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[prytania3]

As Benjamin Franklin said, "A wise man makes a feast of advice, but a fool brings a rapier to a bulldozer fight."

Wasn't that Shakespeare?

[aprilmay]

Someone is going to be offended by this, even if you manage to word the inquiry so that some people are fine with it. There is no way to inquire about a job in relation to the colleague's death without seeming insensitive, even if that's not your intention. We understand that the death creates a huge problem for the department, but that doesn't mean a job inquiry is welcome.

Here, you would almost guarantee that you wouldn't get hired - ever.

You can keep your eye out for any openings in that program.

When someone dies or leaves, there is no guarantee that the program would want someone similar. Sometimes they move in a new direction. I wouldn't assume that you are a great match just because you matched the deceased person's background.

[larryc]

Gotta publish another paper!

And here we all thought The Journal of Irreproducible Results had ceased publication!

Ha! you made me laugh.
This comment reminds me of a leisure suit.  Its seen its days and no one with any style would consider using it.  But then, this may be the only journal you have ever seen, so I'll give you a break.  You know, Science and Nature are still published too, but they require critical thinking skills.  Then again, there is always the Journal of Cryptozoology for people who search out phenomena that likely don't exist.  I wonder if there are any stories in there about your character, decency, and civility?

What?! I will have you know, sir, that my first national publication was a letter in the Weekly World News! It was "Dumb Frenchman Deserved to Marry Fatty" and is among the most frequently cited publications of its genre.

[dogvomit]

Gotta publish another paper!

And here we all thought The Journal of Irreproducible Results had ceased publication!

Ha! you made me laugh.
This comment reminds me of a leisure suit.  Its seen its days and no one with any style would consider using it.  But then, this may be the only journal you have ever seen, so I'll give you a break.  You know, Science and Nature are still published too, but they require critical thinking skills.  Then again, there is always the Journal of Cryptozoology for people who search out phenomena that likely don't exist.  I wonder if there are any stories in there about your character, decency, and civility?

What?! I will have you know, sir, that my first national publication was a letter in the Weekly World News! It was "Dumb Frenchman Deserved to Marry Fatty" and is among the most frequently cited publications of its genre.

Ok! You got me now!!!!
:)
That was a great come back.
have a nice day!
:)

[fedscholar]

Someone is going to be offended by this, even if you manage to word the inquiry so that some people are fine with it. There is no way to inquire about a job in relation to the colleague's death without seeming insensitive, even if that's not your intention. We understand that the death creates a huge problem for the department, but that doesn't mean a job inquiry is welcome.

Here, you would almost guarantee that you wouldn't get hired - ever.

You can keep your eye out for any openings in that program.

When someone dies or leaves, there is no guarantee that the program would want someone similar. Sometimes they move in a new direction. I wouldn't assume that you are a great match just because you matched the deceased person's background.

Very good point. Sometimes the old scholar has ruled over the school for a generation, and when they pass, the school can finally do something different. I know an emeritus professor at my alma mater who has been a pitbull on the leg of the college for 50 years. Seriously.

[anthroid]

I was a chair when this happened--one of my most popular professors died (not unexpectedly--but he worked to the very end) in the middle of the semester.  If someone like the OP contacted me to ask for a job, I would have been quite shocked and offended (thankfully, it did not happen).  I really urge anyone in this position NOT to offer your services for a number of months, and, if you do get in touch with the chair, do it (as many people have advised) within the context of deep sorrow and sympathy.  If someone had contacted me in any other way, I would have tossed the CV into the shredder.

But I suppose this is some of the very bad advice so frequently offered by these fora.  So don't read it, graduate students!  Do the opposite!  It'll all work out great!  And notice the proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation in this post!  Do the opposite!  That'll get you a job for sure!

[dogvomit]

I was a chair when this happened--one of my most popular professors died (not unexpectedly--but he worked to the very end) in the middle of the semester.  If someone like the OP contacted me to ask for a job, I would have been quite shocked and offended (thankfully, it did not happen).  I really urge anyone in this position NOT to offer your services for a number of months, and, if you do get in touch with the chair, do it (as many people have advised) within the context of deep sorrow and sympathy.  If someone had contacted me in any other way, I would have tossed the CV into the shredder.

But I suppose this is some of the very bad advice so frequently offered by these fora.  So don't read it, graduate students!  Do the opposite!  It'll all work out great!  And notice the proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation in this post!  Do the opposite!  That'll get you a job for sure!

You missed the point. 
Who are you?  You say that you have "experience." In fact, none/few of us have a clue who you are beyond an anonymous poster.  For all we know, you could actually be another recent graduate about to call the very department and making sure that another competitor does not proceed. 

Who am I?
I may be the president of the university where you work!  I may be a graduate student.

Not all advice on here is bad, but there is a lot of bad advice. Further, there is no way to determine who on here is a good source of information and who is not.  You would do just as well to write your inquiry on the bathroom stall and come back in a week for answers.  And there, you will get just as many insulting responses and no one will criticize your language skills. 

Spelling on a forum does not make you an expert.  It demonstrates you have the luxury of extra time to go back an look for typos.  Wow, I'm impressed.  Maybe I'm a foreign national?  Also, I challenge you to spell and construct sentences in Arabic, Hebrew, or Latin.  Good luck.

[infopri]

Who are you?  You say that you have "experience." In fact, none/few of us have a clue who you are beyond an anonymous poster.  For all we know, you could actually be another recent graduate about to call the very department and making sure that another competitor does not proceed. 

Actually, there are a number of us here on the fora who know precisely who anthroid is.  While fora rules (and the rules of friendship) prohibit me from saying very much, I can tell you that anthroid (a) is not a recent graduate but in fact has had her doctorate for quite some time, (b) is quite established in her field, (c) has a wealth of administrative experience in academia, and (d) does not lie or mislead on the fora.

Who am I?

Exactly.

[larryc]

When someone dies or leaves, there is no guarantee that the program would want someone similar. Sometimes they move in a new direction. I wouldn't assume that you are a great match just because you matched the deceased person's background.

Very good point. Sometimes the old scholar has ruled over the school for a generation, and when they pass, the school can finally do something different. I know an emeritus professor at my alma mater who has been a pitbull on the leg of the college for 50 years. Seriously.

Great points. In my (N=1) experience this is more the rule than the exception.

[geonerd]

Must...resist...irony...

[ptarmigan]

Who are you?  You say that you have "experience." In fact, none/few of us have a clue who you are beyond an anonymous poster.  For all we know, you could actually be another recent graduate about to call the very department and making sure that another competitor does not proceed. 

Nonsense.  I will grant you that the day you start reading posts here, you won't know who is who, or have a good idea of whether someone is reliable or likely to give good advice.  But if you stick around for a while, it becomes relatively apparent whether (and to what extent, or on what topics) someone is full of it. 

Impersonating an experienced academic in a forum full of experienced academics is not easy. 

[theblondeassassin]

Who are you?  You say that you have "experience." In fact, none/few of us have a clue who you are beyond an anonymous poster.  For all we know, you could actually be another recent graduate about to call the very department and making sure that another competitor does not proceed. 

Nonsense.  I will grant you that the day you start reading posts here, you won't know who is who, or have a good idea of whether someone is reliable or likely to give good advice.  But if you stick around for a while, it becomes relatively apparent whether (and to what extent, or on what topics) someone is full of it. 

Impersonating an experienced academic in a forum full of experienced academics is not easy. 

Actually, it's not that it's particularly difficult, it's that the rewards for doing so are vanishingly low.

[francie_]

Impersonating an experienced academic in a forum full of experienced academics is not easy. 

Um, um, um . . .

[marlborough]

When I was a grad student, a professor at my university's satellite campus  (where I adjuncted on and off teaching surveys) died unexpectedly in the middle of the semester, leaving a fairly specialized course in my full of students.  My adviser, in what was probably a mix of wanting to help colleagues at the satellite and not wanting to get volunteered for it himself, called them and offered me up as the replacement as part of my GTA duties.  It was kind of creepy, but the class had to go on with somebody who knew enough to make sense of the syllabus and supervise the research projects the students already had in train.  I probably wouldn't have had the nerve to call over there myself, but my adviser jumped in.  I got a hell of a recommendation letter out of handling it graciously and solving the problem for several groups of administrative people.

If the situation is not leaving students in the lurch, you may well be facing a department "taking advantage" of a retirement/death/opening to update their offerings or realign some of the field. 

[what_else_can_i_do]

Who are you?  You say that you have "experience." In fact, none/few of us have a clue who you are beyond an anonymous poster.  For all we know, you could actually be another recent graduate about to call the very department and making sure that another competitor does not proceed.

Actually, there are a number of us here on the fora who know precisely who anthroid is.  While fora rules (and the rules of friendship) prohibit me from saying very much, I can tell you that anthroid (a) is not a recent graduate but in fact has had her doctorate for quite some time, (b) is quite established in her field, (c) has a wealth of administrative experience in academia, and (d) does not lie or mislead on the fora.

Who am I?

Exactly.

I think I get Dogvomit's point. There are a lot more than a handful of people on here.  Just because you or I can guarantee someone else's advice, does not mean that you can guarantee anyone else's!  This is an anonymous forum.  Its not "who is Larryc, or Anthroid" specifically.  Its everyone in general.  A newbie does not have experience on the forum, does not see a track record of comments, and does not have the luxury of knowing anyone outside of here.  We are not part of a collective in which all of our understanding of the other posters is shared indiscriminately.  Some of us our mischievous, some downright cowardly, and others perfectly helpful.  It takes months to figure out who is who in those respects.  Still, the general advice on this thread was interesting to read, even if some of the people posting need to drink some warm milk and take a vallium.

In any case, I got what I needed from this thread, and I wish it would go away!