winter quarter has been exhausting.
during the fall quarter, i kept thinking, this is it? this is what it means to be a professor? i was teaching, putting off my writing, and thinking that the life of a professor was not much different from being a graduate student.
i was mistaken.
we've had departmental meetings almost every other week this quarter, focusing on merits and promotions. that is, we have to evaluate the files of our fellow faculty and decide whether or not they are worthy of promotion. needless to say, i feel less than qualified to be making these decisions. and i'm terrified of my own review, which will take place this coming october/november.
in addition to the meetings, there have been the job searches. my department isn't recruiting, but there are searches in other departments that could mean joint appointments with us. that means that i've been attending job talks, meeting with candidates, and debriefing with other faculty members on whether or not we think that they would be a good "fit" for our department.
(can i just say how different it is to be on the other side of the job/interview process?)
all of these "extracurricular" activities make up the "service" component of my job. the third thing upon which i'll be judged when it comes time for tenure--research, teaching, and service.
so now i know. and i'm tired! but i have six more years to go. and yes, i have already been told that the clock is ticking (the tenure clock, not the other one!).
@>-->>---
5 comments:
i'll be coming to you for advice when my transition to "the other side" comes along, doctora!
jenn,
whatever your "struggles," you are always inspiring. thanks for sharing them with us!
i sat throught a presentation last week at the uc regents meeting about faculty promotion and hiring starting at assistant professor and moving up the ranks. the whole presentation reaffirmed why i'm not so keen on the faculty track.
on another note, i hope those faculty searches don't involve any internal candidates. there was one of those in my department, and damn... it was drama.
Yeah ... but when does the "other clock" start ticking? Wow .. I probably sounded like your mother there or something.
I honostly feel intimidated by you now. I mean, you're a full fledged professor. wow. Would you prefer if if I called you Dr. Jenn? I kid, I kid.
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