May 2, 2008
Office Space
A friend of mine teaches at a school where a good deal of remodeling is under way. “They moved me,” she observed, “to a wonderful new office with a beautiful view. My old office, though, was mercifully converted into a hallway.”
I’d say that if your office is convertible into a corridor, it was not the nicest office in the world.
At my previous place of service, I had a fabulous office: on the corner, on the third floor, with a million-dollar view of the ancient quad. At my current institution, our newest buildings have very attractive offices, but I’m in an older building with sternly spartan offices. Even my decanal suite has nary a window.
I was thinking about this the other day and about how when I was on the market, I usually asked to see where my office would be. One school in North Carolina had almost palatial offices, with expansive views of the mountains. One in Florida was on the Intercoastal Waterway. Other places, though, were kind of sad, even depressing.
As you’ve made your rounds on the market, have any of you been either impressed or discouraged with the office space or lab facilities to such an extent that it impacted your decision to accept an offer?
By Gene C. Fant Jr. | Posted on Friday May 2, 2008 | PermalinkComments
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what offers?
ive been doing this for 10 years and still have never had an offer. i guess that teaching 4 courses a term as an adjunct is my lot in life. as far as an office – all ive ever had is a cubicle shared by 21 people
— offer? May 2, 01:07 PM #
I’ve been on the market recently. Most offices have been run-of-the-mill. One place had junior faculty in cubicles— yes, CUBICLES — in the library. Not the department’s building. Not enough room to meet with students, let alone store books and files. No door, no ceiling, no way to lock up or have privacy. Even the department head admitted to me it was “unacceptable.” I ran, ran, ran away!
— Door-lover May 2, 01:32 PM #
I had offers from two schools that were quite similar in many respects. I took the one with the extremely nice offices and the high-ceilinged classrooms with tall windows.
Had I not had both offers, though, after years in a crowded, scuzzy, basement TA office, I’d have been perfectly happy with either.
— Maria May 2, 02:35 PM #
I didn’t apply to two junior faculty positions where I knew I would have to share an office, if hired.
— Hank May 4, 01:59 PM #
It is actually amazing how important this is for faculty morale—and how poorly universities are able to meet this basic need. Nice furniture, enough room for books, papers, research files, a comfortable chair, and a decent view—-that’s all most faculty need to be happy. Yet very, very few faculty offices meet these criteria.
— flprof May 5, 06:10 AM #
The whole issue is overshadowed by overall location. I would have gladly left my current job and reasonable office in Boring City X for a job I nearly got in New York which would have involved sharing an office. No hesitation.
— bored with academia May 5, 07:29 AM #
At the very least, ask about asbestos. I was exposed to asbestos for at least two years.
There are a couple of rules I’ve learned when choosing schools. First, avoid rapidly expanding schools. They never have adequate facilities (or enough faculty, but that’s a different story). Second, avoid stagnant public schools with declining budgets. Even if the facilities look good today, in five years they will be garbage.
— me May 5, 07:56 AM #
Even as a full time faculty member, my office is either too cold (no heat in the winter) or too hot (can’t turn off the heat in the spring). Let’s just say the institution would not win any “green” awards, nor plaudits for treating employees well.
— Too Cold or Too Hot May 5, 09:31 AM #
The office spaces potentially offered to me during job searches were not worse than the stark, drab low security prison-like atmosphere of the campuses in general. During my job search at teaching institutions, I definitely noticed an emphasis on the “open door access policy,” i.e. that the faculty should be available to speak with students basically all day long. This seemed such a contradiction to my experience as an undergraduate and graduate student, where faculty were available 2 hours per week, if you were lucky, and they actually showed up.
— what window May 5, 11:20 AM #
I taught at a school where they did the old bait and switch. No office (I kept my files in my car),no computer (use the ones in the library) and no classroom (I taught one class in a diner, the students thought it was cool). Oh, and I was not re-hired because I complained. Hum. On my next job I wrote it into the contract.
— Ken May 5, 12:48 PM #
Yes, it matters. I believe work space is a direct reflection of how your institution views and values you. I turned down an offer because the work space was terrible. It wasn’t the only reason, but it was one of the big ones.
However, I was able to turn it down because I have a job. If I were new to the field and looking for my first position, I might overlook a not-so-perfect work area.
— hannah May 5, 01:59 PM #
An office, adjuncts don’t need offices. They are amazing super-teachers who have mobile offices— a car, suitcase, or backpack. They also don’t need helalth insurance, because they have super-healing powers.
— ACR May 5, 02:33 PM #