Hiring Freezes and Career Realignment

We’re hearing a lot lately about hiring freezes in academe, especially at public colleges and universities. A “soft” freeze means the institution is still able to fill some positions in critical areas, while a “hard” freeze means it has stopped hiring at all.

The large number of freezes is going to have some interesting effects on the market this year and in future years. And while there is no disputing the tremendous negative impact those freezes will have on candidates, it’s also true that some institutions — small, remote, teaching-oriented campuses like my own — are still hiring vigorously, because when we have retirements or resignations it is often not possible for us to do without the faculty position or rely on local adjunct labor.

What I suspect will happen is that at least some candidates who would otherwise be unlikely to consider institutions like mine are going to think much more seriously about applying this year. Those new hires are going to face major existential adjustments as they work at less-prestigious and less-research-oriented institutions, and in less than desireable locations, than where they were trained. Those new faculty members will struggle to adjust, and their new institutions will struggle to adjust to them.

The good news — as many of my small-college colleagues know — is that faculty members can have wonderful, rewarding, productive careers at such places. But the horizons of prestige and notoriety are far from here, and since those are the currency of academe, many people will need to rethink how they define professional success.