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not_a_gradstudent1
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« on: November 03, 2006, 06:50:54 PM » |
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...in Walla Walla. Does anyone have any information or thoughts about the place?
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larryc
Hu hatin'
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 18,285
Eschew the hu.
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« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2006, 07:16:33 PM » |
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I think we have discussed this before, try the search.
I lived near Spokane for some years and eastern Washington is beautiful. Walla Walla is neat little town with some nice mountains and rivers and wineries. Whitman is a good SLAC and I think would be a very pleasant place to teach.
You are pretty isolated there, it is definitely a small town in the inter-mountain west, a long drive from anywhere bigger. I would take a job there in a heartbeat. In fact I waited years for the guy in my area to retire, and they never did fill the slot!
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justkidding
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« Reply #2 on: November 03, 2006, 09:32:07 PM » |
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Though Walla Walla leaves something to be desired, Whitman College is a great school with bright and engaged students. If you seek a liberal arts college, you really couldn't do much better. Apply, visit, enjoy the salmon, and take the job if offered!
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notaprof
Not a
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Posts: 11,084
This space for rent
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« Reply #3 on: November 04, 2006, 12:50:40 PM » |
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I love Walla Walla and Whitman but I have only visited several times, I have not lived there. There are some nice wineries in the area in addition to the other things that people have mentioned. There are some really great students although not as diverse as the college might wish to be but more diverse than the local area. The local population appears to be more highly educated than you might find in many small towns. Everyone I have met there is super nice and most people seem to be very happy to be where they are so that says a lot.
They have a great acapella group - I heard them perform last night and they received a standing ovation. This is not important for your question but I thought their talent should be acknowledged.
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"That's a great deal to make one word mean," Alice said in a thoughtful tone.
"When I make a word do a lot of work like that," said Humpty Dumpty, "I always pay it extra."
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crazy_daisy
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« Reply #4 on: November 04, 2006, 11:04:59 PM » |
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Lucky duck- you got the Whitman call. I was definitely hoping to. It is a very good school with a good reputation for serious students. It is also a very small town. If you like wine, it is a good place to live, but wine is pretty much the only thing going on in the area. The department (I am assuming this is the politics department) is very non-traditional, with one of the members of the department being an important part of the prerestoika (sp?) movement (in political science, that is, for those of you in other disciplines- it is a methodological movement). I am not sure why the last person left- he is now at a lower-ranked liberal arts college in the pacific northwest- not sure if it is for personal reasons or a tenure denial. It is one of the better liberal arts jobs on the market now, so congrats!
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losemygrip
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« Reply #5 on: November 07, 2006, 06:22:25 PM » |
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I had my first full-time teaching job as a one-semester replacement there some 15 years ago. It's the Williams College of the Pacific northwest. Because it's so isolated, little Walla Walla has its own symphony. But it is REALLY isolated--like, 5 hours to Portland, the nearest big city.
At the time I was there (and I assume now) faculty automatically received a one semester paid sabbatical every two years. If you wanted more time, you had to wait four and take a year. Pretty incredible. Also, even though I was only a one-semester replacement, they paid 10% of my salary in moving expenses, paid for one professional meeting I attended, and gave full benefits (amazing insurance that I kept for a few months through COBRA so I could have kidney stones eliminated). It has a VERY liberal arts college atmosphere--kids playing lacrosse or rugby on the big central lawn, that sort of thing. I actually made some good friends there on the faculty in my short tenure, though we've since lost touch.
It's definitely something you should consider.
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pollysci
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« Reply #6 on: November 07, 2006, 09:07:08 PM » |
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Whitman is great--very collegial faculty and intelligent, well-prepared students. Walla Walla has improved greatly in recent years. There are 70+ wineries and numerous new restaurants. A sushi place is opening in town, there is a fantastic new bakery, new gourmet pizza place etc. It has changed radically even in the last 2 or 3 years. It is isolated--it takes 4 hours to get to Portland; Seattle takes 5--but the flip-side of this is that there is a strong faculty community, even for visiting profs. If you are a determined city person, it won't work for you, but it is a lovely, friendly college and a lovely, friendly country town.
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shamu
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« Reply #7 on: November 09, 2006, 11:54:05 AM » |
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Judging from the quality of the students, it must be a good undergrad institution. The grad students I had who attended Whitman were motivated, bright, and on the ball. Granted, this is second-hand and limited experience, but it's a good sign.
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loopid
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« Reply #8 on: December 09, 2006, 04:58:25 PM » |
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A friend had a one-year visiting at Whitman, loathed it. Students entitled/snotty, town beautiful but isolated. She likes teaching in non-elite public universities, though, so her perspective is slanted that way.
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not_a_gradstudent1
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« Reply #9 on: December 09, 2006, 10:22:48 PM » |
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Students entitled/snotty
Interesting. I got the opposite impression when I was there. |
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miseenplace
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« Reply #10 on: December 09, 2006, 10:53:00 PM » |
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One other plus about eastern Washington: great fresh produce. The wine is great, and in the summer months (which can be hot but dry, and usually very pleasant if you head to the mountains) the fresh veggies are phenomenal. It is isolated from cities, but should you be interested in outdoor activities, there's great fishing, hiking, and so on. And Walla Walla is a very friendly town.
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prytania3
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« Reply #11 on: December 10, 2006, 12:39:14 PM » |
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I think the president of that college is my former academic dean. He was very attractive.
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Clowns, I tell you. Clowns.
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prytania3
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« Reply #12 on: December 10, 2006, 12:40:20 PM » |
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I think the president of that college is my former academic dean. He was very attractive.
No, different guy. Never mind. |
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Clowns, I tell you. Clowns.
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andyjackson
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« Reply #13 on: February 02, 2012, 08:51:48 PM » |
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Does anyone have more recent insight into this college? Their tenure system doesn't involve a department vote--the principal decision-making body is an interdisciplinary committee of faculty. I'm also wondering about town-gown issues given how small the place is.
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drapple
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« Reply #14 on: February 03, 2012, 03:17:55 PM » |
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Beautiful place--if you like massive wheat farms, onions, cowboys and state penitentaries. Chamber of commerce types refer to WW as "Van Gogh country", only if you look past the mobile homes surrounded by farm-related junkpiles. Lots of neat old houses in town, and good restaurants too. Town vs. gown relationships are somewhat dreadful. Great well-endowed SLAC, now commanded by a former UW(Washington) Education Dean. There are lots of very bright and entitled students, mostly from California(Stanford wannabes). Teaching loads are astronomical, and like lots of small institutions you will be expected to interact with students in non-class situations. Summer funds are available, as is free(or low-cost) childcare for faculty. Tenure is like the proverbial meat grinder, you can expect to be used up and cast aside when the time comes. The community college has a world-class farm equipment program bankrolled by John Deere, in case you need to consider a new line of work.
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