next »

[santommaso]

I teach at a small college and every year we manage to miss the traditional hiring window. We often post job ads in mid to late January, and sometimes February, which is well after most disciplines have done their job-conference (MLA and APA meet in December, AHA in early January, etc). So, our searches begin when other schools are at the end of the job search process. As you can imagine, sometimes we have job searches and only a few applications (e.g. 10). It is not unusual for some of our job advertisements to be posted much later, and at our school one search committee was working well into the summer this year. Also, in this time of plenty with many job applicants, we often have failed searches.

WHY IS THIS? The reason I have heard is that we are a tuition-driven school so we cannot predict new lines until more information is known about the enrollment predictions for the next year, and the budget is then produced on these predictions. Therefore, we cannot do job searches like other universities since we are waiting for the predictions and subsequent budget.

It has been pointed out at meetings that by following this model, we are left with leftovers for applicants for all of our jobs. (Since I work here, I guess I am a leftover).

Is this justification for our late job searches a plausible argument, or is my school weird? In other words, are tuition-dependent schools prohibited from hiring in the normal cycle of academia?

[csguy]

Unless the school is not only tuition dependent but poverty stricken they really ought to be able to do some searches (replacements) in a timely manner. If there is a program with a healthy number of students that really needs a replacement faculty member and your admin is sitting on their thumbs then there may be some cause for concern.

Or they may just be stupid.

[helpful]

Most places I know of make hires dependent on budget. In other words, the hiring processes happen, but the official hire is only confirmed when the budget is set. I don't see any reason why your college wouldn't do the same.

[larryc]

Most places I know of make hires dependent on budget. In other words, the hiring processes happen, but the official hire is only confirmed when the budget is set. I don't see any reason why your college wouldn't do the same.

Exactly. At my small regional school we sought to advertise in the fall and hire by December to beat the national convention.

[lukeurig]

So, our searches begin when other schools are at the end of the job search process. As you can imagine, sometimes we have job searches and only a few applications (e.g. 10). It is not unusual for some of our job advertisements to be posted much later, and at our school one search committee was working well into the summer this year. Also, in this time of plenty with many job applicants, we often have failed searches.


Is this justification for our late job searches a plausible argument, or is my school weird? In other words, are tuition-dependent schools prohibited from hiring in the normal cycle of academia?

That describes my institution exactly, where the position is advertised in Jan, interviews in March/April, with the formal hire made in May. 

The faculty blame the administration for this state of affairs because the administration will not formally release the position until late winter and requires the position to be filled by the end of the academic year.  It is a deeply inbred institution and I suspect it is a passive power play for the admin to hire their own.

On the other hand, we did snag a rising star late in the year, which seems to indicate that a late hire could be a good way to hire an outstanding candidate before s/he goes on the job market in the late fall. 

[americanist]

Yes, I think your school is weird. I also wonder, however, if you are not posting this from the office down the hall.

[wxdude]

Exactly. At my small regional school we sought to advertise in the fall and hire by December to beat the national convention.

We try to do the same. My mid-sized private institution is also heavily tuition dependent, but it sounds as if our budget office plans farther in advance as we normally receive permission to begin the hiring process in midsummer. We try to hire in December or early January as we often can't compete with larger R-1 institutions, plus our annual convention is typically in the spring, which is pretty late in the hiring cycle.

[new_bus_prof]

I don't think so.

At least yours fills the position, we often have one to two years of an empty position as we get notice of position, budget approval, recruiting, interviews, etc, before we can actually hire a replacement (just so recruitment takes place in the "in" season).

[balsamic]

This might be a good way to snatch up good people in fields where there is enormous oversupply (you mentioned MLA and AHA).  Time and time again, I am amazed by the talent of some folks I know who don't even get convention interviews.  When your ad comes out in January, it will be a good way to scope out the good ones who are still available.

[losemygrip]

The early bird doesn't always get the worm.  You really can't fight the traditional hiring calendars of your disciplines.  If your try to hire too soon, they all want to delay you to see if they get better offers.  Too late, and they're all gone.  The one time my former institution decided (insanely--no wonder they're "former") to require all departments to adhere to the same early schedule, it was a disaster.  It was too early, and so our first choice put us off for weeks, then turned us down, then the second choice was tired of waiting and got disgusted, so we had to go to the third choice. 

[soontoexit]

We have just the opposite situation. Our dean thinks that if we advertise the position and vet candidates VERY early, then we'll get the top picks. This is faulty logic, as I've pointed out to our Dean, because those top picks may choose not to go with the first school that makes them an offer! In fact, one of our previous "top picks" turned down an offer for that very reason. She wanted to wait and see what other offers can her way.