Maybe I Should be a CHE Diarists…

I came across this article/call for diarists at the CHE. Basically, they’re looking for folks who have stories to tell about going on the job market in the coming year. To quote:

“If you have a flair for writing, here’s an opportunity to use it and get paid. We select about 10 diarists a year; each writes three to four columns over the course of the year about his or her job search. Besides doctoral students and Ph.D.’s who are looking for their first tenure-track job, we welcome submissions from other academics who plan to spend this year hunting for a new position, including adjunct faculty members, professors already tenured or on the tenure track, and administrators. If you are part of a dual-career academic couple, you are welcome to write a diary together.”

I dunno, maybe I should apply. I’m going to be on the job market in the coming year– NOT because I’m unhappy at EMU (though, as I’ve said to any number of people, EMU isn’t as good of a place to work as it was when I got here, largely because of folks like Kirkpatrick and the current Board of Regents) and NOT because I’m unhappy with the department I work. Sure, there are some problems, but by and large, I’m happy here, I would be more than willing to spend the rest of my academic career here, and I know PLENTY of people who are working in worst situations. And, last but far from least, I very much like living in the Ann Arbor area.

However:

* I’m one half of an academic couple (my wife is Annette Wannamaker) who is severely under-employed at EMU UPDATE: Annette is now an assistant professor, no longer under-employed, and we’re both darn happy about it. See her web site, http://people.emich.edu/awannamak ;

* Michigan has some major economic problems that are likely to impact places like EMU;

* While the Ann Arbor area is very cool, it is also extremely expensive; and

* I’m really interested in exploring the possibilities for associate positions at some schools (places that might mean a lateral move) and assistant positions at others (places that might mean a move up the “academic food chain”).

For lack of a better way of putting it: I’m happy now, but I’m interested in finding out if I could be happier.

Anyway, it sounds to me like I might be the “type” that CHE would be interested in. Plus, I like to think I have a “flair for writing.”

The down-side of doing something like this is additional work and putting myself “out there,” though in the tradition of CHE, I’d probably be anonymous. The up-side is I’ll bet CHE pays pretty well for these little diarist stories– or at least better than this blog pays…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.