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[Bob]

Have you heard of getting an offer via mail and not a phone call?  Wouldn't a committee want to see if you are still interested before drawing up paperwork?

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[reg]

A bit old-fashioned and overly-formal, but it still happens.  Letter offers do seem a bit inflexible rhetorically, but some institutions apparently like to deter negotiations, especially for lower-level positions.   Or the administrator could be leaving on vacation and couldn't take time to reach you.  Don't take sloppy delivery technique as a backhanded insult without additional evidence.  An offer is an offer to be considered on its own merits.

By the way, a phone call is nowhere near as reassuring or binding as mutual signatures on a real contract, since not every contract I received was exactly like the phone offer, and I've seen more than one phone acceptance end up without the ultimate signature from the applicant.

[Piper]

I received a job offer in letter format last month.  I was told that sometimes job-seekers mis-interpret the offer parameters over the phone and are upset and surprised when they receive the official letter.  Also, as reg said, some universities are unwilling to negotiable for lower-level positions (asst. prof).