A Holiday Message for the Downsized

Once again, the holiday season is upon us. For many, it is a time of connection, joy, family and hope for the coming year. But for those who have been downsized in 2024 and are still searching for their next role, the holidays will bring with them stress, anxiety and a painful sense of uncertainty.

Every unanswered application, every nonresponse from a search committee and every form email telling candidates that the search committee “went in a different direction” cuts deeply. The constant stream of rejection can lead you to question your worth, second-guessing every decision and career choice that led you to this moment. You replay your interviews in your mind, dissecting what you said or didn’t say, wondering if there was some subtle signal you missed. You tell yourself to remain hopeful, but during the holidays these words feel hollow. After all, how many more applications can you send without hearing anything in return?

I have been there. In April 2023, the interim provost at my institution, where I had worked for a decade as dean of arts and sciences, informed me that my contract would not be renewed due to my school’s impending closure at the end of June. Between April 13 and Dec. 21, 2023, I applied for 108 positions, researching and applying for an average of three per week. I vividly recall telling off a search consultant during the last working week of December when she emailed about yet another position that appeared to fit my credentials.

By that point, I was no longer in the mood to pretend that I was emotionally unaffected by the process. What I wanted, more than anything, was to ensure that there would be a single present under the tree for my son to open on Christmas morning. I was not interested in being another name on a list of candidates that would only be used to justify an internal hire or boost a consultant’s metrics. At that moment, I was no longer a former dean with accolades and achievements. I was a father clinging to a shred of normalcy for his child.

When most people search for their next role in higher ed, they do so from a position of employment, applying to a handful of opportunities per year. If they don’t advance, it’s easy to accept the platitudes search consultants offer, like, “It was a very competitive search.” But for those of us seeking employment from a place of uncertainty or precarity, the stakes are considerably higher and the flaws in higher ed’s hiring processes become glaringly apparent.

I applied exclusively to roles that fit my values, qualifications and experience, including roles of assistant dean, dean, associate provost and vice president for academic affairs/provost, as well as two full-time faculty positions. I was interviewed by 24 different institutions, a 22 percent return on investment. An expert human resources talent acquisition manager and an executive coach in higher education both informed me that a 22 percent interview rate “sounds about right.” Of those interviews, I became a finalist in 12 searches. I received only one offer, the one for my current role.

A few experiences stand out vividly. I had interviewed at a Roman Catholic university and was led to believe that I would be receiving a call with an offer the following week. Instead of an offer, however, I received a call questioning my commitment to the Catholic faith. The search chair had reached out to me through my work email early in the process. I responded to the search chair from my work address, asking them to use only my personal email for correspondence. The email signature at my former place of work contained my pronouns—he/his/him—as part of the template mandated by our human resources office. Even though I am a cradle Catholic in union with the Holy See, it seems that one parenthetical was enough to derail my candidacy.

In another case, I was invited to a two-day finalist interview at a university where I had previously served as a tenured faculty member. The talent acquisition staff assured me that they would be making a decision “before the holiday break.” Since I had interviewed at the beginning of November, I said, “Oh, good! I’ll know by Thanksgiving.” The talent agent corrected me: “The December holiday.” I heard nothing until Dec. 19, when I was informed that they had selected another candidate, citing “a different level of experience.” It later became clear that the internal interim candidate had been their choice all along, and I had simply participated in a procedural formality that we often call “an experience interview.”

The silences are equally difficult. Right now, I remain an active candidate in two separate searches at an institution in southeastern Pennsylvania. I applied for the positions in April 2023 and July 2023, respectively. Each file is marked “Application under review.” Somehow, even though they are not letting on, I get the sense they have moved on without me.

This kind of treatment reflects profound issues with higher ed’s hiring processes. One search consultant once told me bluntly that my decade of experience as a dean was irrelevant. In her words, a candidate who served three or four years as department chair at a large university was equally competitive. In another instance, a search consultant accidentally forwarded an email intended for a different candidate, a candidate who happened to be an interim president applying for the same dean role about which I had inquired. This underscored another troubling trend I saw: It is not uncommon for presidents, provosts and associate provosts to apply for lower-level roles, virtually eliminating chances for department chairs and existing deans to advance, leaving experienced professionals feeling undervalued and disposable.

I share my experiences for the people who are navigating this broken system, trying to end their status as a downsized employee. It is incredibly tempting to internalize the rejections and setbacks, even more so during the holiday season. But the truth is the flaws in this broken system are not a reflection of your worth. To the contrary, I do not regret for one moment not working for any of the institutions that rejected me. If I was treated this poorly as a candidate, imagine how poorly I would be treated as a full-time employee. The same applies to you.

For those who are navigating higher ed’s hiring processes, understand that you are not alone. The wave of downsizings and closures in 2024 left many highly qualified and talented professionals in limbo. Not everyone will find a new role in higher education by the close of the calendar year. But that does not mean you should give up.

Remember, your worth is never defined by any search committee’s decision and even less by any search consultant.

You deserve to work in a place where your contributions are seen and valued. As this year draws to a close, remember that your experiences and talents matter. You will find a place where you will thrive and where your work will be recognized and appreciated.

Keep going.

I wish you well.