today's progress

[kareina]

five and one quarter hours of uni work gave me a bunch of new calculations and an additional 481 words. There will also be a couple of new figures, and once I actually enter the figure captions in and put in references to them that will push the total over 500 words, but I'm sleepy now, and that sort of minor detail can wait (yes, I did leave a note in the thesis, highlighted in garish pink, to remind me to do that!)

I also managed to get the sheets washed, so I get to enjoy fresh sheets when I go to sleep tonight.

I would have liked even more progress, but I didn't exactly goof off today, so I don't know where I would have managed to squeeze it in...

And finally a poll:

There is a job advertised at Evergreen State College looking for "broadly trained earth scientists with academic training and demonstrated ability to work with students in both field and laboratory settings, and a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.". That part I think I qualify for. However, they also state that they want someone with "Academic training and experience in hydrology, aqueous chemistry, low-temperature geochemistry, or biogeochemistry that involves quantitative field research". My background is in Structural Geology and Metamorphic Petrology (which, one could argue is medium-to-high temperature geochemistry).

However, their flyer also says:

"Evergreen is a public liberal arts college emphasizing integrated interdisciplinary study and team-teaching throughout the undergraduate curriculum and in three graduate programs. Teaching at Evergreen allows faculty members to exercise broad-ranging intellectual curiosity and to work collaboratively with faculty colleagues and students formulating interdisciplinary questions and inquiry.
Faculty members team-teach in full-time interdisciplinary programs. With their teaching colleagues they collaboratively design thematically centered programs that bring together multiple disciplines. Faculty teams also strive to address core academic experiences we believe should be included in all programs: teaching writing and quantitative reasoning; deepening students' academic, artistic and interpretative abilities and skills; promoting culturally diverse traditions of knowledge; and creating inclusive learning environments for students and faculty members."


If not for the emphasis on interdisciplinary study I might have glanced at the ad, decided I didn't have the background specialities they are looking for, and moved on. However, with emphasis on interdisciplinary study and team teaching, I am left with the impression that, perhaps, a qualified candidate with a very different background that than for which they thought they are looking could have a chance, if the application packet otherwise impressed them, and mention were made of how the fields I have studied tie into other fields.

Even so, I had pretty much convinced myself not to apply for this one. Until I received an e-mail from them, which said:

"You submitted your name on our GSA employer service page as interested in our Geology faculty position. While we are not interviewing at the conference, we are interested in communicating with you further. I am attaching our Geology faculty job announcement including our application process for your review, please note our review date is October 27, 2008."

Now, *if* they looked at my CV on the GSA page *before* sending out this e-mail, then they already know that I don't have the hydrogoly etc. they are looking for, and they know what my background is. Receiving this e-mail from them makes it more tempting to apply, since they seem to have some interest in me as a candidate for the position. What do you think? Is this just a form letter sent to everyone who is on the GSA employment page looking for academic positions and they never actually looked at my CV, or is this a real request for an application addressed to me?

Other factors to be considered: clovis_t_ and I *would* very much like to go to Europe next as our first choice, but would consider North America (depending on how the election goes). Any thoughts on this topic are appreciated. Preparing a good application packet complete with "1-2 page statement of your teaching philosophy and practice. Please focus specifically on your understanding and experience of interdisciplinary study and what you believe should distinguish a liberal arts education today." would require a substantial investment in terms of time/energy, which I happen to need available to keep making progress on my thesis, so I don't really want to apply for positions unless I am certain I want them, and I feel that I actually meet their requirements...

Comments

thumbs up from this crowmama

[corva.livejournal.com]

It sounds like a very interesting position from the information given in your post. I very much like the "thematically centered programs that bring together multiple disciplines" part! Of course, that would be mean you be in Washington State as well!

I do hear what you are saying about the investment of time and energy though. I don't understand how this sort of application works at all but would there be a liaison of some sort that could explore with you if you might be the right fit or not?

[sismith42.livejournal.com]

Could you email back the person who sent you the application pack, asking about what department(s) you'd be team-teaching with? (it's possible that you could market other skills to them if you knew what you're meant to be complimenting.)

That said: is *now* the time that you have to be applying for places for next year, or will there be appropriate jobs advertised in the winter/spring when you've finished up? If there's likeley to be a lot of other positions to apply for later, then you may as well wait until you have the time to apply (or the position grabs you)

[massaria.livejournal.com]

Given they have gone to the effort of contacting you, that suggests they believe your skill set to be suitable and I suspect from the wording of this flyer they are flexible. They may have contacted many people but usually you don't bother to do that unless you have had to readvertise the position. Having read all the info I think there is a good chance that while they would prefer someone with all those skills they will happily take candidates with different interests. This is fairly common, I just got a faculty job which was advertised for a theoretical physicist not an astrophysicist.

I agree that there is considerable effort in apply but practice is good when applying for faculty jobs and now is usually the time to apply for jobs starting next year in the Northern hemisphere. This timing is particularly true for junior faculty jobs (but gets less important as you get higher up). Because many people with faculty positions have to give 6 months notice you are usually applying a year in advance for such positions; for example I applied in Feb for a position that starts in January the following year and Wakeline applied in October for his position that started in May and that was a super fast turn around because they were in a hurry! (Both were of course in the southern hemisphere, but were I planning to go to North America or Europe I would be applying between September and December the preceeding year.)

Oh course if you really don't want this job then that is a different matter.

[fjorlief.livejournal.com]

As an former Olympia resident and graduate of Evergreen, I think that you might enjoy living there. I don't really know much about the faculty end of things, but found my experience there to be quite satisfying. And given the current job market, the fact that they contacted you is pretty significant.

Olympia is a smallish town, and is located near enough to Seattle that big city things are accessible, and also near enough to many beautiful natural areas. I called the house where I lived with Bill-&tc, "FjordsEnd", since it was within sight of Mud Bay, one of the myriad ends of Puget Sound. (sigh, as much as I love Acorn Cottage, I really miss living there, with the long views of hill and valley, and the everchanging light on the bay.) Their house is only three miles or so from Evergreen. Olympia is a lively small town, with many kinds of things to do, and great access to healthy food; there is a superb food coop, and the second largest farmers market in the state.

You might want to connect with Jen (ariadne3 on LJ) or Bill(bill.metalsmith@gmail.com) for more current information about Olympia