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[oldfullprof]

Arrgh!  What are you smoking?

[polly_mer]

OP,  less coffee, more sleep.  Seriously.  The increase in efficiency in getting 7-8 hours of sleep makes up for the lost time.  Good luck!

Arrgh!  What are you smoking?

In some remote areas (one of which is where I currently live), VAP to instructor to TT is pretty common for some departments.  That's about the only way to not lose TT lines when that fresh exciting new TT hire realizes that this isn't hoity-toity enough and moves at the one year mark.  Someone who has been hanging around for 3-10 years for family reasons probably isn't going to move immediately after being put on the TT.

[abd_jhs]

Yes! I was very concerned that they didn't schedule me in one of their regular class periods. They also gave me less than a week to prep for the teaching demo (other candidates going after me have 2-4 weeks to prepare). I honestly did the best I could but I did feel more than a LITTLE silly asking undergraduate level questions to the SC. One of the SC members said "yes, I totally understand. I think you did very well, though." I am finishing my PhD at a R1 where...if I did not cater my talk to my specific audience, it would be an embarrassment. Honestly, if it was just going to be the SC, just tell me that.

As far as VAP to TT...if it does not go TT, that is ok. I still need to get more teaching experience and I can keep doing research in my thesis lab (which is fairly close). For what it's worth (which may not mean much), the Dean told me he plans for the position to go TT.

I agree with the efficiency comment! I'm working on it. :)

[glowdart]

Yes! I was very concerned that they didn't schedule me in one of their regular class periods. They also gave me less than a week to prep for the teaching demo (other candidates going after me have 2-4 weeks to prepare). I honestly did the best I could but I did feel more than a LITTLE silly asking undergraduate level questions to the SC. One of the SC members said "yes, I totally understand. I think you did very well, though." I am finishing my PhD at a R1 where...if I did not cater my talk to my specific audience, it would be an embarrassment. Honestly, if it was just going to be the SC, just tell me that.

As far as VAP to TT...if it does not go TT, that is ok. I still need to get more teaching experience and I can keep doing research in my thesis lab (which is fairly close). For what it's worth (which may not mean much), the Dean told me he plans for the position to go TT.

I agree with the efficiency comment! I'm working on it. :)

Don't be.  

Think this through:  

Is there a VAP there teaching the class that you would normally demo?  They are not going to have candidates come in and teach the VAP's class.  

If there is no VAP there, then is a course that this line would normally teach even being offered this semester since the person who used to be in that line "left to pursue other..."?

There might not even be a course being offered during your visit time that would be conducive to a demo.

They might have arranged to have students attend the demo, but failed to bribe them sufficiently with lunch, and so they didn't come.

There might have been a course where your demo made sense, BUT:

 -- that slot might also be the only time the Provost could meet with you during your visit.  Guess who wins that scheduling conflict?

-- the students were scheduled to have an exam, give presentations, finish an experiment, whatever, that day.

-- it meets at 8 am on the first day of your interview, and they might have decided that that was cruel and unusual punishment.  

-- it meets right before you need to depart for the airport, which is also cruel and unusual punishment.

and on and on and on.  We're lucky to find time for the entire SC to meet with our candidates.  Do not overanalyze this and do not let other neurotics around here goad you into overanalyzing it.  


So, I hear there's a big sporting event on TV today.  Whatcha making for snacks?  

[polly_mer]

Yes, don't overanalyze.  I'm going on an interview this week and my teaching demo is at 8 am to "whomever shows up, but probably just the committee since students don't want to be there at 8 am" (to quote the secretary).  This is for a job where the committee was so enthusiastic that less than two hours elapsed between my phone interview and the invitation for the on-campus interview.

On the plus side, I got to choose the topic, unlike the recent interview I had where I did teach a guest section of someone else's course and was handed a topic I haven't done in several years.  That wasn't too bad since it tops the teaching demo I did (and got the job) on a topic that I hadn't seen since I was a freshman taking that class.

[writingprof]

One more thing. When I was interviewing-members of the SC said the person I would be replacing "left to pursue other opportunities." I didn't ask. It's a VAP position that can go Full time, TT. I wonder if they had a problem with her...or the other way around....is this a red flag?  

You're right to be concerned about this.  Why would anyone pursue "other" opportunities unless this one was deficient in some way?  That's why I only replace people who've died in office.  Er, in their office.  Provided it's been cleaned, of course.

[seniorscholar]

One more thing. When I was interviewing-members of the SC said the person I would be replacing "left to pursue other opportunities." I didn't ask. It's a VAP position that can go Full time, TT. I wonder if they had a problem with her...or the other way around....is this a red flag?  

You're right to be concerned about this.  Why would anyone pursue "other" opportunities unless this one was deficient in some way?  That's why I only replace people who've died in office.  Er, in their office.  Provided it's been cleaned, of course.

Hmmm. In my world (as in politics and public affairs) "pursue other opportunities" often means "the opportunity to avoid going to jail" -- in other words, is a polite way to say the department got rid of that person for cause.

[glowdart]

One more thing. When I was interviewing-members of the SC said the person I would be replacing "left to pursue other opportunities." I didn't ask. It's a VAP position that can go Full time, TT. I wonder if they had a problem with her...or the other way around....is this a red flag?  

You're right to be concerned about this.  Why would anyone pursue "other" opportunities unless this one was deficient in some way?  That's why I only replace people who've died in office.  Er, in their office.  Provided it's been cleaned, of course.

Hmmm. In my world (as in politics and public affairs) "pursue other opportunities" often means "the opportunity to avoid going to jail" -- in other words, is a polite way to say the department got rid of that person for cause.

And if not jail, then the person could have been issued a terminal contract and denied tenure for academic/teaching reasons, thus they are actually pursuing other opportunities.