a position, when NO ONE needs five weeks to apply for something these days.)
I'd encourage those who agree to write the APA leadership, too. Perhaps they will make some much-needed changes.
This just appeared on Rogue Classicism:
The Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies invites applications for a one-year Limited Term position at the rank of Assistant Professor, effective July 1, 2008. We are seeking a candidate with a research specialty in Greek history (including social history) and who is competent to teach courses in Greek history, ancient Greek language and Classical civilization. Preferred applicants will have completed a PhD or be close to completion by the time of appointment. Other requirements include a demonstrated excellence in teaching and evidence of a research program; publications are preferred. Applicants are asked to submit, in hard copy, a curriculum vitae, a covering letter outlining research interests and teaching experience, a short teaching dossier, and the names and contact information for three professional referees, to Professor Gerald P. Schaus, Chair, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario, N2L 3C5. Applications will be assessed after May 23, 2008, until the position is filled. Wilfrid Laurier University is committed to equity and values diversity. We welcome applications from qualified individuals of all genders and sexual orientations, persons with disabilities, Aboriginal persons, and persons of a visible minority. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. Members of the designated groups must self-identify to be considered for employment equity. Candidates may self-identify, in confidence, to the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Dr. David Docherty.
Does anyone have updated information about the search at Cornell College in Iowa? Information may not be available, since the review of applications didn't begin untl April 30, but for personal reasons I'm eager to know the status of this search.
I applied to the job at Cornell College but haven't heard anything from them yet.
For what it is worth, Penn State has contacted people to arrange phone interviews for their one-year position.
I also happen to know that UCLA's one-year position is still in play. They are meeting in the next week or two to make a decision. I suspect their search got held up by California's budget problems.
More: silence so far on the BYU front; no news on the Kenyon job either.
Does anyone know anything about the other Cornell, the Ithaca one? By now they must be pretty far along, but seem to be doing a good job moving under the radar.
The job at the "other" Cornell has been offered and accepted.
Has anyone heard from Brown (1 year VAP in Classical Arch.)?
Thanks.
"I also happen to know that UCLA's one-year position is still in play. They are meeting in the next week or two to make a decision. I suspect their search got held up by California's budget problems."
The original ad said, "UCLA invites applications for one or two full-time lecturer positions." Based on the budget problems you mentioned, I suppose it's safe to say it ended up being one position instead of two?
That I don't know (one or two). Let's hope for two!
I don't know, if the school in question was USC or some other private, I would have more hope for two positions. State schools across the country are having their budgets reamed. NY, FL, MI, AZ, and CA seem to be scrambling more than others for some reason. FL unfortunately put their money into housing, the auto industry is crumbling in MI, and the housing market driving the economy in AZ went bust. What's NY and CA's excuse? Shouldn't they have been better prepared for the economy slowdown?
California = Housing:
http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/
http://calculatedrisk.blogspot.com/
I just applied for the Rollins VAP.
There. I admit it.
I hope you get it.
There will be one Lecturer position at UCLA for 2008-09, and it was just approved by the Dean this past week. The people who are still on the applicant list for that position should hear something in the next few weeks.
And housing in Irvine does not equal housing in Los Angeles, so I'm not sure what that particular post was about.
-UCLA Faculty member
Thanks, UCLA faculty member.
Just to let you know: I'm still available.
And housing in Irvine does not equal housing in Los Angeles, so I'm not sure what that particular post was about.
Not sure what you are talking about. The two links were a response to questions about budgetary issues and higher education. California schools are hurting because of the economy in general, and because of the collapse of the housing market in particular. That goes for UCLA as much as for UCI. The Irvine Housing Blog documents that collapse, and its general lessons are applicable everywhere. Irvine is simply an egregious example.
Enlightened?
Looks like Howard University has filled their position, according to a rejection e-mail.
By the way, about two years ago I spent a very enjoyable hour listening to my best friend's father-in-law, a senior professor at Howard (not in anything ancient), regaling us with stories of how corrupt and screwed up Howard is. Stories that would make the front page of the Washington Post if they got out. So I'm a bit disappointed in not getting the one-year, but I would never even consider applying for a tenure-track position at a place like that.
So...how many people are still out there ZERO prospects for next year?
Does my grandmother's basement count as a "prospect"?
Depends, do you shoot a public access channel tv show called Tiresias' World in the basement? If so, it's definitely a prospect as you'll likely get compensated better than your average VAP...
... and maybe you'll get meal comps and a backstage pass to the CAMWS panel on Alice Cooper.
Penn State 1 year
Offered and accepted
Whatever happened to the UCLA one-year? There were so many rumors floated on here, one would think the alum has the job already - right?
And for that matter, how about the job at Emory?
Rumors, people - your famae aren't volenting.
I never watched the show, but I believe the proper expression is, "Patience, grasshopper." Emory's deadline doesn't pass for another ten days -- why are you already looking for rumors?
Have there really been no updates since the 16th? That was nearly a week ago.
Or have people simply stopped consulting the site as they get jobs? That is, am I the only one still reading it, hoping for info?
Oh, there are still people out there. Maybe there will be news on Boston University, which had its deadline pass a week ago, soon. And there are one or two other places still in play.
People have been posting to the new wiki, not the old one. There were multiple updates yesterday.
Has anyone heard about:
Ohio State?
Ohio University?
UCLA?
Brigham Young?
Archaeologists Rule!
Now that I have your attention, anyone hear about this one yet?
Brown University, Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology (1-year VAP Classical Archaeology)
Not to rain on your parade, but Joukowsky VAP/post-doc positions typically go to young scholars tied to Alcock/Cherry or one of their close colleagues.
That is true (re: Joukowsky), you must know the Chalcock.
UCLA one-year: offered and accepted
(do not know for sure, but suspect it went to an alum)
So anyone hear if Boston University is already interviewing? Their deadline was two weeks ago.
What was the Boston job? I never saw that advertisement.
Latinist position. I think it went out through WCC or something. Not through the APA, which becomes useless at this time of year.
Brown University, Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology (1-year VAP Classical Archaeology)
According to rejection letter (sm) the position has been offered (06.09.08)
I haven't posted in ages, but I feel like I have to say something now...
It really is unpleasant and unkind for people to be second-guessing departmental picks. If you really have good reason to believe that a department picked "pedigree over quality" then that's one thing (although you shouldn't talk about it in "public"), but I don't think that a degree from a fancy school should immediately raise red flags -- sometimes good scholars come from good programs, and they have earned their job by doing good research. So maybe before we start scanning the wiki to see who has a "fancy" degree and speculating what got them their job, why don't we just give people a chance to prove themselves on the job? When they've failed, then you can say, "Well, you know Susie Q only got that job in the first place because Billy Bob Philologist was her adviser. She never produced a coherent thought on her own."
I speak as one who does not have a "fancy" degree and who has lost out to "fancy" degrees in the past...sometimes they were the quality pick, sometimes they weren't -- but you might as well give them two years on the job to see what they can do.
I was forced to delete a string of comments (some of which were responding critically to an abusive, earlier comment) because they discussed an original attack on some of our colleagues. Names were not used directly, but it was easy to figure out who these individuals were.
I apologize to those of you who posted good and reasoned responses to the original offender. I thought, however, it best to take down the whole string in order to kill the discussion. It was an act of Damnatio Memoriae on behalf of those "named", although I realize some positive comments suffered collateral damage.
So, let me remind all readers and potential commenters. Comments directed at or about individuals will not be tolerated. Period. If you respond to such a comment, please do so in such a way as to protect the identity of the person named otherwise your response will be deleted as well.
This site is designed to be helpful and supportive. Please participate in that spirit and in that spirit alone.
Sincerely,
Servius
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