princezuko
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« on: December 11, 2007, 02:31:45 PM » |
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Alright, I've found a number of threads on IUPUI but nothing substantive on IPFW (I think I've gotten my head around the "satellite of two systems" concept based on those). Does anyone have information about this school (specifically the humanities departments, if possible)?
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present_mirth
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« Reply #1 on: December 11, 2007, 02:41:57 PM » |
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I interviewed with them a couple of years ago. From what I remember, they have a high population of commuter students and non-traditionally-aged students, and they will probably expect you to address how you would work with these populations in an interview. Also, if I'm remembering things correctly, the introductory humanities courses are big.
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the_walrus
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« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2007, 04:05:55 AM » |
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If it's a choice between South Bend (as in one of OP's previous posts) and Fort Wayne, it's South Bend, hands down. This is not to say that South Bend is a nice place, but if you though *it* was bad...
Seriously, Fort Wayne is down right depressing, even if you're accustomed to Indiana. If you're not from Indiana or the midwest more generally, I can't imagine the trauma you'd encounter upon landing in Fort Wayne.
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dapperpoet
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« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2007, 04:37:28 AM » |
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Seriously, Fort Wayne is down right depressing, even if you're accustomed to Indiana. Seriously, what in the world are you talking about? I will admit to being extremely biased because I grew up in the Fort, but jeez, it's a great place to raise a family. A good symphony, good local arts scene, one of the great libraries in the country, good schools, and on and on. You know when people say (often about New York) that it's a great place to visit, you wouldn't want to live there? Well, the opposite is true for Ft. Wayne. About IPFW: Back in the day, it was more or less a glorified community college. My mother got her BS in nursing there (and now teaches there), but if you were a serious student you went to Bloomington or West Lafayette (or somewhere else I suppose). However, things change. Many students are (and this is a national trend) more apt to pay as they go, and IPFW offers a great chance for that. The credits ARE Indiana or Purdue credits, so there's no worry about transferring. Also, as you can find out from the website, there are now permanent dorms on campus, with more to be built. Students are often low to middle class first generation, but that's typical of a branch campus anywhere. Professors (and the school itself) are well-appreciated in the community. The school has a very good music program, and is also well-regarded in education, nursing, and social work. There is a core campus scene, and a division I basketball program (go Mastadons!). I have often considered teaching at this campus, and I think I would be happy there. South Bend, however, really IS depressing. Used to Indiana, or not. Whatever that means. |
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"Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is tell them that they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for a lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country." Hermann Goering
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the_walrus
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« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2007, 05:09:56 AM » |
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Didn't mean to step on any toes, dapperpoet. I lived not far from both FW and South Bend (between the two, basically), and at least during those times, South Bend was the cultural hub, with FW a much much more (which is not to say the following didn't hold of SB, though to a lesser degree) economically depressed, and depressing, place. I'll readily admit, though, that my views and knowledge of the area are from 5--10 years back, and could thus easily be dated. And unlike dapperpoet apparently, I never actually lived in either place---I lived in a place approx 1 hour from each which both are easily more interesting than...
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« Last Edit: December 12, 2007, 05:13:01 AM by expat_who_is »
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chigagolake
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« Reply #5 on: December 12, 2007, 10:34:45 AM » |
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Hi OP,
I did a campus visit there in a humanities area several years ago and received an offer. Here's the dirt (good and bad).
1). FW is okay (old, industrial, surrounded by a rural area)..there is not much there but it is in a 2 hour drive of other areas. SC members were careful to highlight that they have yoga and sushi and other things academics like. I think they are trying to revitalize the downtown (which actually has a little skyline, which surprised me).
2). You will have to drive everywhere (lots of strip malls) and there aren't a lot of older neighborhoods with good housing (there are a few near the river though)
3). Cost of living is cheap...houses go for around $150 for a nice brick, with 2500 sq ft.
4). The campus is Soviet style riot proof architecture. Nothing to look at there. Technology seems a bit out of date.
5). Faculty were very nice, if a bit desperate. I got the feeling that this campus is a bit of sinking ship where good people leave as soon as they can.
6). The bottom line, and the main reason I didn't take it...the salaries are pitifully low...around $42,000 for an assistant professor with 3 years. There are some research monies (around $2000, but you can only get by jumping through several hoops). Even with the cost of living, it was clear this is a struggling state school and your salary would likely not go up by much.
PM me if you want to know more.
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chigagolake
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« Reply #6 on: December 12, 2007, 10:36:10 AM » |
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One more thing...if you are in the humanities hired for a tenure-track job, your tenure goes Indiana U (complete with IU requirements) and science people get tenure through Purdue.
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lightningstrike
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« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2008, 08:29:07 PM » |
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I'll agree with a lot of things in this post. Ft. Wayne is a great place to live if you are family oriented. Live on the North side near the campus and you will have a nice, quiet Midwestern life. Ft. Wayne is leftover from the Rust Belt economy, but they have weathered the transition away from automotive manufacturing. The appearance of the town, however, still looks Rust Belt. The Ft. Wayne Philharmonic is excellent and reflects a thriving arts scene. It is very true that in the mid-1990s IPFW was a place where you could get a four-year college degree at a place that looks, acts, and smells like a community college (minus welding, auto tech, and recreational basket weaving). It is a very different University today with graduate programs, student housing, improved fine arts programs and facilities, more inclusiveness, and pride. However, there is still a lot of leftover dead-weight and attitude from within and outside of the institution that sometimes drags the University backwards. You would have to deal with that, but those people are slowly retiring (or expiring). For example, there was a time in the early 1990s when the music department was the laughing-stock of the university and the general FW arts scene. But most of those clowns are gone, now, and the music department is thriving. Similar changes are happening or have already happened throughout the campus. I will disagree about one thing. Credits do not automatically transfer to the flagship campus. Even though an IPFW transcript says IU or Purdue on it, Indiana-Bloomington and Purdue-Lafayette registrars will still make those credits go through a transfer-of-credits evaluation as if they were from an altogether different university. It is odd, I know. Good luck. IPFW was a great first start for me and I still have many friends there. Seriously, Fort Wayne is down right depressing, even if you're accustomed to Indiana. Seriously, what in the world are you talking about? I will admit to being extremely biased because I grew up in the Fort, but jeez, it's a great place to raise a family. A good symphony, good local arts scene, one of the great libraries in the country, good schools, and on and on. You know when people say (often about New York) that it's a great place to visit, you wouldn't want to live there? Well, the opposite is true for Ft. Wayne. About IPFW: Back in the day, it was more or less a glorified community college. My mother got her BS in nursing there (and now teaches there), but if you were a serious student you went to Bloomington or West Lafayette (or somewhere else I suppose). However, things change. Many students are (and this is a national trend) more apt to pay as they go, and IPFW offers a great chance for that. The credits ARE Indiana or Purdue credits, so there's no worry about transferring. Also, as you can find out from the website, there are now permanent dorms on campus, with more to be built. Students are often low to middle class first generation, but that's typical of a branch campus anywhere. Professors (and the school itself) are well-appreciated in the community. The school has a very good music program, and is also well-regarded in education, nursing, and social work. There is a core campus scene, and a division I basketball program (go Mastadons!). I have often considered teaching at this campus, and I think I would be happy there. South Bend, however, really IS depressing. Used to Indiana, or not. Whatever that means. |
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scholarysomething
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« Reply #8 on: January 11, 2012, 09:15:14 PM » |
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I'd like to resurrect this thread and see if anyone has anything new to add since it's been a while. My most notable question is the two universities in one. One poster mentioned tenure requirements going through different universities, depending on departments. I also noticed the benefits are listed under both schools. How is it possible to know before applying where your field falls?
Another comment noted low salaries. AAUP shows the average is higher than many other states schools. Has it changed? Current updates about Fort Wayne? Quality of students? Anything else? Education field if this helps guide answers.
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data5112
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« Reply #9 on: January 12, 2012, 01:24:49 PM » |
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Current VAP salary in my social science field is 37-40K. I'm familiar with Indiana branch schools (such as IPFW and IUPUI), and they definitely play second fiddle to Purdue and IU. Purdue is known for engineering and IU is known for the medical school; not sure whether Education "belongs" to either flagship.
Apparently FW has a lot of restaurants for the number of people who live there.
If I didn't have a family connection to the area, I wouldn't want to spend time in FW. Bloomington is a much nicer Indiana town, with a great Education department. The Fort is relatively cheap though (in terms of cost of living)!
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data5112
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« Reply #10 on: January 12, 2012, 01:29:12 PM » |
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I should add that I would happily take a job there if offered one; my post seemed awfully negative upon second glance. All of the faculty I've met from IPFW are very nice.
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britprof
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« Reply #11 on: January 12, 2012, 03:40:39 PM » |
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I was a VAP in the History Department at IPFW in 2007-08 and the salary was 41k, which was reasonable.
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