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[aria8]

Do any of you have suggestions on what to ask during a campus visit when you sit down with the vice president, dean, or provost of a college?  I know that I wouldn't feel comfortable asking about salary or benefits at this stage... 

[dr_vfhc]

Usually, they are the ones talking, not you.  I sat down there for 30 long minutes to listen to whatever hu was saying (usually about their school, history and future visions etc.). If hu ask "do you have any question?" then simply ask something casual. I simply asked about the town.  Then hu went on talking about the town for another 15 min.
In my field, salary and start-ups are usually for the second visit.

[betterthanok]

You can be SURE they'll talk the bulk of the time. But you do need to have some questions.

If nothing else occurs to you, notice the books or art in the office, and try to find some common ground. "I assigned that author for my seminar on X last term," or "that's such a striking print of dogs playing poker - I saw the original at the Prado last year" 

Ask concrete questions that demonstrate you've been paying attention. "I hear good things from faculty members about the new initiative to do X. Can you tell me more about that?"

Ask questions that make you look good (and know what the campus priorities are, so you can do this well): "I'm interested in the study abroad programs here; does anyone offer a program in Peru?" 

When I interview job candidates, I am looking for the candidate's fit with the institution. We're primarily a teaching institution. If the candidate talks mostly about research, and shrugs off questions about teaching, I am not impressed.  Ditto for candidates who have no interest in the life of the university outside the department.

If you have make-or-break issues, raise them with administrators. I've had candidates ask me whether our institution offered domestic partner benefits, what the prospects for summer teaching would be, what the local public schools are like, what the housing market is like. I don't mind answering such questions, and would rather do that than prattle on to fill the rest of my half hour. Your mileage may vary.



 

[iomhaigh]

They seem to like to talk -- a lot.  I have a list of things that I expect them to talk about (five-year vision, ten-year vision, endowment state, campus plan, plans for the department/college vs. plans for the school, recruitment trends, etc.)  If they do not answer those, then ask those.   

Otherwise, I asked things like:
How did you come to be at School X?
How do other departments on campus view the students from our department?
...and other questions that directly related to what was said earlier.  "If the endowment continues to grow at this astounding rate, do you have any fantasy plans for what to do with the extra interest income?"

[nailman]

They seem to like to talk -- a lot.  I have a list of things that I expect them to talk about (five-year vision, ten-year vision, endowment state, campus plan, plans for the department/college vs. plans for the school, recruitment trends, etc.)  If they do not answer those, then ask those.   

This reminds me of the most surprising answer I got from a dean on a recent campus interview at Average Midwestern State U. I asked this dean about his/her vision for the future, and the response was, "Well, just trying to stay afloat, basically," or words to that effect. I hope my shock didn't register on my face: This must be one exceptionally blunt (or depressed) dean. The other administrative types there spoke of plans for growth down the road, etc. 

Sorry to digress. Just ask them about their vision. And generally, have a (mental) list of questions ready for whenever someone asks you, "Do you have any questions?", since it's in your favor to seem genuinely interested in conditions at the university/in the town, etc. If the dean ends up being a non-talker, just use your questions.

[anon99]

Be prepared that they may ask you what your start-up is.  Have a rough idea of the $ value if you are in the sciences.

As the others have said, usually they do all the talking and you just listen.

[aria8]

Thanks for all of your responses.  I did have an interview with a VP who pretty much started with "So, do you have any questions?"  He didn't do a lot of talking. 

[sibyl]

You can always try something like, "So, are all of your departments as collegial and productive as the Klingonese department?" 

I like iomhaigh and sunnydean's advice, too.  Ask about the institution as a whole.  Ask for the advice the VP would give to any junior faculty member at the institution.

[rattusdomesticus]

Not to offend, but I wouldn't use dr_vfhc's strategy of asking casual questions. When I had an interview with just the V.P. of academic affairs, I did lots of research:

• I found out that she had been on several commitees and boards outside the campus, researched them and asked pertinent questions about their work
• I found out about some funding problems with last governor and asked a tactful question about how she thought the new governor might affect this area (without mentioning bad salaries, no faculty raises for 3 years, etc... as I said, tactful. I let her offer info).
• I asked her about the direction of the department
• I asked her if she thought the nature of their community was changing, and if so, how she thought that might affect the student population they were serving.
• I found out that their college was renowned in the 70's for mentoring programs, researched current programs that offered mentorship, and bundled it all up in a question for her.

She later said that I seemed very interested in her campus--and that must be helping me with my application.

All this research is easily done through databases such as newspaper source and ERIC (or other educational sources), the local newspaper, and even googling. I find it's worth it to elevate my candidacy beyond the "Gee, I'd sure like a job," to "Gee, I'd like to work for you here." But then others on this fora will tell you that I'm a total butt-kisser when it comes to angling for jobs, so take it for what it's worth.

[ptprof]

At a interview I was on last summer, the Dean talked for about 15-20 minutes about the University, Town, etc and then asked some simple overview questions.  She then caught me off-guard by asking directly what salary "would it take to get you here".  I tried the standard answer/non-answer which didn't work as she re-asked the same question.  I cited the stats off of CHE and put myself in a range within that context.  I was amazed when she immediately said, "we can do better than that" and suggested a salary several thousand dollars higher.   While it's the first time that questions ever been asked so directly, I would suggest being ready with a honest range.

[pastor]

To everyone who contributed to this piece as well as the postings on lunch, faculty group interviews, I say THANK YOU. I am scheduled for a campus visit next week and on receiving the itinerary today, I was very confused. This is my first time.

My seminar is for after lunch. Can I ask for coffee during lunch, so I dont become drowsy during my other interviews after lunch or during the seminar? Can I go in with coffee in the morning? I am not an early morning guy, and have to take coffee to be awake early in the morning. Pardon my naivety! Any ideas will be helpful. Thanks

[aria8]

I would drink coffee in your hotel before you leave/get picked up by the committee.  They may take you to breakfast at which point you'll have more coffee and I suspect that you'll be able to order more at lunch if needed.  I think it's also likely that you'll be offered coffee at points in between since so many of the people you'll be dealing with will probably be drinking some (or consider it polite to offer) --- of course, don't depend on this.

I'm not a morning person, either --- but I've found that the addrenaline rush that one tends to get in these situations generally makes up for the lack of other stimulants.

[jruiz]

When I was a dept chair, one of my responsibilities was damage control stemming from the candidates' interview with the dean.  The latter would ask absolutely inane questions, indicative of the dotage from which he suffered.  I basically had to assure the candidate that any contact with the dean would be minimal as a new tt faculty member.

[dr_vfhc]

Not to offend, but I wouldn't use dr_vfhc's strategy of asking casual questions. When I had an interview with just the V.P. of academic affairs, I did lots of research:

Not offended at all.
I think it all depends. If Dean or VP has the role in the decision making, yes you should do some research.  But in my case, Dean or VP has no role in the decision making.

When I was a dept chair, one of my responsibilities was damage control stemming from the candidates' interview with the dean.  The latter would ask absolutely inane questions, indicative of the dotage from which he suffered.  I basically had to assure the candidate that any contact with the dean would be minimal as a new tt faculty member.

Yes. It was indeed what happened with my visits. SC chair or dept. chair often assured me that I should relax with Dean or VP.  Somtimes with comments like "do not judge our school based on your experience with Dean. You don't need to deal with hu often".
Nevertheless, I usually had great conversations with Dean or VP talking about a lot of things ranging from "school policy to personal experience". Each Dean or VP has their distinct roles. Some of them are responsible for grad. school and others for research etc. Depending on their role, conversation would go a bit different.  But I found that "relax" would be the best preparation.
 

[athena1]

Ewwww, I had an interview with a terrible Dean. I'd been warned about hu from SC members before and after and they were right; however, I was not prepared. I haven't gotten an offer (and it's been long enough) and I wonder if hu pulled teh plug. Hu would not give me a straight answer for any question I asked and seemed to think was too big for my britches. The 1/2 hour I was supposed to spend with hu was more like 15 min -- hu shuffled me on out of hu's office. After that, I headed to the airport, called my parents and SO and said the Dean really left a bad taste in my mouth and I was no longer interested in going there. . .