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[mtnlover]

It seems across the US the numbers of vacancies in administrative positions (especially department heads and Deans) is at an all time high.  The number of acting or interim administrators seems higher then the number of permanent ones at some campuses.  What do we attribute this to?  Has higher education changed that much or is it something else?

[aandsdean]

Based on the number of ads in the Chronicle and higheredjobs.com, I think your premise is wrong.

But if we assume that your premise is correct, the problem would likely be the changing nature of the job--assessment, budget management in a time of sharply shrinking resources, etc., are potential factors in a diminished perception of the job's desirability.

Especially assessment.

[mtnlover]

I think there are so many places to advertise besides the Chronicle these days this may be misleading.  In my field no one (or hardly anyone) uses the Chronicle anymore.  The fact is administrative positions seem to be more difficult to fill - even the Chronicle has run stories on this but I haven't seem any true research on why.

[aandsdean]

Hi D,

Thanks for your reply.  Again, for Dean's jobs, at least, they are either advertised on the Chronicle and/or higheredjobs.com, and/or are done through search firms that contact the usual suspects (I know this, as I've worked with a search firm both as a search chair and as a candidate, though I didn't actually get my current position through a search with a firm).

Chair jobs are different and I expect they're discipline-specific.  A great many department chair positions are, or course, filled internally, but a lot of them go through discipline-specific job ads  rather than the Chronicle.  I got my late chair job via the MLA job information list, actually, and it was not in the Chronicle so far as I know.

But as to deans--based on about five years of vigorous following of the ads (for my own purposes, to see what's going on professionally, and to consider nominating worthy pals), this year's listings seem to me thin so far.  For example, there has not yet been a really good SLAC VPAA job advertised this fall (there were one or two in the summer, the best being Skidmore), though the one at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, VA, is interesting.  In the past few years, there have been around 10-15 of such jobs annually at national-level schools (let's say US News top tier through tier 3, eliminating the truly weak schools from the picture). 

As for A&S dean jobs, there haven't been that many at any level, from weak schools in bad locations to the Ivies.  (These are the ones I pay attention to, of course.)  Normally, for a person in my position (small US News top-25 regional master's school, not a lot of publications, lots of good administrative and other professional experience, prestige degrees, liberal arts emphasis) there are about 15-20 eligible jobs per year--these would be mid-tier master's schools with fewer than 10,000 students.  So far this year--none.

I think it's early in the year though.  Though Sr. Admin. searches don't operate on the same timetable as faculty searches, the ads do tend to cluster around October through mid-November.  So we're not there yet and much remains to be seen.

I'm not looking for a job, but it's interesting to keep track and one of the things I work on as a scholar is professional issues, of which this is clearly one.  I do think that the changing nature of the position (I say again, assessment) has made the job more managerial and less "leaderly," while at the same time the pressures of fundraising have shifted the job in another direction.  Certainly in my years of grad school, faculty, and administrative experience, things have changed a lot and mostly in the bureaucratic direction, which isn't all that attractive.  On the other hand, there are still numerous opportunities to implement one's vision, and to help an institution or two improve, and these opportunities are very compelling though the work is less predictable and a good deal more stressful than that of most teaching.         

[higheredjobseeker]

Can any of you comment on the seasonality in general of administrative vacancies?  I'm talking about mid to slightly upper level positions (e.g. managerial, assistant director to director level).  Do you tend to see more listings in the fall or later?  summer?

[va_prof]

The question of when administrative jobs appear is simple.  When they are needed.  Because many administrative positions do not include a teaching load, they happen when the current administrator retires, takes another job, or leaves due to death or illness and do not follow the traditional faculty hiring cycles.  Consequently, they can appear at any time of the year or in the case that the position was unfilled, be re-advertised at any time of the year.  How long a job stays open depends on many factors such as location, pay, duties, reputation of the institution, etc. This may leave some jobs open for a long period of time, while others may be filled quickly.  I personally know of administrative positions that have remained unfilled for several years despite several searches.  There has been some interesting research published in the Chronicle and by the American Association of Community Colleges about the number of administrative positions (and faculty positions as well) that are either open or the individual holding the position is approaching retirement age and will need to be replaced in the next few years.  The long-term view is that those of us in administrative positions or considering administrative positions should have many opportunities due to demand in the next few years.