2014 Tenure Track Cohort

[AJ_Katz]

Hi everyone!  I am starting this fall as an associate professor and, just yesterday, received a copy of the department's P&T guidelines that I got to see for the very first time.

Oh, the joy of working in a small, collegial yet dysfunctional department.

[TarHawk]

Hi, all! I'm up for tenure this fall. I first went on TT in 2010, but I left for my current job in 2014, so I switched to this cohort as a result.

Going on sabbatical last fall was just the lift I needed. I used it to complete my first book, which came out this summer, and I've presented and published refereed research at a steady clip since I arrived. My first advisee graduated last spring, and I love working with all my students.

I turned in the last of my packet last week. My fingers are crossed. I'm nervous as all get-out, though I have heard reassuring things from senior colleagues. 

[darkstarrynight]

That is great, TarHawk! My materials are due in two weeks and are about 90% is completed at this point. My book just came out last month (good timing!) so that feels good, and I just got nominated by a colleague for my college's biennial research award. Luckily the materials for that are due the same day as my tenure & promotion materials are due also, so that should be relatively easy to put together.

[Vhagar]

I am up for tenure this year. All of my teaching evaluations were done last year. I wrote my statements in the spring so my department head could send them to external reviewers early in the summer. I turned in my stuff in early July, before a much-needed extended vacation. My committee members still had to do their letters, but my part was done. The departmental committee is short two members who can vote on tenure cases (because there are a couple of assistant professors who cannot vote above rank), so we had an election last week to vote on two faculty who would only do my tenure case -- which felt a little weird to vote in. I'll know if my case passes the department and college by winter break, but it won't go to campus until late spring.

Meanwhile, I'm quietly on the market. I like to think my case is fine. I would have liked to have brought in more grant money (as others in my department have done) but have been told -- by more than one person -- that it's not an expectation for my subfield. My research, on the whole, could probably be stronger. I had a couple of rough years, due to some program revision. I've recovered well since. My teaching is very strong. In any case, I have had a couple of people say that it's just a good time to go on the market. If I'm ever going to move, it would probably be now. Not that I plan to.

On a related note, the chair of my tenure committee has been amazing, start to finish. Does anyone know if a gift is customary? Or just a hardy thank you?

[AJ_Katz]

On a related note, the chair of my tenure committee has been amazing, start to finish. Does anyone know if a gift is customary? Or just a hardy thank you?

Perhaps a nice thank you note with a personal message would be sufficient.  I've also heard people say that you should write a letter to thank your former graduate advisors, since this is a big step in a career. 

[Kron3007]

On a related note, the chair of my tenure committee has been amazing, start to finish. Does anyone know if a gift is customary? Or just a hardy thank you?

Perhaps a nice thank you note with a personal message would be sufficient.  I've also heard people say that you should write a letter to thank your former graduate advisors, since this is a big step in a career.

I would just say thanks you, they were really just doing their job and anything more (like a gift) would be in appropriate IMO. 

Regarding previous advisors, I thanked them for all their support etc when I got the TT job, but not for tenure.  This seems appropriate to me, but I am not huge on this type of thing.

[darkstarrynight]

My materials are due tomorrow. I submitted the research award materials yesterday and now am waiting for an article to post that is supposed to be out in "August or September" according the journal's editor. I bet it will come out Thursday after my materials are submitted. I included the submitted manuscript and in production e-mail from the editor, but this has been a two year struggle to get it published in this journal. I cannot wait until this is in the P&T process and I can stress about other things, like the manuscript I have due on October 1st. Onward...

[AJ_Katz]

My materials are due tomorrow. I submitted the research award materials yesterday and now am waiting for an article to post that is supposed to be out in "August or September" according the journal's editor. I bet it will come out Thursday after my materials are submitted. I included the submitted manuscript and in production e-mail from the editor, but this has been a two year struggle to get it published in this journal. I cannot wait until this is in the P&T process and I can stress about other things, like the manuscript I have due on October 1st. Onward...

Congratulations!  Good luck!

[Vhagar]

My materials are due tomorrow. I submitted the research award materials yesterday and now am waiting for an article to post that is supposed to be out in "August or September" according the journal's editor. I bet it will come out Thursday after my materials are submitted. I included the submitted manuscript and in production e-mail from the editor, but this has been a two year struggle to get it published in this journal. I cannot wait until this is in the P&T process and I can stress about other things, like the manuscript I have due on October 1st. Onward...

It may be too late (if things are due tomorrow), but I was in a similar situation at the start of the summer. My materials needed to go out for review and I was waiting for an article to come out. The journal had been waiting for space in the fall volume. I emailed the editor and explained the situation and she sent me the article to include with my tenure materials.

[darkstarrynight]

My materials are due tomorrow. I submitted the research award materials yesterday and now am waiting for an article to post that is supposed to be out in "August or September" according the journal's editor. I bet it will come out Thursday after my materials are submitted. I included the submitted manuscript and in production e-mail from the editor, but this has been a two year struggle to get it published in this journal. I cannot wait until this is in the P&T process and I can stress about other things, like the manuscript I have due on October 1st. Onward...

It may be too late (if things are due tomorrow), but I was in a similar situation at the start of the summer. My materials needed to go out for review and I was waiting for an article to come out. The journal had been waiting for space in the fall volume. I emailed the editor and explained the situation and she sent me the article to include with my tenure materials.

This is a good suggestion, but last time I wrote the editors (in January, after getting no replies the first three times last Fall) to ask when the article was coming out since three authors are on the TT and needed to know, the response was very snarky. It was something like "We are extremely busy but it will be out in the August/September issue." Now it is almost October. Blah!

[darkstarrynight]

The article came out yesterday, and my department promised to include it in hu's letter even though it is too late to add it to my materials. Another TT faculty member in my department is an author too so I am excited to show we collaborated across disciplines. I just feel relieved...everything is in, the article came out, and I can finish out 2019 focusing on other stuff.

[AJ_Katz]

The article came out yesterday, and my department promised to include it in hu's letter even though it is too late to add it to my materials. Another TT faculty member in my department is an author too so I am excited to show we collaborated across disciplines. I just feel relieved...everything is in, the article came out, and I can finish out 2019 focusing on other stuff.

That's great news!  Congrats

[darkstarrynight]

Thanks. We have a department meeting shortly and then the voting faculty will meet to discuss my materials. I feel positive today!

[drpepper]

Hi all! Best wishes to those of you who, like me, are waiting on a decision. My materials were due in early September. Based on conversations with other colleagues, we seem to get more feedback throughout the process than candidates at other institutions. I've already heard from my department-level committee, and the feedback was very positive. Next step is to hear from the college-level committee and Dean in at the end of the year before final decisions in the middle of the spring semester. I am enjoying what is starting to feel like less pressure now that the portfolio is out of my hands.

[darkstarrynight]

Hi all! Best wishes to those of you who, like me, are waiting on a decision. My materials were due in early September. Based on conversations with other colleagues, we seem to get more feedback throughout the process than candidates at other institutions. I've already heard from my department-level committee, and the feedback was very positive. Next step is to hear from the college-level committee and Dean in at the end of the year before final decisions in the middle of the spring semester. I am enjoying what is starting to feel like less pressure now that the portfolio is out of my hands.

Yay drpepper! I was very surprised (in a good way) to be asked by my department chair to stop by hu's office on my way out after teaching. Hu told me that the department voted unanimously for both my tenure and promotion, and hu is now preparing a letter for the college committee and dean. I shared the good news with my family but of course, this is just the first step in the long process. I hear Paul Simon singing, "Feeling groovy!"