Last week I had a meeting with Dr. Feminist to discuss my future in the department. I updated her on the current situation, including the fact that Dr. Nice Guy has had several conversations with the Dean. I made this appointment at Dr. Nice Guy's suggestion. He was concerned that if he was the only person speaking with the Dean about our situation that we didn't have a very strong case. So I asked the hard question: "Have you spoken to the dean about a more permanent position?" I really hated asking this question, but I have to say, I was a bit floored by her response, which was, essentially, "No, I haven't because I didn't realize you wanted a more permanent position." Now I feel like I've been really up front with Dr. Feminist--I've told her we were hoping for a partner placement, that I'd be happy to keep working in her department, that I'd be happy with a visiting position, that I'd take a joint appointment in Women's Studies and another department (I currently teach in three departments), and that I'm on the market. I now realize that I never specifically asked her if she'd speak to the dean, but given that Women's Studies is seriously short handed (only 2 full-time profs and 5 joint appointed profs and about 600 majors as well as a brand new MA and a Ph.D. program), I didn't realize I had to. Sigh. I feel a bit stupid and a bit annoyed.
So she happily agreed to speak with the dean. We'll see what happens.
3 comments:
I think your intentions were pretty clear -- but, sometimes even the best folks need to be asked directly.
I'm glad you didn't assume she knew..
Phew! I'm glad you followed Dr. Nice Guy's suggestion! He was right on the mark, it seems, with his feeling that he was the only one speaking to the gym. I hope something more permanent will materialize in the near future.
Given Dr. Feminist's reaction, I've decided to be even more proactive and made appointments to talk with the heads of the other two departments in which I teach. I really don't think anything will happen this year, but I do want to remind them of my intentions. I am also trying to remind myself that I am lucky to have a job in academia right now given how horrific the job market is.
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