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[zowie]

The American University of Rome has printed several advertisements in TCHE as what seems to be a "rolling" turnover there.  I have applied there several times myself and so have a few colleagues.  One colleague just recently spoke to a "tenured professor" there in the Humanities department asking about the nature of current vacancies and was treated condescendingly and abruptly by this hu in Humanities.

My colleague was informed that AUR receives hundreds upon hundreds of applications for posts but was never informed, when asked, what "fit" are they looking for, what criteria when considering hundreds upon hundreds of "qualified" applicants. A good question I thought in light of the fact that the "tenured professor" my colleague spoke with at AUR was an adjunct a few years ago. How does an individual become a tenured prof via an adjunct status??  Keep in mind that AUR is a private institution affiliated with the AAICU (Association of American International Colleges/University) so may operate out of whim, as so many universities do, here or abroad.

My colleague figured that they would not apply to this insititution because of the arrogant attitude and the plethora of applicants applying.  I would never let a plethora of applicants hinder any application process but I understand my colleague. When applying overseas to "American styled" universities, it would behoove all of us to know the egos that run it. I submit that egos stateside look very, very different from ones across the pond."

Does anyone have any experience with AUR or commentary?

[omaraz]

I've never worked abroad nor have I acquired a significant amount of knowledge about the university structure in Italy. However I am aware that the government stepped in a few years ago and put guidelines in place as an attempt to raise academic standards nationally. From what I understand there was a lot of nepotism, favoritism, and other "isms..." that made it difficult for universities to produce quality research (at least in the eyes of the Italian government). The political structure in the academic institutions lowered the number of faculty that were exceptionally qualified to do research.

What your colleague experienced might be remnants of the system that the Italian government is trying to break up.

I'm should say that I may not be 100% accurate in my observation, it's only what I've gathered from the information that is out there.

[zowie]

I've never worked abroad nor have I acquired a significant amount of knowledge about the university structure in Italy. However I am aware that the government stepped in a few years ago and put guidelines in place as an attempt to raise academic standards nationally. From what I understand there was a lot of nepotism, favoritism, and other "isms..." that made it difficult for universities to produce quality research (at least in the eyes of the Italian government). The political structure in the academic institutions lowered the number of faculty that were exceptionally qualified to do research.

What your colleague experienced might be remnants of the system that the Italian government is trying to break up.

I'm should say that I may not be 100% accurate in my observation, it's only what I've gathered from the information that is out there.

As for me, red flags went up upon learning that someone started out as an adjunct and then proceeded to become "tenured."  How long was the adjuncting post? Was it for one year? Was it for two years?  Did the adjunct person ever don the role of Assistant Professor?  This is what one starts as in any TT run institution.  It is difficult for me to imagine anyone with so recent an adjunct's past becoming tenured without some "ism" like favoritism to help.

I agree with you, Omarz.  I think that exceptional professors are rarely hired if they apply at all to many overseas universities.  AUR sounds like a case in point.  I suggested to my colleague ever so kindly not to waste any time applying to AUR.  Why would anyone with hundreds upon hundreds of pools of applicants?

[italian]

Thank you for posting this information about the AUR. It's nice to know that there were a lot of applicants and that other people are getting suspicious about it.

The AUR posted its ad for a tenure track art history position with the CAA, which means it must be an approved institution, and I was under the impression that it operated in the traditional way when it came to assigning tracks. Their website did not show any tenured faculty in my field. The job description online for this and other jobs seemed to me to quite clearly state what they were looking for, and reading the website made the schools stated goals also rather clear. It is possible that in the end what they said was not really what they wanted.

As for nepotism in the Italian university system, it is bad enough for the professors to go on strike (they have done so recently). But the AUR is not an Italian but an American accredited institution... supposedly.

[danny_boy]

Don't assume that the meaning of "tenure" is invariant from country to country.  In Japan, I was "tenured" from the moment I was hired.  And I was hired in at the Associate Professor level despite only have an MA at that time.  The Associate rank was decided on (by people in the finance office) based on 15+ prior years of university-level teaching. 

Technically, there really isn't even any word for "tenure" in Japanese.  It's just that my job title ("kyoshi") is by definition "lifetime employment."  For the most part, people are hired into these positions, but rarely an already existing "part-timer" (who may be teaching a full load of courses) may be moved over into the "kyoshi" category if it suits the university.

Now of course this is a Japanese (private) university and the AUR is technically an American affiliate.  But still, I teach a class as an adjunct at the "Japan campus" for an American university (which also has a campus in Rome) and while there generally operate in accord with an American system, the hiring practices follow Japanese practices.

As far as getting a job at UAR, you have to imagine that they are deluged with applications from people who'd just about work for free for the chance to spend a year or so in Rome -- and lots and lots of folks looking for a fun place to spend a sabbatical.  Several years ago I applied at the American University of Cairo and it's apparently the same sort of deal.