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[kingbiscuit]

Thanks in part to the wonderful sartorial advice I received from the forumites last month, I now have a couple of campus visits lined up in the coming weeks, and I was wondering if anyone could offer some suggestions on both (a) how to interview with and (b) what to say to Deans, Dean-lets, and Provosts.

This isn't my first rodeo or my first church picnic, but I always leave interviews with senior admins feeling a bit like I either let them down or they don't quite know what to make of me.  My research, while not at all specialized or jargon-laden, works against the grain of conventional academic (humanities) wisdom, and I often feel as though admins--who these days are often not former scholars or academics--don't have a clue what I'm talking about. 

Can you guys/gals offer some advice on how to "work" the admin interview?   

[mischt]

I too would love to hear any and all suggestions on this topic!

[optimisticfungus]

[Take the following with a grain of salt, since I'm ABD and a newbie to interviews.]

Since financial support in my field is on the decline but seems to vary significantly by location, I plan to ask Deans and Provosts about the future direction of the college and what they want expect of new hires that may differ from what has been expected of previous employees.

[writingprof]

OP, do you really need one of these jobs, or are you just looking to move?  I ask because when I've been in the (admittedly rare) position of interviewing for a job I didn't have to have, I've felt much more comfortable asking deans and provosts the sorts of questions whose answers really matter.

What I really want to know from a dean is:

• Do you support the existence of the department/program I'd be entering.  (If you think it's cool and all that we offer creative writing courses but think we really should be offering more expository writing courses instead, that's going to be a problem.)
• Will you protect the interests of faculty in your dealings with upper-caste administrators?
• Do you understand what success in my field looks like?  Are you going to (wrongly) exhort me to publish there and there rather than here and here?
• Do you micromanage every little thing?

What I really want to know from a provost is whether or not hu is an evil a$$hat.

Of course, how I ask these questions will depend on how much I want the job.

[kingbiscuit]

Good question/s, writingprof.  I'm looking to make something of a sideways move, I suppose, and there are several aspects of each department/institution/region that attract me and the QueenBiscuit (and the Biscuitpups--okay, took it too far).

Truthfully, I'm in the position of being choosy.  And I've already promised myself that if things aren't pretty close to 98%, then I'm not putting my family through the hassle of moving again.  (I don't want to be doing this again for the third time in as many years.)

Having said that, both jobs are pretty good on paper and given what little I already know about them.  For me salary, relocation costs, and financial perks (summer money, etc.) are going to make all the difference in the world, of course, and I also want to make sure that I can be tenurable in 3-4 years given the immense "extras" these positions entail.  Does this help?

[litdawg]

I think that it is good to look beyond the short-term (3-5 years) in conversations with a Provost. Where is the institution headed? What areas will require more faculty involvement in the future? This varies greatly by size of institution, but often provosts will have pet projects that require faculty participation. Try to find out how you might fit into such initiatives.

[afm_man]

What I really want to know from a dean is:

• Do you support the existence of the department/program I'd be entering.  (If you think it's cool and all that we offer creative writing courses but think we really should be offering more expository writing courses instead, that's going to be a problem.)
• Will you protect the interests of faculty in your dealings with upper-caste administrators?
• Do you understand what success in my field looks like?  Are you going to (wrongly) exhort me to publish there and there rather than here and here?
• Do you micromanage every little thing?

I like the last one, because I met with a Dean who went on about how 'faculty make the decisions.'  This person is the biggest micromanager I have ever met (not even sure how you approach that question). 

I say: meet with the Dean, feed their ego, and get the answers from the faculty on these issues.  I think the second is very relevant (no Dean is going to say "no")...

[writingprof]

I like the last one, because I met with a Dean who went on about how 'faculty make the decisions.'  This person is the biggest micromanager I have ever met (not even sure how you approach that question). 

I've asked this:  "Tell me about a situation where you had to overrule a broad faculty consensus." 

I don't find that rude, and neither did the folks who were interviewing me.