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[ucprof]

From the inside I can tell you that the UC schools are hiring (ladder ranks) on the order of about 10% of their usual hiring load, roughly speaking.  So if the school would normally make say 50 hires in a given year across the board, this year they may make 5 hires. 

I heard through the grapevine that in my field advertisements for ttrack and higher positions are at around 40% of what they would be in a "normal year", nation-wide. 

It's not pretty.  Best to have backup plans.  On the flip side, the federal government is printing money and they are hiring.  DOE labs, DOD labs etc have some positions.  If you are in the sciences I highly recommend looking both in academia and at govt positions.  If you are not in the sciences - still look for government jobs if you can, or industry or something not in academia. 

Temporary positions in the sciences seem to be less affected.  The stimulus money has created a number of postdoctoral positions so hopefully the fresh PhDs will have reasonable options, and perhaps some of those searching for ttrack who can not find positions might be able to find continuing postdoctoral positions (holding pattern).

[pournelle]

UC Prof, the UC system's hiring in my field is more like 0% of the usual. It's obvious UC is going through a tough time like many other places, but is the reaction a little overblown? I know a number of searches, both at my own and friends' institutions, for assistant level positions, in which tenured UC faculty have applied, explicitly stating their willingness to forgo tenure to get out of UC! And this is at institutions not as highly ranked as the UC schools in question. WTF?

[aandsdean]

UC Prof, the UC system's hiring in my field is more like 0% of the usual. It's obvious UC is going through a tough time like many other places, but is the reaction a little overblown? I know a number of searches, both at my own and friends' institutions, for assistant level positions, in which tenured UC faculty have applied, explicitly stating their willingness to forgo tenure to get out of UC! And this is at institutions not as highly ranked as the UC schools in question. WTF?

It's the result of multi-multi-billion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see, and the clear absence of political will to do anything real about them, coupled with enormous structural obstacles to fixing them even if there were the will.

See the "What's Wrong with the Golden State" thread for discussion.

[ucprof]

UC Prof, the UC system's hiring in my field is more like 0% of the usual. It's obvious UC is going through a tough time like many other places, but is the reaction a little overblown? I know a number of searches, both at my own and friends' institutions, for assistant level positions, in which tenured UC faculty have applied, explicitly stating their willingness to forgo tenure to get out of UC! And this is at institutions not as highly ranked as the UC schools in question. WTF?

Yes well 10% is a rough estimate across the entire system - so that means that a dept or two might get a position if there is a dire need but typically one has no positions.  Regarding the reaction being overblown - you realize we are all furloughed this year - most of the faculty in my dept at 8%, and a few at 9 and 10% (e.g. the NAS members).  So it's a bit hard to have new hiring when the system just got a 20% budget cut and everyone has a significant pay cut.  Right now they are just trying to figure out how to get people back to full salary in 2010-11 with the same budget cut, let alone hiring new people. 

Regarding people from UC with tenure applying for asst prof positions at lower ranked schools, that seems a bit extreme to me.  I have not heard of it, but it could be something special to a particular discipline.  I believe some of the humanities fields are struggling and really worried about going under.  Also it's possible that some schools are talking about disbanding some unusual programs or departments which might lead to faculty applying rather ``broadly''.  The UC has taken a broad approach to dealing with furloughs including allowing faculty with sufficient federal funding to pay their furlough salary on grants, thereby not taking a pay cut.  So the cuts are affecting different departments in different ways I imagine.  I had at least one inquiry for a position at or above my level in a dept - private school - not as highly ranked as mine and I did not follow up on that.

Another fact is that, at least this year, the UC system continues on with regular merit promotions.  So people who are due for a step increase should get raises.   So in some respects they are doing their best to maintain business as usual, although the furlough alone is rather steep.  Also the students of course are going to be hit with a 32% fee increase.

[embitteredhistorian]

Regarding people from UC with tenure applying for asst prof positions at lower ranked schools, that seems a bit extreme to me.  I have not heard of it, but it could be something special to a particular discipline.  I believe some of the humanities fields are struggling and really worried about going under.  Also it's possible that some schools are talking about disbanding some unusual programs or departments which might lead to faculty applying rather ``broadly''.  The UC has taken a broad approach to dealing with furloughs including allowing faculty with sufficient federal funding to pay their furlough salary on grants, thereby not taking a pay cut.  So the cuts are affecting different departments in different ways I imagine.  I had at least one inquiry for a position at or above my level in a dept - private school - not as highly ranked as mine and I did not follow up on that.

This sounds really odd to me. Isn't the whole idea of tenure at a public school that you can't get fired unless something apocalyptic happens like the Russians attack?

[seniorscholar]

This sounds really odd to me. Isn't the whole idea of tenure at a public school that you can't get fired unless something apocalyptic happens like the Russians attack?

Financial emergencies also permit permit layoffs of tenured faculty in almost all contracts. The easiest way to do this is to discontinue departments (how many Greek departments are still around in public universities?) or, nowadays, special multidisciplinary programs that get most of their faculty from existing "standard" departments but also have a few people -- or even just a director -- tenured in "Food and Basketwork Studies."

In some cases, tenured faculty have been offered a position in another department, but in a real money bind such as California faces, this is not usual.

[embitteredhistorian]

This sounds really odd to me. Isn't the whole idea of tenure at a public school that you can't get fired unless something apocalyptic happens like the Russians attack?

Financial emergencies also permit permit layoffs of tenured faculty in almost all contracts. The easiest way to do this is to discontinue departments (how many Greek departments are still around in public universities?) or, nowadays, special multidisciplinary programs that get most of their faculty from existing "standard" departments but also have a few people -- or even just a director -- tenured in "Food and Basketwork Studies."

In some cases, tenured faculty have been offered a position in another department, but in a real money bind such as California faces, this is not usual.

Well that sucks. I guess I'll start contributing more to my pension fund...

[fedscholar]

From the inside I can tell you that the UC schools are hiring (ladder ranks) on the order of about 10% of their usual hiring load, roughly speaking.  So if the school would normally make say 50 hires in a given year across the board, this year they may make 5 hires. 

I heard through the grapevine that in my field advertisements for ttrack and higher positions are at around 40% of what they would be in a "normal year", nation-wide. 

These estimates seem very close across the board. I have been following the ecological market since about 2002, when I was closing in on my doctorate, and this year is much weaker everywhere, and almost flat-lined in California and most of the West. Can you say "housing bubble?" Ugh..

This year, I keep seeing jobs in Pennsylvania, what's up with that? Seems like a nice state; it must have weathered the current downturn better than most. I have a soft spot for the Pittsburgh, W. PA area, and from talking to colleagues there, there was not a bubble at all, and of course the subprime, crash, etc.,etc...Any other areas holding up fairly well?

[conjugate]

This sounds really odd to me. Isn't the whole idea of tenure at a public school that you can't get fired unless something apocalyptic happens like the Russians attack?

Financial emergencies also permit permit layoffs of tenured faculty in almost all contracts. The easiest way to do this is to discontinue departments (how many Greek departments are still around in public universities?) or, nowadays, special multidisciplinary programs that get most of their faculty from existing "standard" departments but also have a few people -- or even just a director -- tenured in "Food and Basketwork Studies."

In some cases, tenured faculty have been offered a position in another department, but in a real money bind such as California faces, this is not usual.

Well that sucks. I guess I'll start contributing more to my pension fund...

Another grim possibility: An entire department or program can be eliminated, and all associated faculty sacked as a result.  This does not even require financial exigency, just a decision to eliminate a program. 

I recall a school about ten years back that got rid of all foreign language faculty that way.  They announced that all their students would do foreign language via the study-abroad route.  This was widely perceived to be an excuse to fire all the foreign language faculty and start all over again from scratch a few years later (when the administration made another decision to re-institute the foreign languages program).  Can't think of the name of the school, and I can't find a source (naturally).  But it would be perfectly acceptable to do that. 

Tenure is only about as secure (or maybe less so) than, say, a civil service job.

[yellowtractor]

Yes, I have a friend who lost his tenured position (in ecology) when the program of which he was part (an interdisciplinary program) was summarily axed.

[fedscholar]

Tenure is only about as secure (or maybe less so) than, say, a civil service job.

Sometimes even less secure. A federal civil service job can certainly get axed, but senior employees will most likely be reassigned (I always did want to see the Dakotas this time of year...:]..). Also, the federal government is a bigger pot,and can print money or run deficits. States or private universities cannot do that. So, if the state budget bites the dust, thing can get untenable much quicker.

Sorry to depress anyone further though....

[ucprof]

I thought I remembered hearing that Tulane cut some depts (was in engineering?) after Katrina.  Maybe someone can tell us what really happened there.

[embitteredhistorian]

Yes, I have a friend who lost his tenured position (in ecology) when the program of which he was part (an interdisciplinary program) was summarily axed.

This quite seriously messes with my world view since one of the reasons that I went into academia was the security of tenure. Do you know what happened to your friend--did he get stuff like severance pay, advance warning, help in finding a new job, or was he just thrown out on the street?

[aandsdean]

Often, face to face interviews are preceded by a telephone screening, whereby a key Human Resources or other representative contacts the job candidate directly by phone to ask some basic questions. While the strategies described herein apply to phone and on-site job interviews, the objectives differ. In the telephone interview, the objective should be to quickly illustrate your interest in the job and skills you bring to bear so as to generate a job interview. With the face to face interview, the objective should be to lead to a job offer. Attempting to get a job offer differs from actually getting the job. A job candidate who asks for the job offer by selling themselves to the company as the best fit and most motivated candidate, will likely leave the job interview with an offer in hand
...........
The goal is not to change your photo to canvas and photo on canvas , but for the subject to change the photographer. ~Author Unknown

I see the blue can with the yellow letters.  Anyone got a rifle?

[chicago_48]

This thread is almost 2 years old....maybe there should be a Part 2?