In my most recent post, I asked how the public airing of departmental or institutional turmoil might influence a prospective candidate’s actions. Now I’ll extend that in the other direction.
Two senior professors, who served on a search committee together, were flipping through CV’s over coffee.
Professor Jones said, “I like this dossier from Big Name University (one of the top 10 in their field). I’d love to have someone from there with us.”
Professor Smith countered, “Yes, but that department is falling apart. The university has put it in receivership, and the place is rife with infighting. Have you read the stories in The Chronicle? There’s even a Web site dedicated to the problems. I don’t know that we need to bring in someone who has seen that kind of attitude during the doctorate. We shouldn’t risk ruining the peace we have by hiring someone who has learned the politics of departmental life in that context.”
With the concerns that many departments have about collegiality as a marker of new faculty members’ success, I can assure you that conversations like that one happen all across the country, especially with the current market in academe.
Fairly or not, has the campus climate of a candidate’s alma mater ever influenced the dynamics of search considerations at your institution?
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8 Responses to ‘I Know That Candidate by Reputation’
tridaddy - September 14, 2010 at 9:57 am
Doesn’t answer your question, however you’re not hiring the institution but an individual. The secret it to determine if the individual was part of the problem or peripheral to it. You never know, the individual might actualy gain some wisdom by observing such behavior that might be beneficial to your department or university.
walkerst - September 14, 2010 at 3:47 pm
Absolutely not. I agree – you are hiring the individual. Yes, of course, if the person caused the problems, that’s one thing. But why punish the doctoral candidate or junior professor who comes from Big Name U just because they came from there? Not everyone who does a degree at an institution buys the politics there. Candidate X might be trying to escape a place that is a very poor work environment, for all you know.
postdoc09 - September 14, 2010 at 4:40 pm
Perhaps a more pertinent question might ask whether SC members have always been inundated with applications thus leading to more situations as described here. Suppose, just suppose, if there were more jobs offered nationwide would these two “senior profs” have the air of discretion posed in this article. Would they, per chance, scrutinize a bit more with less CVs on the table?Fair or not, tho, scandals happen. Search committees fear the unbridled scars a newly highered prof endured during their PhD travails and whatever baggage they may bring. It’s tough now, but these kinds of scenarios are more likely to happen with less and less opportunities available on the TT market.
dank48 - September 14, 2010 at 5:14 pm
Uh, “highered”? And I’m not even going to ask what “unbridled scars” might be.
11161452 - September 15, 2010 at 12:25 am
Scary stuff! In both my graduate program and then in my teaching position, I walked into politically poisonous situations of very long standing. According to the scenario painted by Professor Fant, I’d be summarily tossed as a candidate with nothing else considered. I know you have to have SOME way of reducing the number of applicants to a manageable number, but really!Anyone who is guilty of this highly suspect method ought to be ashamed.
rhett - September 16, 2010 at 11:47 am
What is collegiality if not a vote as to whether to admit someone as a colleague? Then there is the question as to how high the vote must be: Is 55% enough? 66%? 75%? 110% in the shade: E.g., what happened at Emory in the German Department as reported in the Chronicle 2 months ago? The Faculty vote was 15-0. Was no appeal allowed by the Provost? Anyone interested in this case as an example of why professors are concerned about academic freedom can ask President Wagner directly: James.Wagner@Emory.edu.
mrmentor - September 16, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Sorry folks, but collegiality is no guarantee of quality-quality of teaching, or research, or even service. Mediocracy rules (not meritocracy…) Whatever the case of that department re: Rhett-a cursory look indicates next to no research was published-wasn’t that univ censured long ago (remember the law prof, the gun-control historian, etc.)?
claudiafs - September 16, 2010 at 1:56 pm
I accepted an invitation to do postdoc here, USA, because I was running away from corruption in the academic environment in my country to realize that here is not so different. So, measuring me or other by the environment is insane.