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  • Ask the Administrator: Hurry Up and Wait

    By Dean Dad July 28, 2009 9:30 pm

    A flustered correspondent writes:

    I have a math PhD from a good midwestern university, good teaching experience in the past couple years where i have been a visiting assistant professor at a research university, and now i finally have a verbal tenure-track offer from one of its regional campuses (which is classified as a community college since it is a two-year open admissions institution).

    The dean called me three weeks ago saying I am their "first candidate" after asking me if i am interested in the position, and after I said "yes, definitely", he said "O.K. good, well this is going to take some time but we will talk along the way..".. I also e-mailed the head of dept and he seemed to make it more clear. As I see it, I have been implied/told by the dean and the head of department that an offer letter is on the way (because they were in the process of having to justify why they did not hire a minority candidate and they hired me), but I am dying to get this letter that still fails to reach me a month and a half into the new academic year... As of now, I got no written offer. What the heck may be going on?!

    More importantly, I do not know how to negotiate with the dean, particularly since the university has contracts under **collective bargaining**. I would love to have my wife offered some sort of a position within this or the main campus (she has a Masters degree in applied Econ), more than raising the lousy ~47K that they may offer me. I have never brought any of these issues up, because the first time I was verbally offered the position was three weeks ago by a phone call by the Dean (which was, by the way, after a week when I had "dean interviews" with the Associate Dean and then the Dean.. both on the same day.... the timing of which still feels bizarre to me, because i met with the Dean and the Associate Dean 6 WEEKS after I met with the Search Committee in my campus interview).

    PS: What is likely to make things even more complicated for me is that I may receive an offer as a visiting Asst Prof from an excellent liberal arts college up in [another state] in a few days (I had a great campus interview and i LOVED so far how they handle each and every thing), and then would come the hassle of relocating and moving my wife and 2 year old kid for merely one year... I feel like I can't just keep that offer hanging up in the air this late in the year against a tenure-track offer from this place that NEVER ARRIVES?!

    This may sound cold, but honestly, the timelines you're talking about don't shock me. I get that you're frustrated, and don't blame you at all, but I'm not shocked.

    I'll start by saying that I don't know any specifics about this particular search other than what you've told me, and every case is at least potentially new and different.

    That said, a couple of the more probable scenarios include:

    - Uncertain funding for the position. In public higher ed right now, as I'm sure you know, budgets are all over the place. I wouldn't be surprised if you were the top choice candidate for the position, but the existence of the position is in question. If this is the case, unfortunately, there really isn't much for you to do about it, other than maintain your professionalism and make whatever choices you have to make.

    - Already-slow hiring cycles slowed even more by people's vacation schedules. Most years, this isn't an issue, since full-time faculty hires don't usually occur over the summer. This year, maddeningly fluid budget scenarios have pushed some searches into the summer, simply because it took that long to be (reasonably) certain that the funding was there. It's well and good to say that the college should have adjusted, but the 12-month staff (hi!) have to take vacations sometime, and many may well have already made their commitments. It's been three weeks since you spoke to the Dean; what usually would take a week or two could take a week or two longer, just because of who is out when. Yes, colleges should plan around that to compensate, but it happens. The six-week lag between the committee interview and the deans' interviews suggests that this college usually takes its sweet time anyway; add staff vacations to that, and things could easily drag.

    In terms of salary negotiation in a collective bargaining environment, the general rule is that only your starting salary has any wiggle room at all; every raise after that is contractual. At my cc, the starting salary is determined by a mechanistic points-and-grid system, in the name of fairness. That means that 'negotiation,' if it happens at all, consists of meeting with HR at your first opportunity after the offer is made, and pushing for all the points you can possibly get. Did you leave some stray adjunct classes off your cv? They may give a few more points for those. Military experience? Industry? Throw the kitchen sink at them, and see what counts. Even in systems with a less mechanistic determination of starting salaries, the general rule is that once your start point is set, the die is cast. Push hard at the outset, since they'll probably lack the flexibility to backfill later even if they wanted to. Whatever you do, don't take a low offer on the assumption that they'll make it up to you later. They won't. (Candidly, your reference to the expected offer as 'lousy' gives me pause. If you're already unsatisfied before even starting...)

    In terms of a spousal offer, I wouldn't expect one at this late date. Feel free to ask, but I'd be surprised if you got anything more than an offer to let her use their career services office in her search. In tight budgetary times, it's even harder than usual -- and that's saying something -- to manufacture jobs at the drop of a hat.

    The one-year position offer dangling out there complicates the picture somewhat, but it also gives you an absolutely bulletproof excuse to call the HR department and ask for an update. Let them know that you have someone else waiting on you, and they need an answer. If you present that calmly, the worst that would likely happen would be that you don't learn anything. But if that happens, you're no worse off than you are now. (If they hold even that much against you, you probably don't want to work there.)

    The question of moving the family is real. Certainly discuss it with your wife; she deserves a vote here. (I've turned down job interviews based on a spousal veto of location, and have never regretted it.) Jobs come and go, but a good marriage is worth preserving. First things first.

    Good luck! Yours is a good problem to have, but still difficult. I hope you can rise above the frustrations of the moment.

    Wise and worldly readers, I'm sure many of you have faced similar situations. How would you play this?

    Have a question? Ask the Administrator at deandad (at) gmail (dot) com.

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Comments on Ask the Administrator: Hurry Up and Wait

  • Posted by SW on July 29, 2009 at 7:30am EDT

  • This does sound frustrating.

    As Dean Dad suggests, you can definitely call the school in light of another offer and let the people know that due to another teaching opportunity with a strict deadline, you would like an update. No need to tell them details about the other position (i.e., that it's not tenure-track). But do remain courteous throughout.

    Again agreeing with Dean Dad, I cannot imagine that you would have any room to negotiate a position for your wife. Not only is it a time of year when this would be very difficult, you have seemingly all but agreed to the position. The school has little incentive to do something this drastic when it knows you'll likely sign the contract regardless even if it was in a position to help, which it likely is not.

    Regarding the other opportunity, it may be worth asking the school whether there is any chance of that position turning into something more. Obviously, there are no guarantees, but it sounds like you'd be much happier there. Is commuting an option so that your wife and child don't have to move? That's definitely something you would want to discuss with your wife, of course.

  • be careful
  • Posted by random thoughts on July 29, 2009 at 10:00am EDT

  • I agree that you can use the "visiting" offer as a reason to call for an update. BUT ONLY once you actually have a written offer for the visiting position and you (and family) are willing seriously to consider it.

    Until you have it in writing -- signed -- you don't have an offer. You've got nothing. Absolutely nothing.

    Imagine, for example, that you jump the gun and ask before you have the visiting offer in writing. The dean says, "You know, the funding picture here is still murky. If I were you, the visiting position sounds like a great opportunity. If I were you, I'd take it." And then suppose that the visiting position falls through. You've already sort of burned your bridge where you are. It may even look like you lied to try to leverage a response.

    I think you would be much safer to wait until the other school actually is waiting to hear from you before you tell your current school that you need to hear because someone else is waiting.

  • cruel and inhuman punishment
  • Posted by Realist on July 29, 2009 at 11:15am EDT

  • The two of you could live comfortably while working for a for-profit company in the real world. Unless you relish the cruel and inhuman punishment you're experiencing, consider making the jump. As Dean Dad says, this is the way we treat lots of people in academe.

  • Patience Grasshopper
  • Posted by Lil Johnny on July 30, 2009 at 7:45am EDT

  • We sure do move slowly in academia. It is rather annoying and it seems to be getting worse and worse. First, HR is busier than ever, receiving numerous applications from qualified and unqualified candidates. Background checks can take nearly a week. Reference checks can take a while in the Summer, as many faculty members who may be listed as references are gone for the Summer. Then they have to research salaries... etc... etc... etc. Your situation is likely complicated further by the fact that you already work for the same state and same system. Ironically, if you were coming from out of state, not only might things move faster, but your salary offer would likely be better. That is how things seem to work in my state.

    In these tough economic times, it would be crazy to accept a one-year appointment when you currently have or have been offered a more permanent position. I don't care how great things are there (or appear to be). I assure you they have economic issues too. They are just better at hiding them perhaps. Besides, it does not appear that you even have an offer yet. A number of proverbs seem fitting here.
    First, "don't count your chickens before they hatch." Second, "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

    I doubt you can negotiate much in this economy. If you don't want it, they will just hire the next person on their list. The people in HR or their EEO Officer may have convinced a person in a position higher than those you have talked to, to offer the minority applicant the position. As indicated elsewhere, you don't have the offer yet. Sometimes, search committeees and individuals involved in hiring get overruled by those above them. This is especially the case when there is not much difference between the top 2-3 candidates and one of them is a minority. Frankly, I am shocked they told you they were having to justify hiring you over a minority. That written justification may not have been acceptable to somebody in a higher position. You may not get the offer despite being the committees number one choice.

    If you are hired in the new, tenure track position, you can begin to develop a good reputation and build relationships with people in various departments. Then, you can perhaps assist your wife in finding suitable employment there. Expecting a position offer for her would strike me as incredibly arrogant. Who do you think you are to deserve such grand treatment? Besides, when positions become available, ALL applicants must be considered. It would violate HR policy to open a position and fill it without a search (not that they don't seem to find ways around it from time to time.) I think the only way to negotiate a position for a spouse is to be offered a high level administrator position or be rock star faculty member who brings in numeorus grants, lots of money or lots of media (think Jill Biden). You apparently are none of those at this moment (you were only offered $40-50 thousand). In short, be realistic. You can't expect an offer for your wife.

    Just call them (Human Resources) once a week and ask them where they are with the process. Be understanding and try to be patient and positive. Meanwhile, keep working hard where you are just in case neither of the other positions work out. If you slack off too much in the job you currently have, you may find yourself without a job at all. These are tough times. Focus on remaining employed first, then focus on improving your employment situation.

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