My course is a big success but my deaprtment head is not happy with me

[Caracal]

At least in other universities I taught, having this kind of media attention is good and considered to be one of the factors in promotion. However, in this CC, it seems that things are different. A senior colleague told me that in universities, professors have lots of freedom to do things but not in this CC.

We'd have to know more about the event before we could really say if the chair is being unreasonable. If we are talking about something really standard, like a poster event, or a series of presentations then the response does seem pretty odd. If your students were setting off pyrotechnics in the union, or holding a debate on BDS, her response would make a lot more sense.

[hamburger]

At least in other universities I taught, having this kind of media attention is good and considered to be one of the factors in promotion. However, in this CC, it seems that things are different. A senior colleague told me that in universities, professors have lots of freedom to do things but not in this CC.

We'd have to know more about the event before we could really say if the chair is being unreasonable. If we are talking about something really standard, like a poster event, or a series of presentations then the response does seem pretty odd. If your students were setting off pyrotechnics in the union, or holding a debate on BDS, her response would make a lot more sense.

In the last class, students formed teams to present what they learned throughout the semester. It was an event for students to showcase their work and had fun. Nothing odd. Perhaps suppression of freedom of speech and expression is the way the new person manages the department. She is from the Business School. I don't know how business people think. I thought they like more visitors and more publicity.

[Aster]

This sounds like another case where adjunctification may be an issue.


If you were tenure track faculty at your university, your department head is usually not your boss. The department head is more like the "chief academic administrative officer" for your department.

But if you're an adjunct at your university, your department head is very likely your boss. And sometimes department heads can abuse their authority.

So that's one wrinkle.

If you were tenure track faculty at your university, you'd probably be heavily involved in many/most departmental meetings, departmental service activities, and be generally "in the know" for most things important on your college's administrative and operational sides.

But if you're an adjunct at your university, you may be shut out (or opt out ) of most all of that. This means that you might not know the specific protocols, specific contact people, specific professional behaviors expected of you outside of the classroom. It can be extremely easy to fubar something up or ruffle somebody's feathers.

So that's another wrinkle.

[hamburger]

This sounds like another case where adjunctification may be an issue.


If you were tenure track faculty at your university, your department head is usually not your boss. The department head is more like the "chief academic administrative officer" for your department.

But if you're an adjunct at your university, your department head is very likely your boss. And sometimes department heads can abuse their authority.

So that's one wrinkle.

If you were tenure track faculty at your university, you'd probably be heavily involved in many/most departmental meetings, departmental service activities, and be generally "in the know" for most things important on your college's administrative and operational sides.

But if you're an adjunct at your university, you may be shut out (or opt out ) of most all of that. This means that you might not know the specific protocols, specific contact people, specific professional behaviors expected of you outside of the classroom. It can be extremely easy to fubar something up or ruffle somebody's feathers.

So that's another wrinkle.

I am at a CC. Maybe they do things differently compared with universities. In previous university, I was in a selection committee for hiring Associate Professors in a top university. There was a call for people to get involved in selecting applicants for positions that they did not interview me. I volunteered but the former head told me that part-timers are not allowed to be part of the selection committees.

[mahagonny]

This sounds like another case where adjunctification may be an issue.


If you were tenure track faculty at your university, your department head is usually not your boss. The department head is more like the "chief academic administrative officer" for your department.

But if you're an adjunct at your university, your department head is very likely your boss. And sometimes department heads can abuse their authority.

So that's one wrinkle.

If you were tenure track faculty at your university, you'd probably be heavily involved in many/most departmental meetings, departmental service activities, and be generally "in the know" for most things important on your college's administrative and operational sides.

But if you're an adjunct at your university, you may be shut out (or opt out ) of most all of that. This means that you might not know the specific protocols, specific contact people, specific professional behaviors expected of you outside of the classroom. It can be extremely easy to fubar something up or ruffle somebody's feathers.

So that's another wrinkle.

Of course. There was a forumite on the old CHE forum, deeply tenured, who tried to tell us the chair is not your boss. But that's a fantasy. For that to be even partly true, the adjunct would have to be networking with 'trusted senior faculty' who are willing to stick up for him. And what if the department has infighting? The politics is a minefield, and his contract expires in four months or less.

For both these reasons (wrinkles) I posted this:

But you don't appear to be trying to stay out of the fray as much as possible, which is what most part-timers would do. 

Why bother about publicity at all? That's someone else's job, if the department is supplying you with work. If you have to drum up your own business it might be different. A common scenario is the chair and the part time faculty have little or no contact or relationship and it suits both parties. You just have to accept being in the prison of no feedback.

Also, FYI: on the old CHE forum there was another 'hard-to-take-facts-of-life-that-you'll-thank-us-for-divulging' advice thread (whether solicited or not I can't recall) wherein a number of venerable forumites, senior faculty agreed that an adjunct faculty member should never seek full time employment at the college where they are already employed part time.

[Ruralguy]

Well, I can start  by saying that the second advice tidbit is nonsense, at least as general advice that applies everywhere. At my school, more than one adjunct has gotten a tenure track position here eventually. I wouldn't want to give the impressions that this has happened a lot, but it has happened.
In fact, one now is a very respected professor with a "named" chair.  This is a lot less likely to happen at any R1 than a remote so-so SLAC, but there you go.

Yeah, the stuff about Chairs not being bosses really just depends. At some schools, not even permanently hired dept. heads have "line authority" whereas at  others, a three year rotated chair can fire people (well, they can't fire tenure faculty, but more or less can fire adjuncts, VAPs, student workers, etc.).

[downer]

Asking whether a chair is the boss of an adjunct or a FT faculty member may not be the best question. It's not like "boss" is very well defined. But chairs do have plenty of power over hiring, rehiring and scheduling of adjuncts. Sometimes they have power over pay.

In connection with this, I'm wondering how many semesters the OP has been working at this current gig.

[hamburger]

Asking whether a chair is the boss of an adjunct or a FT faculty member may not be the best question. It's not like "boss" is very well defined. But chairs do have plenty of power over hiring, rehiring and scheduling of adjuncts. Sometimes they have power over pay.

In connection with this, I'm wondering how many semesters the OP has been working at this current gig.

Chairs/Heads have absolute hiring power in my CC. In this department, I have worked for three semesters already. I was called upon to cover for a FT professor who suddenly resigned and left all his students behind in the middle of the semester. Senior colleagues said I have very good chance to get a full time position as I "replace" this full time faculty member. However, I have been teaching his courses but they don't transfer his FT position to me.

[Kron3007]

Asking whether a chair is the boss of an adjunct or a FT faculty member may not be the best question. It's not like "boss" is very well defined. But chairs do have plenty of power over hiring, rehiring and scheduling of adjuncts. Sometimes they have power over pay.

In connection with this, I'm wondering how many semesters the OP has been working at this current gig.

Chairs/Heads have absolute hiring power in my CC. In this department, I have worked for three semesters already. I was called upon to cover for a FT professor who suddenly resigned and left all his students behind in the middle of the semester. Senior colleagues said I have very good chance to get a full time position as I "replace" this full time faculty member. However, I have been teaching his courses but they don't transfer his FT position to me.

I dont think they ever just "transfer" a job to someone, but there are many instances where adjuncts are hired full time through the standard hiring procedure.  I know people who have managed this, but it seems that they are in the minority.  I think one of  the keys to being considered as an internal hire is to be well liked and respected within the school to start with.  It seems that you are not off to a great start on that front.  Whether this is your own doing or not, it is quite unlikely that you would be hired on full time if the chair is not on your side (our Chair is on all hiring committees, so while they do not have final say I think they could definitely influence it, especially if they are your main point of contact). 

To me, inviting university media to a class event wouldn't be a big deal, but every school is different.

[mahagonny]

Well, I can start  by saying that the second advice tidbit is nonsense, at least as general advice that applies everywhere. At my school, more than one adjunct has gotten a tenure track position here eventually. I wouldn't want to give the impressions that this has happened a lot, but it has happened.
In fact, one now is a very respected professor with a "named" chair.  This is a lot less likely to happen at any R1 than a remote so-so SLAC, but there you go.

I know this from having been roped into participating in the group that interviews prospective new adjunct faculty (though since I've never been a real faculty member, I probably can't name 'hiring committee' or 'search committee' member to my CV without getting cracking up a few of the regular faculty): when you interview someone who doesn't end up getting the job it can be uncomfortable to have to run into them at the workplace thereafter. So many would prefer an easy way to avoid that.

[Aster]

At Big Urban College, when a tenure track professor unexpectedly exits, we stick a "temporary status" professor into the empty slot for 1-2 semesters. And then we run a full national search to replace that tenure track hire.

[bibliothecula]

hamburger, you applied for TEN jobs at this school? This, in conjunction with your other activities, might have your supervisors worried about your ability to judge when it's appropriate to contact other departments or marketing people.