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[heptameron]

What's the real deal with meeting with the Dean during an on-campus visit?
Everyone I've asked this question of says that the interview with the Dean is more of a formality.
Sometimes it's with the Associate Dean.  Sometimes it is both together, and then the Associate takes over.
They talk about about various aspects of the university.
And Deans are supposedly in a high-powered position.
Yet everyone I've asked says that whatever the Dean thinks about candidates is pretty much immaterial.

On my last on-campus interview, the dean said she thought my background and research interests were a really good fit for that university.  Another time the dean was Asian-American, which I am partly also, so I felt we clicked.  Generally, though, I've gotten the sense from meetings with deans that they only just looked at the CV for 30 seconds before the meeting.

So, what's the deal?  Is there something candidates should be sure to do in a meeting with the Dean?
Is there some secret that candidates are unaware of that has something to do with meeting with the Dean?
I have another on-campus visit soon, and it includes an entire hour scheduled with the Dean, so is there something I should prepare for?

[zharkov]

You just never know.  Some admins are annoying micromanagers, some are high level leaders that almost always support the faculty.  I'd say it is best to assume the dean has some say in the matter.

As odd as it sounds, the last time I was interviewed by an admin, the guy spent almost all the time talking.  You meet all kinds in this racket.

[seniorscholar]

As odd as it sounds, the last time I was interviewed by an admin, the guy spent almost all the time talking.  You meet all kinds in this racket.

Yes, some deans spend most of the interview talking about their vision for the college/university, either on the assumption that the candidate will want to grow to the stratosphere with us, or because they're inflated egos and don't really care about candidates in other fields.

Just remembering the five years some time ago during which we had a biologist dean in our College of Arts and Sciences, who rejiggered the application forms for grants in aid of research to ask, among other things, to "describe your mode of data analysis" which, for those of us in literature, was somewhat baffling, though I did  get a grant of $800 to buy microfilm needed for my current project  by writing "I will read the documents on this microfilm, which are not otherwise available anywhere in the United States, and then I will write about them."

[lowerninthward]

I am going to have to agree that dean involvement varies greatly. I have been invited to five campus interviews and served on a search committee and have seen deans be everything from engaged and involved to utterly unprepared. The meeting with the dean tells you a lot about how you will be relating with Admin., and this can indeed be a major quality of life issue so you want the dean to be knowledgeable, approachable and fair.

[helpful]

I had a meeting with a Dean once who wrote little notes on a notepad about every candidate so that, s/he explained, they would remember the candidates when it came to write the offer letter.

Another meeting with a Dean consisted of the Dean mostly talking about contract details if I were to be hired.

[txgalprof]

In my experience, (n=8) interviews with the dean usually involve the dreaded "What questions do you have about the university?"-- so it pays to have a couple in your back pocket about the university. I usually ask about requirements for tenure, about the students, possible the expectations for service, etc.

The deans that I have met spend some amount of time discussing the college and/or department. They share relevant information about employment, policies, vision for the future, etc.

I have rarely gotten the impression that this was an interview type situation, and it was more of an informative session for the applicant. (Not that the applicant shouldn't be putting their best foot forward, since the dean has varying amounts of input into the hiring situation).

Of course, take this with a grain of salt, since I've only gotten one job offer from the interviews-- the one from my current tt-position.

[vkw10]

In my experience, the interview with dean is a chance for the dean to share info that will attract you to position/community, a chance for you to show that you can ask a couple of intelligent questions about issues that reach beyond the department, and an opportunity for you to demonstrate that you won't embarrass the college by total ineptness in conversing with educated people who aren't in your field.

I've had deans ask about my salary expectations, tell me about their concern with faculty who don't pursue full professor status, chat about the beauty of living in a small town, and advise me to always look for housing east of campus. As a search committee chair, I once had a dean volunteer to pay for a third candidate to visit campus within 15 minutes of candidate one leaving his office; I doubt we'd have gotten that candidate approved even if we'd unanimously agreed he was the best choice.

So, prep a couple of good questions and let the dean lead the conversation.

[watermarkup]

At my latest campus interview, I talked to the president, the academic VP, and then the dean. When I got to his office, it was nice to finally talk to someone who was sort of close to my own discipline.

I don't know what all the administrators wanted with me, but I found it a helpful way for me to figure out if I had confidence in the leadership team in place. If the scatter-brained dean doesn't seem like the kind of guy who'd have your back when the ruthless and neurotic president goes on a rampage, that could be an issue.

[paulsa]

A friend who was on an SC told me about a dean who held up the SC's recommended hire (which eventually went through) in order to lobby hard for another candidate. Most of the time the dean won't interfere with a SC's decisions, but I've heard of it happening more than once, especially in situations where the administration has some broader vision about the mission of the school or composition of the faculty which the SC/department, with its narrower focus on their needs as they relate to that specific job, may not be as concerned with. For example, the SC/department at a school which has a very loose religious affiliation may care nothing about that part of the school's mission. A dean, however, who could be under pressure from the university trustees, donors, and alumni, may feel differently. There's also the whole issue of diversity.

A larger point. Even the most seemingly minor or routine interaction with anybody might break your candidacy during a campus visit. You don't know what unguarded moment witnessed or overheard by a student, administrative assistant, custodian, etc., may get back to the SC. This is only magnified in your interaction with a dean. You may not need to impress the dean (though that can't hurt), but if you actually offend or irritate the dean, you may not get the job even if the SC recommends you.

[helpful]

Chime to the previous posting. A colleague of mine drove a candidate to the airport after the campus visit and what was said in that drive was the final straw in nixing their candidacy. it wasn't the only thing but it confirmed what the faculty were thinking during the visit.

[loosediamonds]

I never meet Dean so i have no experience of Dean's interview..!!!Sorry....


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