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[airball]

I hope that schools that cancel searches will update their ads or websites to let candidates know before the deadline.  It's very frustrating to apply to a school and find out a few weeks later that the search was cancelled before the deadline.

The challenge is that large institutions rarely make decisions quickly or with any degree of finality. Then throw in that the state legislature has a role to play and it becomes clear that the final word is hard to come by.

In our case, we've been told that the funding is gone, but that circumstances may change. Our line appeared and disappeared in sixty days, so who knows what late October will bring? I don't think that the line will come back, nor will I be surprised when it does.

airball

P.S. In my field, at least, it's tough to withdraw a posting. We can post it to the Wiki (and will), but beyond that, what options are there? It's not as if the Chronicle's website prints retractions...

[daurousseau]

Since we are well into a long recession, it might be a good idea to grab whatever full time job is available and wait it out. (Insert memory of 5 years part-time during the early 90s hiring freeze up in the Rust Belt.)

[twanda]

I know this is all speculation and things change from month to month. With that said, does anyone know the situation in Oregon?

[airball]

Since we are well into a long recession, it might be a good idea to grab whatever full time job is available and wait it out. (Insert memory of 5 years part-time during the early 90s hiring freeze up in the Rust Belt.)

Yeah. We were considering a move that would involve me leaving the tenure track and Mrs. Airball taking a job in the real world. Lately a tenure track job (with it's state-sponsored, defined-benefit pension) seems less like something to be given up without a very big safety net.

[mookie123]

A position I was slated to interview for at a large R1 was recently frozen. What are the chances it will thaw out before the end of the academic year?

[doppelganger]

Our school (private) has been told to not expect to get any new faculty lines this year, but we are supposed to be able to replace people who are leaving or retiring or denied tenure.  I'm skeptical about that. 

[secretweapon]

I hope that schools that cancel searches will update their ads or websites to let candidates know before the deadline.  It's very frustrating to apply to a school and find out a few weeks later that the search was cancelled before the deadline.

The challenge is that large institutions rarely make decisions quickly or with any degree of finality. Then throw in that the state legislature has a role to play and it becomes clear that the final word is hard to come by.

In our case, we've been told that the funding is gone, but that circumstances may change. Our line appeared and disappeared in sixty days, so who knows what late October will bring? I don't think that the line will come back, nor will I be surprised when it does.

airball

P.S. In my field, at least, it's tough to withdraw a posting. We can post it to the Wiki (and will), but beyond that, what options are there? It's not as if the Chronicle's website prints retractions...

I understand all the arguments; it's just frustrating to spend, sometimes, two days working on an application, send it off, and then get a postcard from HR a month later saying that the position was cancelled in August.

I suppose the only way that the school can retract the ad is by having a statement on their website - HR and department page - saying, "Due to circumstances beyond our control, our search for an Assistant Professor in Blah Studies has been suspended.  We hope to relaunch the search in future, and we invite you to explore our department's website..." etc etc. 

I know.  It's not going to happen.  But I still wish it would.

[tenured_feminist]

A position I was slated to interview for at a large R1 was recently frozen. What are the chances it will thaw out before the end of the academic year?

I'm very sorry, but I think probably not good. Especially if it was in a state hard hit by the crisis like New York. I'd write them back, though, in a few months to see if they might have been able to shake anything loose for a visiting position if other opportunities don't pan out for you.

Twanda, I have not heard any rumors of freezes in either OR or CA as of yet. Washington, however, is pretty locked up at this point -- I don't think there's even much going on off the radar.

[scratch32]

Our school (private) has been told to not expect to get any new faculty lines this year, but we are supposed to be able to replace people who are leaving or retiring or denied tenure.  I'm skeptical about that. 

I am as well. But it is important to remember that some hiring freezes (state-wide or otherwise) might not include these replacement positions. So there is a little sliver of hope.

Unfortunately, for job applicants, there is no easy way to know whether the job you are applying to is a replacement one exempt from the hiring freeze, or if exempt, whether the position will still be around in four months.

[11194062]

x

[svenc]

x

Budget cuts have apparently also affected bandwidth access at some schools.

[bea2ude]

U of California is on an official hiring freeze, however, positions that were in process were completed after the freeze was announced in June. There will likely be fewer lecturer positions as well, since the Legislature was so late in delivering the budget AND now that budget has been rendered dead on arrival since a major component--commercial paper against future tax revenue--is not available globally.

i am advising my students to JUMP at any post-doc that sounds exactly like them as well as keep their day jobs, esp. if they have worked them through grad school.  Seniority is a good thing right about now.

Unfortunately, I was looking to go on the market internationally.  I'd even joked about Finland.. Anyone with news of Canada or U of Odderbrecht?  U of Hong Kong?

[t_r_b]

No one wants to advertise that their state has a hiring freeze. I think it's pretty silly -- after all, who's going to hold it against them in this economic climate, and it's sure better than a salary freeze for those who already have jobs -- but there you have it.

Heh heh. Yeah, it would be better than a salary freeze, but unfortunately we've already got the salary freeze, so not much consolation there (though I suppose it could be worse: they could try to cut salaries...)

[pepeca]

Yes, I know there is a complete hiring freeze in SUNY

[tenured_feminist]

No one wants to advertise that their state has a hiring freeze. I think it's pretty silly -- after all, who's going to hold it against them in this economic climate, and it's sure better than a salary freeze for those who already have jobs -- but there you have it.

Heh heh. Yeah, it would be better than a salary freeze, but unfortunately we've already got the salary freeze, so not much consolation there (though I suppose it could be worse: they could try to cut salaries...)

BTDT, but they didn't have enough money to give out teeshirts!

Seriously, in my early career we had a two year salary freeze and then were offered a 3% merit + "COLA" (i.e., the total was 3%). That really sucked. Hope things thaw out for you soon, but I think we're all in the same sinking boat.