First-Choice U Report

In a word, my campus visit at First-Choice U was intense.

Lots of meetings: department chair, one-on-one time with almost all the members of the department (tenured, TT, and non-TT), HR, dean, provost, president, and two meetings that I requested (with the study abroad co-ordinator and the faculty development officer).

Of course, there was also a departmental interview, a teaching demo, a research demo, a campus tour, and a tour of the city.

Everything went smoothly, I think.

• The technology goddess smiled on my teaching demo (in the words of the search committee chair).
  
• I could have been more polished in my departmental interview, but two people (one of whom is the former department chair) later commented that they thought that it had been a fine interview.
  
• My research demo got off to a slow start. I didn't handle the second and third questions very well, but the later questions were OK (I think).
  
• When the current department chair dropped me off at the airport, she commented that my visit had been "terrific." (In my exhaustion, I said the first thing that popped into my head: "Well, what remains to be seen is whether I was more terrific than the other candidates." She laughed, but how embarrassing!)
  

I would be fairly happy with my visit except for one thing: there is an inside candidate for this position.

The department chair commented at our meeting that she wished that the department had the funds to hire all of their non-TT department members. And all I could think was, "Well, you now have the money to hire at least one for Second Half of the Good Book. So, what am I doing here?"

At dinner on the second evening, the former department chair told me that he wanted me to know that the interview committee had been quite impressed with me at the initial interview at Big Society's Annual Meeting. He felt that it was important for me to know that "no matter how this all turns out." He then proceeded to tell me about how he had been the inside candidate for his position and had been sure that he wouldn't get the job because the other candidates had such fine pedigrees. And all I could think was, "So, you want me to know that your department has a history of hiring the inside candidate. Are you trying to prepare me for disappointment?"

I remain convinced that they will hire the inside candidate. Which is really too bad because I really did enjoy the visit. The department is clearly full of happy people with whom I know that I could work well. My conversations with people outside of the department present a very highly regarded department. The school's values in terms of teaching and research match my own. And this area of the world really is as beautiful as I'd been told.

Nevertheless, there's nothing to do now but wait to hear from First-Choice U.

And so, I wait.