next »

[ptprof]

A position has recently been posted which kinda/sorta/marginally fits my speciality at Georgia Southern.  Actually it was posted a while ago and the deadline is coming up soon.  Can anyone shed any light on either the University or the town?

[ptprof]

I posted this over the weekend and got no response so I'm tyrying to bump it back to the first page seeing if anyone has any info.

[medlib]

Statesboro is a small southern town. The campus is rather lovely in an old-south way.  Locals may seem provincial to some academics, but most practice southern hospitality and are very nice to any newcomers who don’t act condescending. Cost of living is very affordable (be sure it matches salary).  There aren’t many cultural opportunities.  Atlanta is the nearest really big city (3+ hours away), but the lovely town of Savannah and Hilton Head, SC are fairly close for weekend get-aways.  It is very hot in summer.

Georgia Southern was the first regional research university in the state.  Most research money goes to UGA, GA Tech, GSU, and the medical college in Augusta.  Teaching is the main focus for most people.  Undergrads would be a mix of students from Atlanta suburbs along with a high proportion from rural local schools.  Georgia higher ed system has a good interlibrary loan service that benefits smaller academic libraries.. 

Life is what you make of it.  Good luck!

[much_metta]

Wasn't that the place President Bush visited right before election week to stomp for some House candidate?  ;)

I know someone who works there.  Teaching is the main focus on paper.  Because of the new Carnegie reclassification as a D/RU, and an institutional goal to be a nationally recognized U, research is increasingly important.  However, I've heard there is a lot of tension between the "old guard" who were tenured at a "teaching first" school and the new assistant profs who have much higher research expectations for tenure.  Be sure to examine the balance of junior/senior faculty in your department and find out who would evaluate you come tenure time.  You don't want someone with a weak record of scholarship evaluating yours!  Typical teaching load is between 4/4 and 3/3 with most departments in the middle.  No "official" TAs, though in a few of the sciences profs are allowed to use advanced undergrads to help.  Supposedly a pretty wired campus with lots of tech support. 

Also, be sure to check out the salary distributions for Doctoral Level Universities to find out how they pay compared to other Doctoral Universities.  Although the cost of living could be cheaper, I've heard of junior faculty on single incomes who can't afford to buy modest homes in the area because the cost of housing has exploded relative to salaries.  Make sure you ask about faculty turnover--it could be a good indication of pay and working conditions relative to cost of living. 

Summers are hot (Heat Indices in the 130s for about 6 weeks I'm told), but almost everywhere has central AC.  The buildings should be much more comfortable than in the Midwest/Northeast in July. 

School has a reputation as a "party school" and last year there was a national news report about undergraduate binge drinking there.  I'm told many students are bribed by their parents to attend there instead of Georgia because it is so much cheaper (the students are bribed with luxury cars--evidently the student parking lots look more like the faculty lots are supposed to).  Be sure to check out the freshman retention and graduation rates.  That should tell you about the study/party balance among the student body.  I've heard it's tapered off a little, but you never know.

I also remember hearing that the university system of Georgia hired a new chancellor last year and he had no experience in higher education.  He then went on to completely restructure the administrative hierarchy of the system, effectively cutting all but the state's 4 research universities out of the loop.  I've heard a lot of grumbling about this since it has taken a lot of control away from the individual universities and there's evidently a lot of concern about how the chancellor regards these universities.  Be sure to check that out, too. 

Despite all the (potential) problems, I've heard that some people just love it there and would never think of leaving.  Of course, some people just love fundamentalist red states... YMMV

[frazali]

If you desire "big fish small pond" then working at GSU would be good for you. Statesboro is a very small southern town (did my graduate work there) and the university is really the only thing there.  Many people commute to Statesboro from Savannah - which is 45 minutes to an hour.  Since Savannah is relatively close, you will have opportunity to take advantage of the entertainment and other opportunities that a larger city has to offer.

And yes, the summers are dreadfully hot and overrun with sand gnats.

[ptprof]

thank you frazali, much_metta, and medlib for your insightful information, it is much appreciated.