Standing outside the science building after my campus interview.
Time for an update.
At the end of March, I accepted a new position at a small college in Georgia. I am very happy that my months-long search ended successfully. It's a tenure-track Assistant Professor position, teaching undergraduates, similar to my current job. I have to start again at the beginning and earn tenure, and I believe I can do that. I am excited about joining a growing science division, meeting lots of new people, having the opportunity to learn new skills, and also exploring a totally new part of the country.
Simultaneously, I am scared. I know this is the correct decision for me but it is also a huge change. I had my current job in Michigan since 2003, and I am very comfortable here. I am pleased with the courses I teach here regularly, I have all the materials prepared, I know the topics. I am a tenured full Professor with responsibilities I am proud of. I own a house. I have close friends here and I'm connected to many social groups and activities. It is a lot to give up, and I'm 20 years older than I was last time.
In addition, I do not know how I'm going to move to Georgia. Some of it is that I just haven't decided from among the options: will I buy a house there? will I rent a place to live (can I afford to rent)? will I pay for packers and movers to handle my stuff? will I pack for myself? will I use a Pod or a U-Haul? what do I need to get rid of and what can I keep? when will any of this happen? how much is everything going to cost? Some is worry that I will make poor decisions or I won't be able to solve the problems that I encounter. When I moved to Michigan, I had a spouse to help with all the decisions and with emotional reassurance; but I will be taking this next step on my own (albeit with family and friends to assist).
I get overwhelmed pretty quickly. I remind myself of the evidence of competence I have exhibited over the years. I can do this! I remind myself that it's going to be an exciting adventure. I will learn so much! And, I don't have to make all the decisions today. One thing at a time!
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| Strange wall decoration at the hotel I stayed at. |
I made the decision to do this last August based on how precarious and unpleasant my current institution has become. The college is suffering financially, they have not paid employees any retirement contribution in at least two years (don't even ask about raises), and the cost of health care increases every year. The threat of declining enrollment and subsequent revenue shortfall produced our former Provost's plan to convert academics to a block schedule (typified by Colorado College and Cornell College: one class at a time, every day, for four weeks). We have been discussing this plan for over two years, and the college is running a pilot of it with first-year students this academic year, but none of my or my science colleagues' concerns were being addressed. I am not willing to teach that way, because I don't think it is a good way for students to learn and also because I don't think I would have the quality of life I need. I also do not believe that making this change will have the intended effect; I think we will lose the students we normally attract and we will not find enough novel students to replace them. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think I am.
It was not too hard to find and update my application materials. The most difficult part was writing the research plan, since I haven't had a research student in 5 years and I needed to recall a lot of details I haven't thought about recently. I signed up for email digests of job postings from three different sites and kept copies of all the interesting advertisements in a dedicated flash drive, along with an Excel sheet for tracking the applications. I decided to apply for tenure track positions, non-tenure track "instructional faculty" positions, and even a few research office positions. My heart pounded when I sent the first application in early October, and when I needed to ask my department colleagues for letters of recommendation there were tears. I had my first Zoom interviews in early November, the first on-campus interview at the end of January, and about one on-campus interview per week until April. In the end, I applied to 59 positions, had about 30 Zoom interviews and about 10 on-campus interviews. It was gratifying to find out that I am still an attractive candidate.
I think I will try to post updates on this blog, at least as an aid to my own memory after it's all done. Wish me luck!
