U.S. History, 2010-2011

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Visitors to This Page:

 * 111


 * What's your status?
 * ABD: 37
 * VAP: 18
 * Postdoc: 16
 * TT but on the market: 19
 * Employed but reading out of curiosity: 19
 * Seach committee member: 3
 * Unemployed PhD: 5
 * Adjuncting PhD: 20
 * Lecturer: 8
 * Employed (non-academic) PhD and adjuncting: 3

Specialization breakdown:
 * 17th-18th Century: 12 (and more than twice that many positions available!)
 * 19th Century: 32
 * 20th Century: 62 (shoot me now, especially if you're ABD)
 * African American History: 7

Historian - U.S. House of Representatives

 * "The Historian provides historical research for House Members, and oversees the creation of presentations and publications by the office. The Historian supervises and oversees all responses to historical inquiries from the news media, oral history interviews, the Office’s interactive public website and other outreach activities touching Members, the public, students, teachers, and scholars. The Historian leads a staff of more than a dozen professionals including individuals holding M.A. and Ph.D. degrees."
 * Requires Ph.D. and five years experience.
 * Application due August 16, 2010.
 * I believe the previous Historian died suddenly of a heart attack. I've seen some of the Assistant Historians for the House and Senate make presentations at conferences, seems like interesting work.
 * If Bob Remini is dead, it's news to me.
 * Looks as though Dr. Remini, the House Historian, retired at the end of August. Richard A. Baker, Senate Historian, retired in 2009. (9/16)
 * This position has been awarded to Matthew Wasniewski (Maryland PhD). Congratulations. http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/132746.html . (10/21)

Oakland Museum of California

 * "Currently seeking a highly qualified individual to serve as an Associate Curator of History. The incumbent performs various professional curatorial activities involving the research and development of collections, exhibits, publications, programs and other museum projects; on-going docent training, response to public queries, and donor cultivation."
 * For full details and how to apply, please visit http://museumca.org/employment-opportunities.


 * The Oakland Museum of California recently underwent a $62 million renovation.
 * Application sent (x2)
 * Is anyone else planning on sending in an application for this position? Yes (x1).
 * Has anyone heard anything yet? (9-21)
 * Nothing yet. (9-22)
 * Although only three people on this wiki have admitted to applying for the job, I imagine it's a highly desired position with quite a few applications. No reason to think it won't take a couple of weeks to sort through everything.
 * Agreed. It'll be especially interesting since this post didn't seem to have an exact due date and my gut tells me they are unlikely to do AHA interviews. Since it is on an entirely different track - I have no idea when interviews will be conducted. (9-23)
 * Received email that application has been received. (9-30) I did not hear anything today. (9-30)
 * Since I've still yet to hear back, I'll assume I'm out of the running for this post. Good luck to the other candidates. (10-6)
 * I don't think you're out of contention. They are taking their sweet time with this. I got that inital email that they had received my application and that's it. Because this isn't an academic posting, they are not on any fixed timetable. They can take as long as they want. I have a feeling they received a ton of applicants and are still sifting through. Anyone who has ever set foot in a museum may have applied for this job. (10-8)
 * Agreed. It took them nearly two weeks past the due date simply to generate an automatic response. Don't be surprised if they're not the most organized folks in the world -- esp. if they have a pile of applications -- and didn't manage to imput all of the applicants into thte database. Doesn't mean much. (10-8)
 * Maybe they'll let us know before the new year? It really sucks to be at the whim of the economy. (10-14)
 * This job is still posted on their website and I haven't heard anything. Anyone else? (11-12)


 * Nope. Two things kinda worry me: The job listing used to have a due date, now it's "open until filled," which I don't remember from before and suggests that they didn't like anybody from their first batch of applicants. Which sucks if true (but please correct me if I'm wrong). Also, the museum is linked to the City. I wonder if politics is slowing down the process -- woeful city budget and important mayoral election. (11-12)
 * Got an email notification that they had hired someone (11/17)
 * Damn. Did you have to contact them about the status of the job? Or did they do the right thing and let you know?
 * They did the right thing and let me know.

U.S. Army (Oral History Program)

 * In this position you will serve as a historian responsible for coordinating the U.S. Army oral history program, conducting the Center of Military History's End-of-Tour interview program, and preparing historical studies for the Headquarters, Department of the Army. You will prepare for and conduct oral history interviews with key Army personnel, both military and civilian, and other individuals identified for reasons of historical significance. You will respond to verbal and written inquiries from Army, Defense Department, and other federal government officials and members of the media and public. And you will plan, research and write special historical studies on issues of contemporary interest to the Army leadership.


 * OPEN PERIOD: Thursday, October 07, 2010 to Thursday, October 14, 2010
 * Did anyone else apply for this position? (10-14)
 * crickets . . . crickets (10-19)
 * Applicants notified of their status via the US Army's ANSWER system.
 * 162 Applicants. There is a note from 10/25 that says I was not referred to the selecting officer

U.S. Department of State

 * Historians from the U.S. Department of State will be available to discuss careers in the Office of the Historian at the annual meeting of the American Historical Association in Boston, MA, January 6-9, 2011. The Office of the Historian, located in Washington, D.C., employs more than three dozen professionally-trained historians, most of whom hold Ph.D.s in the history of U.S. foreign relations or historical area studies.
 * We anticipate hiring several new full-time historians beginning early in 2011. We will have a table at the AHA Job Center, where we will hold informational interviews on the work of our office and the life of a federal government historian. If interested, please send a copy of your c.v. and a covering letter describing your interests and qualifications to Margaret Morrissey at morrisseymc2@state.gov to set up an appointment. Time permitting, we will also schedule appointments with interested parties who drop off copies of their c.v.s at the AHA Job Center.

American University

 * Tenure-track assistant professor in public history (geographical specialization/time period not listed, so I posted it here).
 * "The successful candidate should be able to teach graduate courses in public history, oversee internships, and develop new courses in one or more of the following areas: new media, community-based history, or cultural heritage/sites of conscience."
 * Applications due October 1, 2010.
 * They are looking for someone who can do 19th century, but they'll also consider a good 20th century person if he or she complements the work that Kathy Franz is doing.
 * They are especially interested in someone who can do digital media.
 * Advanced assistant highly desirable.
 * Any word on this job (six weeks later)?
 * If I am remembering correctly, the acknowledgement email says they will contact people for AHA interviews by 12/20. So I don't expect to hear anything for a good while (if at all, of course).
 * Any requests for additional materials or interviews set up? Any word at all? (11-29)
 * Called office 11-29 - Initial batch of letters being sent out this week. That would suggest that at least a handful of people have been contacted for interviews or at least additional materials. No?
 * Email for AHA interview (11/29)
 * Rejection email (12-2)
 * Ok, so first cut complete with rejections already sent. Anyone who made the first cut willing to chime in, even in general terms, about what they were looking for? Did they prioritize actual public history work and put less emphasis on scholarship and teaching? Or visa versa? My publication record isn't yet strong but my teaching (including public history), my public history community-based work, and my extensive professional work in public history outside of academia made me think I'd at least pique some interest. I know that sounds presumptuous but are there really that many PhD public historians with academic and college classroom experience out there? (x2)
 * I hate to play "let's guess what is going on," but I have gotten neither a rejection nor an AHA invite. I, too, am a working public historian with a strong publishing record and thought I would be in the running for this one. (x3) QUESTION: How many people got interviews at AHA? How many got rejections?

Angelo State University

 * Assistant Professor of History, tenure-track, 19th and 20th century United States military and diplomatic history, subfields may include, but are not limited to, American Civil War, global strategy,guerilla warefare, and non-U.S. military or diplomatic history.
 * Deadline: October 15, 2010
 * phone interview (11/3) x2
 * Any post-phone interview correspondence? (11/15)

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

 * United States History. Instructor/Assistant Professor (AA# 42-0-93). Full-time, temporary fall 2011 only. Minimum requirement MA in history; ABD or Ph.D. in history preferred. The successful candidate is expected to teach lower level survey courses in U.S. History. Teaching experience at college/university level preferred. Demonstrated ability to work with diverse populations is preferred.
 * Finalists for the position must communicate well and successfully complete a phone interview and/or teaching demonstration judged by the department faculty. The majority of regular, full-time department faculty must make a recommendation for hiring. The University encourages applications from historically under-represented individuals, women, veterans, and persons with disabilities and is an AA/EEO employer.
 * Prior to a final offer of employment the selected candidate will be required to submit to a background check including, but not limited to, employment verification, educational and other credential verification and criminal background check. Completing this search is contingent upon available funding.
 * For an application to be considered, a letter of application, a separate statement of teaching philosophy, curriculum vitae, a copy of graduate transcripts, and three letters of recommendation must be postmarked by 18 February 2011. If ANY of these materials, including a letter of recommendation, is postmarked after this date, the application will not be considered.
 * Submit materials to Dr. L. M. Stallbaumer, Chair, Sabbatical Search Committee, Department of History, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, 400 East Second Street, Bloomsburg, PA 17815.

Bradley University

 * tenure-track assistant professor in U.S. History
 * Preference will be given to candidates with publications, research, and/or teaching experience in the history of race and ethnicity in the United States.
 * Review of applications will begin November 15, 2010 and continue until the position is filled. We will interview candidates January 6-9, 2011 at the American Historical Association Annual Meeting.
 * Any news here?
 * EEO form received by mail - 12/3

Columbia University

 * The Department of History and the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race at Columbia University are searching for a senior scholar who works on the history of the borderlands of the United States, including both North American and Caribbean, with a preference for work on borderland Latinos and/or Native Americans in any period from the 17th century to the present. The position will be filled at the rank of full professor or associate professor with tenure.
 * Deadline for applications is January 31, 2011
 * All applications must be made through Columbia University's online RAPS application system: https://academicjobs.columbia.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=54037

Dartmouth College

 * African-American history, open rank. The department "seeks a historian of the African diaspora in North America, prior to emancipation. The successful applicant will be expected to teach introductory as well as more specialized undergraduate courses in African-American and American history."
 * Deadline: November 1, 2010.
 * Everyone I've known there has been desperate to get out within a year or two. Location apparently sucks. They lost both of their African American historians in the last few years.
 * Hmmm...I've been to Dartmouth several times and Hanover is a beautiful town. It's in rural New Hampshire, which is difficult for someone who thrives in an urban environment, but it's a great community for those who can imagine life outside of a city. Plus, I wonder how many professors are really "desperate to get out" of a tenure-track gig at an Ivy League school!
 * maybe they've been hiring the wrong people, but of the six people i know who left Dartmouth in the last few years, 2 went to schools in Long Island, 1 to Boston, 1 to Manhattan, 1 to Chicago, and 1 to Eugene, OR. they liked the school, but couldn't stand the location. on the other hand, there are some folks in the history department who have been there a long time and must like it there a lot, so hopefully the department will hire someone who actually wants to be there as opposed to the hot young scholar who will pick up and leave at the first opportunity.
 * Interesting. This looks like one of the top jobs out there in US History. Perhaps the "standards" for tenure are very high and people leave... Hard to tell.
 * I've heard that the location is really a problem for some faculty, especially faculty of color. Plus, the department is rumored to be difficult. Celia Naylor went to Barnard. Craig Wilder went to MIT. I don't think tenure was a real issue.
 * Received acknowledgement (10/27) x2 11/8)
 * Received AHA invite x1
 * How did they contact you for the AHA interview? Without revealing too much, what is your specialty? You have your PhD in hand now, right?

Drake University (IA)

 * tenure-track Assistant Professorship in U.S. environmental history, law, and policy, starting August 2011. A Ph.D. in History is required.


 * We seek an excellent teacher and active scholar to fill a joint appointment and contribute courses to the History Department, as well as Drake's interdisciplinary Program in Law, Politics, and Society. Scholars working through issues raised by gender theory, urban history, and public health are especially encouraged to apply. Ability to teach Midwest regional history is a plus.


 * 3/3 load in an undergraduate curriculum, including required core courses in Law, Politics, and Society.


 * Deadline: November 1
 * Posting does not ask for a cover letter. I don't know if I have ever seen this before. Is this an oversight? Will including one (even a short one) detract from an application?
 * Where did you get the idea that an ability to teach regional Midwest history is a plus? I don't see that in the job description.
 * Where are getting the job description from?
 * Midwest history is listed on Drake's website as well as on the posting on higered.com. Anyone notice that they currently have a V.A.P. on staff with every one of these qualifications? Sounds like they are just posting the position because they are required to do so, and this probably also explains the cover letter issue as well.
 * Or it was just an oversight. I don't see any reason to get overly paranoid about the VAP (unless someone truly has more specific inside info here, i.e. something more than the dept. website). But if you want to let it psych you out of applying, go ahead.
 * I have a very good source that tells me that this is an inside hire. You should be very cautious about accepting an interview or on-campus with them, unless you want the practice. And no, I'm not going to elaborate.
 * I am someone who went to an on-campus that I knew was for an inside hire. I was right: he got hired. So did I, however. The department and university were in an exceptionally open situation, so I'm not saying that this happens a lot (especially in current economic conditions). The point is: most of us get very few opportunities to impress people who aren't in our limited field, people who can shape hiring/advancement decisions at their university or elsewhere.
 * I think this inside hire stuff sucks (although I suppose if I was the inside hire i would feel differently, and you cannot be certain that I am not). I recognize there is no way around it b/c of privacy laws and equal employment laws, but for those of us who really would like to think we have a shot at a job, to learn this is very discouraging. I personally think that, even if there is an inside person of interest, that it should still have to be an open process to see if they get someone better or more to their liking or whatnot. It should still be competitive. I happen to know first hand that in this case it is an inside hire and that there does not appear to be any desire to make it competitive.. The deadline has come and gone so it doesn't really matter now, as the bulk of the output one has to do has been done. But anyone who might think that they have a shot at this job are deluding themselves, unless, as the poster above said, you just want the practice.

Fairfield University

 * Fairfield University seeks a scholar of U.S. women's history, specializing in the 18th or 19th century, at the assistant professor level.
 * The successful candidate must develop a survey course on colonial America, as well as teach the core-curriculum introductory survey "Europe and the World in Transition, 1500-present." Other duties include working with the Women's Studies Program and possibly other area-studies programs such as Black Studies, depending on training. The successful candidate will also act as liaison with the Graduate Program in Education serving students preparing to teach at the secondary level.
 * Review of applications will begin on November 1, and will continue until position is filled. We will interview at AHA in January 2011, and deadline for interview at that conference is November 15.
 * Invited for AHA interview (Dec 4). Early America, Sexuality. PhD. Adjunct.

Franklin College

 * Tenure track position in US History with a specialism in either women's history or African-American history
 * "Cross-cultural and cross-national diversity issues and a commitment to view United States history in a global context are required" plus experience teaching in Liberal Arts College setting
 * deadline: 7 Jan. 2011

Georgia Southern University

 * Tenure-track position of Assistant Professor of African American History.
 * Deadline: October 8, 2010.
 * I have yet to receive confirmation of receipt of application. Most positions in GA are pending final budget approval. I wonder if this one has been canceled.
 * Request for phone interview next week (11/2) (x4)

Georgetown University

 * tenure-track assistant professorship in African-American history since Emancipation.
 * Our interests include scholars who specialize in the history of African-American women, African-American social and political history, and/or African-American Studies. We are also looking for historians with interdisciplinary perspectives and who are interested in developing relationships with cultural institutions in the Washington, DC area. The person appointed to this position will also be affiliated with and teach in the African-American Studies Program.
 * Review of applications will begin November 15, 2010 and continue until the position is filled.
 * Received AA form. (11/15) (x4)

Harvard Business School

 * Tenure-track position in the in the Business, Government, and the International Economy (BGIE) unit with experience in "history of public policy, economic history, political history, international history, legal history, or environmental history."
 * "Candidates with background in economics and/or public policy are especially encouraged to apply....Successful candidates will, at the outset, teach a required first-year MBA course on the economic, political, and social environment of global business."
 * Applications due November 22, 2010.
 * Given the disparate specialties, how many thousands of applicants do you think they're gonna get?
 * Online app system looks sleek but is actually pretty poorly designed and, most annoyingly, provides no way to send in dossier letters (at least, not if you've banked your letters with Interfolio). Faculty can upload the letters directly or you can mail the letters in (too late for that!) but there is no mechanism, as there is on every other online system I've used, for you to have your dossier service e-mail the letters or send them in reply to an automated e-mail request from Harvard. Grumble grumble.
 * Apparently rolling materials requests have been/will be made. Asked for book manuscript (11/22). No word on numbers or any details other than that materials request.

Indiana University East

 * Assistant Professor: "tenure-track position to teach courses, including online courses, in U.S. history, including survey courses, U.S. history to 1865, and specialty courses, in addition to courses in historical writing, theory and methods; ability to teach world history survey courses a plus."
 * "experience developing and teaching online courses (or a strong desire to learn) strongly preferred."
 * Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled
 * The on-line note is a red flag for this job. Unless you like that. I would check on their financial condition.
 * It seems to be increasingly common (at least in this year's postings) for branch campuses of public universities (like this school) to state a desire for candidates who have experience with (or willingness to try) online teaching. Apparently it's not just for for-profit schools, anymore . ..
 * I do not think this is common. I have rarely seen this at branch campuses. At the moment, it seems, branch campuses are aligning their curriculum with the "flagship."
 * The U-Illinois branch campus ad also asks for online interest/experience. This is common in schools that offer degree completion programs for adults as well as at branch campuses where many students work FT.
 * Richmond is a difficult location. Earlham College is there, but otherwise this is an isolated place. Also note that History is only a minor at this campus. Only two tenured faculty members plus a few adjuncts.
 * Any word on this position? (11/15)
 * Re: the online thing, this is more common at state colleges. The thing to remember is that they should either pay you extra cash for originating an online course or allow you to keep the rights to it; unlike with paper syllabi, once you've done all the work of creating and structuring an e-course anybody could be plugged in to teach the sucker (which is why so many schools with online programs are also schools chock full o'adjuncts). Hope this is helpful to someone!

===Kennesaw State University===
 * The University seeks an individual trained in southern history who is prepared to teach Georgia history courses. Familiarity with Georgia archival resources and/or a competency in women’s history would be welcomed
 * To ensure consideration, applications must be received by November 15, 2010.
 * Rejection (11/18)x2 (via a very sloppy letter).
 * E-mail or snail mail?
 * E-mail
 * Rejection (11/24) letter file via email

King's College

 * Tenure-track assistant professor who will teach one-semester surveys on American history within the Core curriculum and on American history for the history department. No research or teaching interests other than American history specified. 8/28
 * Deadline November 22, 2010
 * Has this search been cancelled? I had seen the posting on AHA site but now I can't find it anywhere.
 * Hmm. I received acknowledgment of the receipt of my application (letter dated 10/26) stating that the committee would be reviewing applications in the near future and that it would be several weeks before they would contact candidates selected for their initial screening. That said, the deadline is Nov. 22, so the job should still be up.
 * I called and they said it is still active.

Lenoir-Rhyne University

 * Tenure-track appointment in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in U.S. History, at the Assistant Professor rank, beginning August 2011. Candidates must hold doctorate by time of appointment. General fields of expertise in United States History are open; secondary expertise in African, African-American, and/or Caribbean History desired.
 * The search committee will begin reviewing applications December 17, 21010. Preliminary interviews will be conducted at the Annual Meeting of the American Historical Association in Boston, 6-9 January, 2011. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.
 * To complete the online application, candidates are directed to: http://hr.lr.edu/employment/faculty
 * Has anyone received a confirmation? The online form didn't even provide a confirmation number/reference number did it?

Missouri State University

 * A tenure-track position at the Assistant, Associate or Full Professor level in African American History. Period and research area are open. PhD in hand by the beginning of August 2011. Ability to enhance the African American Studies Program is preferred.
 * Screening of applicants will begin on September 27, 2010 and will continue until the position is filled.
 * Received letter acknowleding receipt of application (9/30).
 * Received letter confirming receipt of application in late September.
 * I wonder if they've already contacted candidates on their short list. The letter said they planned to do on-campus interviews in December.

National University

 * full-time appointment in U.S. History at our Academic Headquarters in La Jolla, California. Rank dependent on experience.
 * Review of applications began July 15, 2010
 * Having taught at a similar institution, I say with all seriousness: you may want to pass on this one (8/12)
 * to the poster above, can you expand on that comment? (8/24)
 * VERY limited resources; everything is about how much money you are bringing in; constant harassment about student enrollment numbers; felt like I was truly working for a corporation; was not a pleasasnt experience; so much happier that I'm not working for them anymore. I guess the bottom line is this: if you went into academia to be a bona fide professor, teaching at places like National will really diminish that experience. You'll feel like an employee at some glorified company that calls itself a university. I never felt like a real professor (8/30)
 * Received an email requesting a phone interview. But the above exchange leaves me quite a bit less excited than I might be. (9/13)
 * Phone interviews will be completed today. They're hoping for someone who can start in Jan (!) (9/30)
 * Apparently they will invite candidates to their La Jolla campus for further interviews at the end of October. (9/30)
 * The Chronicle of Higher Education ranks them among the “Best Colleges to Work For.” Opinions?? (10/27)
 * Be interesting to know why... National is of the Pheonix ilk; check out Frontline's College Inc. to see how it works (it confirms what the ex-employee above wrote).

New York University

 * Tenure-track assistant professor in Asian American or Asian diaspora studies
 * Applications due November 15, 2010
 * Cross-posted at Other Ethnic American 2011

Niagara University

 * Assistant Professor, African-American History/Africana Studies
 * Teaching load is three courses per semester, including offerings in African-American history and Africana Studies, as well as General Education courses (e.g. HIS 199, U.S. surveys).
 * Application deadline: December 1, 2010
 * Email acknowledging application. Review begins Dec 1; will interview at AHA; will contact interviewees in mid-December. (10/27)

Northwest Missouri State University

 * Assistant Professor (tenure-track): "To teach core courses in American History, including a general education course and upper-division and graduate courses in American social history and modern America."
 * Expertise in public history and museum studies or experience in secondary education desired. Upper-division course load may include United States since WWII, American women, American religious history, and public history.
 * Deadline: December 1, 2010
 * received email confirmation that materials were received (10/8)

Oxford University
(And if we're playing 'I'm an anonymous person but please respect my authority and believe my claims about my experience'...I've also been involved in job searches, except my experience is with Oxbridge Professorships, so actually of relevance, and I have never seen an application from a *student* - i.e. non-completed PhD - for such a position. It is not normal practice here, whatever is common in Illinois).
 * Rhodes Professorship of American History. Open to scholars of any period of the history of the United States and its antecedents. Its holder is the senior member of a group of five American historians in the Oxford Centre for Research in US History, housed in and supported by the Rothermere American Institute.
 * Deadline October 4, 2010
 * Is anyone applying for this job??
 * Seems like it would be beyond our reach, no?
 * What or who do you mean by our reach? Americans? Individuals outside the US, in addition to historians at various stages in their careers, look at this wiki. I don't know what you mean.
 * not the OP, but...this is a UK professorship, not a US professorship; that means it's two promotions above a fully tenured appointment (lecturer is tenured, then senior lecturer, then - rarely! - professor). It's probably one of the most prestigious (or at least coveted) positions in American history in the whole country. Therefore it's an *extremely* senior hire, and I would sincerely doubt that anyone genuinely a contender for this position would need this wiki to learn about it, or track when interviews are being held.
 * With this sort of position, they have 2-3 candidates already in mind, and their top choice was probably identified before the ad was even written. Basically, John Thompson is retired and they need a new senior person in his place. [John Thompson retired the better part of 5 years ago after teaching at Cambridge for 40 years. It's to replace Richard Carwardine. Prior to Carwardine the chair was held by Daniel Howe if that gives you an idea of the calibre they're looking for.]
 * I thought they were looking for someone ABD for this.
 * Based on what exactly? Wishful thinking? (9/20)
 * I just have a good feeling about it. I think when they see my file, they'll know I'm the person for the job. (Actually, I was kidding with this comment, but I suppose there's no place for humor in the dead serious world of the wiki).
 * I'm sorry, I can just imagine some poor ABD sitting at the other end of a computer screen saying, "But why wouldn't they want to hire ME?!?"
 * To be fair to the ABD person above and with all due respect to the much needed humor, could they have been looking at this job? https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=41196
 * You should apply for all jobs for which you qualify. Getting a job is the only reason to apply for a job, of course, but there are additional benefits even if you don't get the job. Influential people in your field become acquainted with your name and work. They follow your career as you start to publish, perhaps win awards, etc. They might invite you to participate in a conference or join a workshop. So, apply.
 * Uh, I think advising an ABD to apply so that their name is 'known' is cruel, given that their name will be 'known' (if their CV even makes it past the administrator, which it probably won't) for not having a fricking clue about this position and/or having a massively inflated sense of their abilities!
 * I agree that it's probably a good idea to apply for all jobs for which you qualify. There are lots of reasons to do so. With that said, the job here--Rhodes Professorship--is not for someone who is ABD. S/he wouldn't qualify nor would an assistant professor.
 * There's nothing "cruel" about it. Applying for jobs at big name universities is one way to draw attention to your work. Everyone knows the score, and those profs at Oxford are advising their students to apply for everything as well. You have nothing to lose but your stamps. You may not get that job at Oxford, Harvard, or wherever, but prominent people in your field will now be aware of your name and that you are working on an important topic in your field (and, by the way, "administrators" don't nix files. The secretaries set up the files and the search committees paw through them. Each member of the committee has his or her favorites and they debate the merits and come to some sort of agreement).
 * As the commenter above has pointed out, AGAIN, a UK professorships is a senior hire. An ABD applying to this is doing nothing for themselves except making it obvious that they're a. too ill-informed to know what a UK Professorship is and/or b. obnoxiously pushy. If you want to get 'known' go to a conference, don't waste people's time sending them applications which they won't read once they've glanced at your CV! It's not going to impress anyone. I can absolutely confirm that 'profs' at Oxford are NOT advising their yet-to-finish Phd students to apply - that would be ludicrous!
 * Well, I've served on 8 search committees at an elite research university over the course of 17 years and I can tell you for a fact that people at all levels apply for all levels of jobs (senior people also apply for assistant professorships). When an ABD applies for a senior position, you don't think they're "pushy." You know they are doing everything they can to get a job. If the search is in your own field (and most committee members have something to do with the search field), you take note of the person if you think they have potential. True, you might not take the time to read their writing sample (at least in its entirety), but you will read their letter and CV and, if your curiosity is piqued, their recommendations. You might even thumb through the writing sample. One advantage of serving on a search committee (because it is a very heavy service obligation) is that you get to know who's doing what in your field. But, hey, if you don't like this advice, don't follow it.
 * Kind of sad that we're all so desperate that an obvious joke (not made by me) spun out of control like this, but on the other hand, it did lead to some interesting advice.
 * Yeah, the advice is "the UK job market is not identical to the US one, and if you follow instructions given by people who've no idea how it works on the other side of the Atlantic, you'll look like a tit!" :D
 * Having served on a CHAIR SEARCH COMMITTEE in which three ABD's sent in application materials, I personally can attest that it looks foolish for both the applicants and their advisors. How can an ABD claim to be able to lead a department with several well-published full and associate professors and not expect to be seen as anything but foolish, pushy, and utterly obnoxious? I'm not in the UK, but I would heed the sage words of the previous poster.
 * I think I've misinterpreted the purpose of this web site. I'm really sorry if I've insulted anybody or given advice that others think is unwarranted. I just thought I was being helpful but I guess I was not. I'm really sorry. I'll save my advice for those who ask for it. Goodbye.
 * aww now c'mon. your advice as well as anybody else is worthy, at least on the wiki. I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but every year there's oodles of nitwits that come off insulting someone or another. Take last year, for example, as applicants wound themselves up joking over E. Foner's "upcoming" manuscript on gender and "douche-baggery." In short, walk softly and carry a big stick while commenting on this site.
 * It is the rare and truly nasty jerk who sees a young person applying for a senior job and sneers that they are being "foolish, pushy, and utterly obnoxious." Most search committee members understand why a young person would apply for everything. They have watched their own students struggle in a very difficult job market for many years. For decades the rule of thumb has been to apply for every job in your field. Don't buy into the nonsense that the people on the other side are a bunch of supercilious toffs mocking unemployed people for daring to apply for their sacred faculty positions.
 * "For decades..." maybe in the US. But it is not appropriate for a UK job. Applying ABD for a Professorship will make you look ignorant.
 * Any updates on this? Did they hire someone yet?
 * Interviews have been set up and may have already taken place.
 * Is there any news on the person hired??

Purdue University

 * Purdue University’s College of Liberal Arts invites nominations and applications for a tenure-track or tenured position at the Assistant or Associate Professor level. Candidates should have the Ph.D. in Asian American Studies, Anthropology, History or Sociology, and a record of scholarly research on Asian Americans. Teaching responsibilities will include courses in Asian American Studies and the tenure home department, which will be one of the departments of Anthropology, History, or Sociology.
 * The teaching load is two courses per semester, with the possibility of a course release for administrative duties. The successful candidate will be expected to assume, eventually, the directorship of the Asian American Studies Program. Purdue is a partner in the Asian American Studies Consortium within the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) a collaborative consortium of Big Ten universities plus the University of Chicago and University of Illinois Chicago.
 * Review of applications will start by November 15, 2010, but the position will remain open until filled. Send letter of application, CV, a writing sample, and three letters of recommendation to: Chair, Asian American Studies Search, Office of Interdisciplinary Studies, Room 1289, Beering Hall, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907"
 * Cross-posted at Other Ethnic American 2011
 * does anyone have a sense of what this position is about - or what they are looking for? internal candidate? big name? does an Assistant candidate have a real chance?

Quinnipiac University

 * Tenure-track position in public history beginning fall 2011. Primary area of specialization is open, but we strongly prefer those with a secondary interest in some aspect of colonial North American history, although any chronological period before 1900 would be considered. Candidates with a major field in colonial history who have a strong familiarity with museums or archives would also be considered.
 * To receive full consideration, applications must be complete by December 10, 2010, but applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Rhode Island College

 * Assistant Professor of History at Rhode Island College, full-time, tenure track position, Fall 2011. Teach undergraduate and graduate courses in the area of Public History with a strong secondary field in twentieth century United States social and political history.
 * Application deadline is January 21, 2011.
 * For full job description and application procedures, see our web site: https://employment.ric.edu/.

Rutgers University.

 * U.S. Women’s and Gender History, rank and field open, for a position to begin in July 2011.
 * Application (online) due Nov. 1, 2010.
 * Received email confirming that my application was received (09/29/10)
 * Does anyone know if they mean a 3-5 page statement of teaching and research accomplishments in addition to a cover letter or instead of? Thanks!
 * anyone hear anything yet--requests for materials, etc?

Saint Mary’s College (IN)

 * one-year, visiting, joint appointment in U.S. Women’s History and Latina and/or Latin American History and Women’s Studies. We seek a teacher/scholar with a Ph.D. (ABD considered) in U.S. Women’s History with an additional specialization in Latina or Latin American History.


 * The successful candidate must also be qualified to teach courses in Women’s Studies (as demonstrated by graduate certification or teaching experience). Teaching responsibilities include the history survey courses, the introductory women’s studies course, and upper-level courses in women’s history (Latina or Latin American.). Applicants must demonstrate excellence in teaching.


 * Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the job is filled. Send letter of application, c.v., graduate transcripts, at least three letters of reference, and evidence of teaching excellence (e.g. teaching evaluations) to Dr. Kelly Hamilton, Department of History, Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN 46556.


 * H-Net Ad (posted 11/22)


 * Cross-posted at Queer/Women's/Gender Studies 2010-11

SUNY College at Old Westbury

 * Tenure-track position in U.S. Immigration History at the rank of Assistant Professor, effective Fall 2011. Principal responsibilities include teaching immigration history since the Civil War, as well as other U.S. History and American Studies courses.
 * The successful candidate must have a Ph.D. in American History or American Studies in the field of immigration, ethnic studies and/or transnationalism. Candidates specializing in Latin American and/or Caribbean immigration, culture and communities are particularly encouraged to apply.
 * Review of applications will begin on December 20, 2010 and continue until the position is filled. We will be interviewing at the Boston AHA meetings.
 * Anyone know what department this position is in? They don't seem to have a straight history department?
 * The position is with the American Studies Department. The university used to have non-traditional departments like Comparative Humanities, but has since been moving towards more traditional departments. Therefore, tt recently created a separate History Department, which does all non-American history courses.
 * Email ack (11/23) (x2 11/29)

Texas A&M University

 * One or two tenure-track assistant professorships to begin in September 2011 in the history of the United States in the nineteenth century and/or the history of the United States in the twentieth century. All fields of specialization are welcome for both positions... "We especially encourage candidates whose work crosses geographical, racial, ethnic, gender, and/or cultural borders and who present their research in a broad comparative framework."
 * Deadline: November 8, 2010.
 * Received letter of acknowledgement and voluntary race/gender sheet to fill-out (10/13) x2 (10/26) Snail mail and email EEO forms and ack. file is complete, search committee meets in early November (10/29)
 * AHA interview requested (11/16) (x3)
 * Did you apply for the 19th or 20th century position? How did they contact you for the AHA interview?
 * I applied for the 19th century position (x2). Request received via email (11/16).
 * AHA interview for 20th century position - request rcvd via email
 * Also on 11/16 ? - YES
 * does anyone who got an interview actually do "border studies"?
 * Yes. <-- 20th or 19th century? 19th Century.
 * Received rejection letter via email for 19th C position. Said over 100 had applied. (11/22) x4
 * Nearly 150 applied
 * Received rejection letter via email for 20th C position. Said over 100 had applied. (11/22) x5
 * Actually nearly 250 applied
 * Weird - I haven't received either a rejection or req. Anyone else not heard anything? x5 (Are we in purgatory?)
 * There we go. Rejection received for 20th c. position (11/23)x1 (was 5th person to add to above earlier in day. side note: at least attempting an effort to personalize the message beyond "sir/madam" would have been nice....)
 * Has Anyone not heard anything either way? (12/1)

Texas State University San Marcos

 * Tenure-track assistant or associate professorship in the history of War and Society since 1750. Posted 9/24: https://h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=41290.
 * Received email confirmation application was received (10/7)
 * Acknowledgement of completed paperwork via snail mail (11/18) x2

Texas Tech University

 * Tenure-track assistant professorship in pre-1900 U.S. Women’s History, to begin in August, 2011. We encourage applications from candidates in all areas of specialization in women’s history, including African American, Latina, and Native American Studies.
 * Deadline: November 30, 2010

Towson University

 * Assistant Professor, African American History All fields EXCEPT post 1945.
 * Electronic applications only. Send a letter of application, curriculum vitae, three letters of recommendation, course syllabi, official graduate school transcripts, and a writing sample (article or dissertation chapter) to histsearchafam@towson.edu by October 11, 2010.
 * This is probably the replacement for Omar Ali who left for NC (Greensboro).
 * Recieved phone call today (10/22). Phone interview scheduled for the following week. (x2)
 * Seems like they're moving fast. Is there an inside candidate here--their current VAP in AA History?
 * There was a comment that was erased.... I think they reviewed applications as they received them via email. I'd like to know more about their timeline, though. At this rate campus interviews might be in early December.
 * On Campus interviews scheduled for early Dec.
 * Ah, missed out on that one. Darn.

University of Alaska, Fairbanks

 * Assistant professor of United States history (tenure-track)
 * Preference will be given to those with expertise in Environmental or Women's History, and the ability to teach a Modern World survey.
 * Stumbled upon my online application, and the system informed me that I had "Not Advanced to Next Stage." I guess it's better to learn from a computer system than from no one at all.

University of California-Berkeley

 * Tenure-track assistant professor in U.S. History. "Scholars in the fields of women, gender, and sexuality and/or the history of slavery are especially encouraged to apply."
 * Applications due October 1, 2010.
 * Any inside info on whether a history of slavery specialty will be considered without a women/gender/sexuality specialty? The job description makes it seem like they really want both, but that "and/or" bit muddles things a bit.
 * It sounds like they are not exactly sure which field they want, I think the slavery specialty is in addition to the rest and not instead of the other areas but this could also be a way to hedge one's bets.
 * Well ok - two things: the first is that Berkeley hasn't had anyone doing women, gender, and sexuality primarily for a number of years now. The second is that they are probably trying to replace Jennifer Spear, who left a few years ago - she did slavery with an emphasis on gender and sexuality issues.
 * Not promising that they use the grammatically redundant "and/or" when "or" means the same thing.
 * Not really. They obviously want someone in the history of slavery who works on gender and sexuality. But they need specialists in both fields, so they are advertising in both fields, hoping they'll get someone with both specializations but, at the very least, they'll get a specialist in one of the fields. This is very common in departments that need to fill 2 slots but are only given 1 slot by the Dean. It's always best to have at least 2 very strong specializations when you are on the market because you'll appeal to multiple constituencies in a department. Examples: urban history AND gender history; labor history AND African American history; military history AND cultural history, etc.
 * They are filling two positions, actually.
 * According to the link above, the position is listed as a single hire. If they were looking to fill two positions, they would post two notices, I should think.
 * I just want to clarify as someone with a reasonably connected grapevine, I have heard that the SC will be considering making two hires out of the applicant pool. (8/30)
 * on "reasonably connected grapevine" unless you know this directly from the department or sc, doesn't mean much.
 * Isn't that the point of this entire wiki? To share rumor and gossip with eager young applicants who don't stand a chance at a position like this? (8/31)
 * There are two separate job posts: one for women, gender, or slavery at assistant level AND the other for european history for assistant or associate level.
 * Ok, kiddos. I'm going to try this one more time. The rumor is that Berkeley will try to hire TWO US historians from the applicant pool brought together for this job ad. It has nothing to do with the European history search, as mentioned above. (9/3)
 * I buy that.
 * I received some confirmation that Berkeley will attempt to hire two historians from this search. It depends on the funding and how much they like the applicant pool. (9/16)
 * I'm at Berkeley and my informal understanding is that they want someone who does women/gender/sexuality but were worried they might not fill the position, so they added the slavery thing as well, because that's also something they've needed since Leon Litwack retired. I doubt they are seriously thinking about hiring people outside of those two specialties, despite the open-ended nature of the ad. I haven't heard anything about the possibility of them making two hires, but it seems plausible enough (9/17). Scratch that last bit: they're indeed hoping to make two hires (9/23).


 * What's this?! A rumor on the wiki turned out to be TRUE?! It is almost hard to believe. (9/24)
 * CALLED IT FIRST, Y'ALL.
 * So, at the end of my assigned url for letters of reference is the number 423. I'm not overly computer savvy, but do you think this means mine is the 423rd application they've received? Good luck, y'all.
 * To you as well. My url for letters of reference also ended in 423. I do not think it's an indication of where you are in the queue. (Though I don't doubt it's a crowded field!)
 * email ack receipt of application & affirmative action questionnaire (10/12)(x4)
 * over 300 applications according to a member of the SC. (10/19)
 * Oh goodness! (10/19)
 * Sure, but I'd imagine even the Merced job below will get close to that number.
 * Request for more materials. (11/15) x3
 * Those of you who have received a request for more materials: are you historians of slavery or historians of gender/sexuality? Or both? Thanks and congratulations/good luck.
 * I'm a historian of gender/sexuality (11/16) x3
 * Has anyone working on slavery been contacted at all, beyond the affirmative action questionnaire? (11/22)
 * I heard that the request for more materials was sent to ABDs only. Is that true? (11/29)
 * No--not true. (11/30) x3

University of California Irvine

 * Assistant professor whose research focuses on the history of slavery in the Americas. The successful candidate for this position will complement existing strengths in the department and may offer broad and specialized courses in the history of slavery, comparative slavery and freedom, transatlantic connections, and/or the African diaspora.
 * Applications should be submitted on-line at http://recruit.ap.uci.edu by November 15, 2010.
 * Any news on this position? Number of applicants?

University of California Merced

 * Tenure Track Faculty, Assistant Professor. US History with an emphasis on comparative race and ethnicity and a research focus on Chicano/a and/or Latino/a topics.
 * Deadline: 11/15/10

University of California, San Diego

 * Assistant Professor, African-American History; "Preference will be given to scholars at the Assistant Professor level but excellent candidates at other levels will also be seriously considered. Chronological period and specialization are open. We welcome applications that fall under the broad conceptual rubric of the African Diaspora, as well as those with a particular focus on North America."
 * Review of applicants will begin November 1 and will continue until position is filled.
 * Does anyone know if this search is to replace Daniel Widener?
 * My understanding from contacts in the department is that this is a re-opened search from a couple of years ago that was delayed due to the overall UC budget issues. I don't think it is to replace Widener.
 * Widener is still at UCSD. In fact, I heard from a reliable source that he's on the search committee. This is indeed a repeat of the cancelled search from a couple of years ago.
 * Daniel Widener is on the search committee. This was the position once held by Stephanie Smallwood. The committee is open to all fields from what I was told.
 * Received 106 applications and are planning to ask for additional materials from 15-20 candidates. Campus interviews should take place in January.
 * No AHA?
 * Has anyone received a request for additional materials yet? 11.18
 * No acknowledgement yet. (x4 11-29)
 * 106 actually seems low given the numbers I've heard for other searches (240, ~400, etc).
 * I was going to make a similar comment. Then I thought, well, 106 applications for 1 job is still crazy, but compared to other searches, it's quite low. But maybe there aren't that many African Americanists out there.
 * They must be all employed. Doesn't anyone remember all the AA jobs last year? (11/26)
 * I'm not employed and I specialize in Af Am. Does that make me a loser? Some of those jobs got cancelled. I'm beginning to wonder if we're about to hear the same at San Diego.
 * I don't think this search will be cancelled given what happened at San Diego last year. I think requests will come soon for 15-20 candidates.
 * Received e-mail request for writing samples. (12/2) x1
 * From an insider, this search will not be cancelled.

University of Connecticut

 * The University of Connecticut invites applications for a tenure-track assistant/beginning associate professorship in Asian American History beginning August 23, 2011. The position will be a joint appointment between the Asian American Studies Institute and the History Department, the tenure home of the appointment. The teaching load will be equally split between the Institute and History, and will include Asian American studies, Asian American history, and U.S. history courses.
 * Minimum Qualifications: completed PhD in Asian American history; demonstrated excellence in research and teaching; strong interest in graduate teaching and mentoring. Equivalent foreign degrees are acceptable.
 * Preferred Qualifications: research specialization in migration, immigration, diaspora, transnationalism, and/or comparative race/ethnicity; demonstrated ability to contribute through research, teaching, and/or public engagement to the diversity and excellence of the learning experience; if currently associate professor, promoted within the last three years.
 * Position is at the Storrs campus. Candidates may have the opportunity to teach at the campuses at Avery Point, Hartford, Stamford, Torrington, Waterbury, and West Hartford. The salary and rank of the position will be commensurate with the candidate’s qualifications and experience.
 * Interested applicants should provide a letter of application, complete curriculum vitae, and a sample published article or research paper through the University's online applicant system, Husky Hire, at http://www.jobs.uconn.edu (Search # 2011038). Three letters of recommendation should be sent to Asian American History Search, History Department, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-2103.
 * Applicants who submit materials by October 29, 2010, will receive preference in the screening process. The University of Connecticut actively solicits applications from minorities, women, and people with disabilities.
 * Cross-posted at Other Ethnic American 2011
 * Received email notification of AHA interview in Boston (11/19) (x3)

University of Hawai‘i - West O‘ahu

 * tenure-track assistant or associate professor in U.S. history. Position also entails teaching courses in world civilizations, and "an interest, and ability to teach a secondary field in Hawai‘i or Pacific history."
 * review of applications begins after October 1
 * Any news on this?
 * Any one heard anything one way or the other?

University of Houston

 * Tenure-track assistant professor of Latino/a History with expertise in transnational issues
 * Application due Dec. 1, 2010

University of Illinois Springfield

 * Tenure-track assistant professor specializing in U.S. Women’s History and Nineteenth Century American History.
 * Additional specialization in an area of American History such as economic, legal, or environmental history will be especially welcomed. The successful candidate will teach three courses each term.
 * Review of applications will begin January 25 2011, and will continue until position is filled. (Note: this date is specificed in the Chronicle ad.)

University of Kentucky

 * Assistant or Associate Professor, History of the South, Colonial to 1877
 * Open research fields
 * Deadline: October 15, 2010
 * Has anyone heard anything?
 * Request for writing sample, 11/22 x3

University of Northumbria (UK)

 * Lecturer/Senior Lecturer (tenured position) in 'American History, pre-1945)
 * It is likely that the search committee want this position to start in the academic year 2010-11
 * "You will be an early career or established research active academic with a relevant PhD and/or equivalent postgraduate or professional qualification/experience"
 * Deadline: 19 August 2010
 * Selection date: 19 October 2010

University of Oregon

 * Women's History/Gender History.
 * Deadline: Oct 15, 2010.

University of Rhode Island

 * Deadline: November 1. Apply at https://jobs.uri.edu
 * Details from HR posting: "Teach the first half of the U.S. survey, an introductory course in environmental history, an upper level history course on the Civil War, and other courses in the area of specialization."
 * anyone have more info on this? seems like an odd assortment!
 * I knew I should have written my diss. on the environmental history of the Civil War.
 * Done and done: "The forests around Richmond were a little worse for wear. Geese all over were frightened by the sound of cannons."
 * Sometimes, the ground was mighty muddy. Other times? Real dry.
 * Zing! (x2)
 * Think of all those poor crows flying over the Shenandoah Valley!!!
 * My work examines the sharp spike in the buzzard population of the Upper South 1861-1866. Think I have a shot?
 * No, because your work overlaps with what I tell everyone I'm working on and I out rank you. I plan to tell the inside never before told story of the buzzard population using the sources you culled. I own the topic.
 * Operative word there is: plan.
 * Wow - There are a lot of enviro-haters out there!
 * Um, no. These are people using humor as a way of venting w/out openly whining about the sheer toxic market that's before us all. And more simply, because its funny as all hell. (my only hope is ...dare I say it...they drag 'ol Foner into the fray as last year!)
 * Received request for additional material (11/4) x2
 * Received request for phone interview (11/30)x2
 * Congratulations. Were you one of the candidates whom URI contacted for additional material?
 * I wasn't one of the people that listed the request for more materials, but I did have a request for writing sample before being contacted for the phone interview.

University of South Carolina, Beaufort

 * Tenure-track assistant professor in US history
 * Specialization should include Southeast, especially South Carolina and Georgia low country

University of Southern Indiana

 * Nine-month, tenure-track position in American history and as director of the university's Center for Communal Studies beginning August 2011. The Center promotes the study of historic and contemporary communal groups, intentional communities and utopias, and encourages and facilitates meeting, classes, scholarships, publications, networking and public interest in communal groups past and present, here and abroad. The successful candidate will have a PhD in History or a closely related field by start date. Teaching experience and an active scholarly agenda are required.


 * Although the specialization is open, nineteenth-century and/or communal studies expertise is highly desirable. Possible subfields include American religious history or reform movements. The successful candidate will teach introductory surveys and advanced courses in specialization. Normal teaching load is 12 hours per semester, but administrative release time for direction the center is possible.


 * Please apply by January 3, 2011. No electronic applications accepted.
 * Has anyone explored this posting yet? It calls for no electrionic applications, but also asks for a signed USI application and provides a link. Yet there is no application there to be found but the electrionic application. Am I missing something? (11/17)
 * Just to update on this...I emailed HR and they sent me a PDF and Word doc version of the application. (11/17)
 * you can also fill it out online and print it out at the end ... but beware, it takes a looooong time 11/17

University of Texas at Dallas

 * Tenure-track Assistant Professor of American History, specializing in nineteenth or twentieth-century Women’s and/or Gender History.
 * Application review will begin November 15, 2010, and will continue until the position is filled.
 * Interviewing at AHA--deciding by end of month. 2:3 teaching load.
 * Email requesting AHA interview (12/2).

University of Texas at Tyler

 * Two assistant professor appointments beginning August 2011, one in U.S. History and one in World History. Ph.D. required at time of appointment.


 * The successful candidate for the first position will be qualified to teach courses in nineteenth-century U. S. History. Area of specialization is open, excluding gender, race, borderlands, and Native American history. The appointee will have responsibility for American military, political, and diplomatic history and both freshman U.S. surveys. The appointee will also teach Texas history and serve as departmental liaison to the local historical community.
 * email ack of materials (11/2)


 * The successful candidate for the second position will be qualified to teach courses in some area of World History (Latin America, East Asia, South Asia, Middle East, or Africa/Caribbean/Atlantic World). The appointee will have responsibility for courses in the World History field of specialty as well as both U.S. freshman surveys.


 * Open Until Filled; also posted at World/Global History 2010-11
 * Avoid this program (they just lost their status as a department because of the inept leadership of their most recent [now relieved after only one year] department chair). Rumors have spread around Texas regarding this program as radioactive. Within one year (see above for reason), half of the faculty left. That place is a career killer!!!
 * I have heard the same. I was told that publishing your dissertation will not count toward tenure. Toxic faculty has tenure and is still in the department.
 * Another rumor floating around is that they already have a senior lecturer chosen for the America history position.
 * I work at UT-Tyler in a different dept. and can confirm that the History dept. is toxic. The long-serving Chair retired, but the replacement Chair (hired from outside), was fired early this semester due to lying on CV about publications. Add to that a controversial tenure-denial and a senior member taking a year's leave to get away from it all, and you have a messed-up dept. I don't know if the senior lecturer will be hired to the t-t, but it is possible as the person as been at UT-Tyler for a long time and is well-liked by the students. The institution isn't too bad, and improving, and the cost of living is very reasonable, but the salaries are crap. All in all, not an ideal situation, but a chance at a t-t job nevertheless.
 * So, the new chair who was awarded tenure and then demoted was let go? If so, that is a positive development. And could you define "salaries are crap"?

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

 * Tenure-track assistant professor in U.S. Environmental History. "The successful candidate will teach a 4-4 load comprised of two or three preps consisting of a combination of U.S. History survey sections, a global/comparative environmental history course, and one upper level U.S. environmental history."
 * Applications due November 29, 2010.
 * FWIW: I interviewed on-campus for a position there recently, but didn't get it. It seems like a great department. The faculty were really nice and very productive for a 4/4 teaching gig. UW system treats their faculty well (including sabbaticals). If you can stand being in Podunk, WI and like to teach, this should be a pretty good gig.

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

 * Tenure-track Assistant Professor to teach introductory and upper-level courses in the History of American Race/Ethnic Relations with a preference for African American and/or Latino History. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the general education course in 20th century world history. Research and teaching fields should complement existing faculty expertise and may include Public History and 19th Century US History.


 * Deadline: 12/03/2010
 * Received email confirming receipt of materials (11/12) (x2)

Virginia Tech

 * Tenure-track assistant professor in Public History / Digital Humanities
 * Review of applications begins November 1, 2010
 * Anyone heard anything?
 * No. Nothing heard either positive or negative here. (x3) (12-3)
 * I applied for their VAP position last year and never heard anything until a candidate accepted offer and the final reject letter went out.

Washburn University

 * full-time, tenure-track position in U.S. history
 * Candidates should be ABD (completed PhD preferred, A.B.D. candidate appointed as non-tenure-track Lecturer until Ph.D. is completed) with demonstrated excellence in classroom teaching and a proven ability to generate scholarship in the field. Responsibilities will include teaching survey courses in U.S. history and developing upper level courses in their area of specialization, with preference given to applicants willing to develop on-line courses. Historians of the early national period are especially urged to apply.
 * Application review begins 15 January 2011 and continues until position is filled.

Wayne State University
history of metropolitan Detroit."
 * Tenure-track assistant professor in 19th and 20th century U.S. urban history
 * Application deadline not specified on H-net; looks like November 15, 2010
 * "The department expects the successful candidate to have or to develop a research focus on the
 * Does anyone know what the teaching load is for this position?
 * I talked to the chair of the search, he indicated that there would be significant support for research. I assume/hope it's 2/2. Seems a bit disorganized. The ad did not specify what to submit, then got different info on what was required from different sources. I hope this does not indicate that this is a precarious position.
 * I will second the disorganization on this ad, and even the supposedly clarifying information was a bit confusing.
 * AHA Interview Scheduled (x2)

West Virginia State

 * full-time, tenure track, assistant professor beginning January 15, 2011.
 * Applicants must possess a terminal degree in history and must have a strong background in United States history, as well as a general knowledge of Western Civilization. Research and teaching experience in public history, local and regional history would also be helpful.
 * Applications due October 15, 2010. Review of apps begins October 15, but they won't consider any postmarked later than September 30.
 * Any news on this?
 * I haven't even gotten the AA card yet.
 * Still nothing. Anyone?
 * Nope, nothing here (11/17)
 * Nothing here either - still! (11-29)
 * Called office (11-29) - Search is still open; committee hasn't yet contacted anyone.
 * Sounds like an awesomely laid-back job.

William Jewell College

 * Tenure-track assistant or associate professor in U.S. History. "Primary field in United States history, colonial or 19th century preferred, secondary field(s) in Latin America, East Asia, and/or Sub-Saharan Africa highly desirable."
 * Applications due October 1, 2010.
 * Skype interview requested (10/22)X2
 * Administration has placed search on hold. (11/17)

California State University-Northridge

 * Tenure-track assistant professor in the "history of the United States, Colonial to 1824, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic desirable." Also looking for "ability to teach courses covering the broader Atlantic world."
 * Applications due November 15, 2010 but will be accepted until the position is filled.
 * Have been authorized to hire TWO! - OK, but what are the fields/subfields? Where did you get this information? As of 11/16, it is not on their website.
 * If the above post is true, that the school plans to hire two candidates from this pool, it wouldn't show up on the website. They would simply use the candidate pool from this job ad to select two historians.

California State Polytechnic University in Pomona

 * Assistant professor in Antebellum United States history, with preference for cultural or diplomatic history.


 * Submit completed application package by December 15, 2010.
 * Did anyone else receive an absolutely incoherent e-mail from the search chair, thanking you for your interest in the job and asking you to fill out the enclosed application form (which was the equal opportunity form)?!
 * Yes, got the same form letter. They probably just dropped the blurb from the ad into the letter w/o realizing it makes it look like they haven't received, well, your entire application, but at least they confirm receipt.
 * Good.

Colby College

 * Assistant professor in Colonial and Early American History (pre-1600 to 1820), ability to teach the American Revolution or Native American history a plus.
 * Applications due November 15, 2010.
 * I see that Colby is once again searching for an early Americanist--something like the sixth time in as many years, at least. What's the deal there? Can they just not keep anybody, is the department tough to work with, is the salary too low, or what?
 * This position was advertised last year but changed to a VAP, no?
 * Yes, but now it's tenure-track. I just wonder why they can't seem to keep anybody in that particular position. Have they just had bad luck hiring folks who leave later for their own reasons? I'm interested, but want to know the lay of the land.
 * Last year's wiki suggests the department cancelled the search after the committee was too divided to settle on one candidate - does anyone know if this is department doublespeak or not?
 * Colby's last Early Americanist left for McGill about 2 years ago; last year's committee brought candidates to campus but no offer was extended. Unlcear if committee was divided, candidates were underwhelming, or a strange combination.

College of Wooster

 * Early America/United States History Before 1877.
 * The successful candidate will be expected to teach the U.S. history survey and upper-level courses in his/her area of specialization, including a course or courses that could be cross-listed in the College’s program in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
 * Applications received by November 15, 2010 will receive full consideration.
 * This college has a good reputation in Ohio and it is a good job. Location is not great but certainly worth applying.
 * "Location is not great" is in the eye of the beholder, the campus is beautiful, in a town with a rich intellecttual tradition, a short driving distance from several major metropolitan areas (Cleveland and Columbus). New York City it isn't, but it has manifest charms for those willing to "be where they are."
 * Rec'd nice ack letter (11/02).

Columbus State University

 * Tenure track position in United States History with expertise in the Revolutionary Era or the Early National period. Preference will be given candidates with expertise in Native American or Gender History.
 * For fullest consideration send letter of application, C.V., three letters of recommendation, transcripts, teaching evaluations, and other supporting documentation by January 7, 2011 to Alice Pate, Chair, Department of History and Geography, Columbus State University, 4225 University Avenue, Columbus, GA 31907.

East Tennesee State University

 * Tenure-track assistant professor in Early American History (to 1815)
 * Application Due: 12/31/2010
 * Don't expect a fair wage here. For the past three years they have advertised a postdoc at 24K.
 * Received E-Mail Request for Writing Sample (11/23) (x2)

Fort Hays State University

 * Assistant Professor, tenure-track, to teach Public History, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Early National Period, and both U.S. history survey courses.
 * Review of applications will begin on January 10, 2011 and continue until position is filled.

Georgia Gwinnett College

 * GGC invites applicants for faculty positions in Colonial America/Early Republic History starting August 1, 2011. The primary teaching responsibilities for this position include lower-division US and World history surveys, but the ability to teach an upper-division course on the history of Colonial America, as well as to develop more focused courses within the candidate's field of specialization is desired.
 * Open until filled.
 * "In accordance with Board of Regents Policy governing GGC faculty, successful applicants will be eligible to receive 5 or 3 year renewable appointments. Traditional one year appointments may also be approved."
 * I called GGC when a second ad appeared, asking for a whole range of specialties, one of which was Colonial. They are now looking for two positions, one of which starts NEXT semester (spring).
 * Has anyone heard anything on this position? (11/23)

James Madison University

 * Tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor to begin in late August 2011. . . specialization in Colonial, American Revolution, or Early Republic, and ability to teach the U.S. survey.
 * Deadline: 11/14/2010
 * Any news here?

Mary Baldwin College

 * tenure-track assistant professorship in early American history (1600-1820)
 * Secondary field in Virginia history, American religious history, American West, or Appalachian history desired.
 * Review of applications will begin November 10.
 * You might want to check into the financial condition of this institution. It was mentioned in a Chronicle column concerning institutions with some financial issues.

Marietta College (OH)

 * tenure-track, assistant professor position in the social history of colonial North America.
 * Teaching responsibilities include both halves of the US survey, and upper division courses in the candidate's areas of interest. Ability to teach courses in the area of race and/or gender is preferred.
 * Deadline: Oct. 31
 * Got e-mail acknowledging receipt of materials. (10/25)
 * Received invitation for AHA interview via email. (11/11) (x3)

Muhlenberg College (PA)

 * tenure-track Assistant Professor of Early American History to 1820
 * Teaching fields include Colonial/Revolutionary America, women’s and gender history, Introduction to History, together with advanced courses in the social and cultural history of early America.
 * Deadline: February 1, 2011 (Interviews will be held at OAH)

NC State University

 * tenure-track Assistant Professor position in colonial and revolutionary America, beginning August 2011, contingent on funding.
 * Deadline: November 15
 * Has anyone been able to get their application portal to work? Or is it not set up to receive applications for this job yet? (10/19)
 * Does this mean that Holly Brewer is leaving NC State or are they building on existing strengths? (10/19)
 * Yes, Brewer is leaving. She got another position last year. As for how I know this, I'm at UNC-CH, and I'm part of a working group in Early American history in the RDU area (Duke, NC State, and UNC CH).
 * Any opinions on the department and university as a place to work?

Princeton University

 * Tenure-track assistant professor on the American Revolution and 18th Century North American history.
 * Applications due October 15, 2010.
 * Any movement or rumors of movement on this one yet? (11/04)
 * My advisor tells me she was asked for a letter of rec., but didn't tell me when the request came through. (11/8)

Providence College

 * Tenure-track assistant professorship in Colonial American and Atlantic World history beginning fall 2011.
 * Specialization in ethnic or immigration history, religious history, or political history desirable. Competence to teach in the Development of Western Civilization program and the American surveys is required.
 * Deadline: October 29
 * Received Snail Mail Ack Letter noting that my application was complete, review of applicants has begun, and interviews at AHA will be scheduled by mid-December. (11/15)
 * Has anyone else received this? I have not, and I live very close by. Was it by Post Office or e-mail?
 * No, I haven't received an ack letter and I mailed my application a month ago (11/17) rec'd 11/18
 * Oh, you said snail mail. Sorry. The first question still stands; thanks to the person who answered.
 * Yes, received snail mail indicating application was complete
 * I don't know what is going here, but I wrote to the department secretary and she wrote back that letters had not been sent yet but soon would be.
 * Letter finally received (same person as above). (11/24)

Quinnipiac University

 * Tenure-track position in public history beginning fall 2011. Primary area of specialization is open, but we strongly prefer those with a secondary interest in some aspect of colonial North American history, although any chronological period before 1900 would be considered. Candidates with a major field in colonial history who have a strong familiarity with museums or archives would also be considered.
 * To receive full consideration, applications must be complete by December 10, 2010, but applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Salve Regina
The committee will begin reviewing applications on November 1, 2010 and continue until the position is filled
 * Any news on this position? (11/22)
 * Request for additional materials (letters - original only asked for names of recommenders - and teaching evaluations) received. (11/24)
 * How/when were you contacted? (11/24)
 * E-mail this morning. (11/24)

SUNY Buffalo

 * Tenure-track assistant professorship in the history of the era of the American Revolution and/or the Early Republic.
 * Deadline: November 1
 * Received letter from SC chair that the search has been cancelled (11/8). (x3)

University of Cincinnati

 * Review of materials will begin December 1, 2010.
 * tenure-track, assistant professor position in the history of colonial British North America. Specialists in Native American history or the Atlantic World are encouraged to apply.
 * The candidate should expect to participate in teaching the United States surveys as well as undergraduate and graduate courses in his/her specialty.

University of Houston-Victoria

 * tenure-track, assistant professor of History.


 * Required qualifications: A doctoral degree in History, at least five years of experience in teaching freshman US history courses, scholarly specialty in Colonial America.


 * Preferred qualifications: Scholarly interests in Atlantic World and Native American history.


 * Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

 * tenure-track beginning assistant professor position in American history, colonial through the early national periods (1600s to 1815)
 * All subfields invited to apply; department especially welcomes applicants working in Atlantic world, borderlands, slave trade and slavery, gender and sexuality, military, legal or environmental history.
 * All materials (including letters of reference) must be submitted by the closing date of November 8, 2010.
 * Does anyone know what happened with last year's search for the same position?
 * Person who got offer went somewhere else (Claremont?)
 * Request for additional material (10/14) x2 (10/26) x3 (11/07)
 * What exactly do they mean by the vague "teaching materials?" Statement of teaching philosophy? Sample syllabi?
 * I sent a teaching philosophy and a sample syllabus
 * Phone interviews scheduled for 11/12.
 * They held phone interviews only a few days after the search closed? I know they did rolling evaluations as applications arrived, but x3 above noted a request for additional materials only on 11/7. Seems rather compressed, doesn't it?
 * Yeah, it seems like they want to make an offer early so that they can get their #1 candidate committed before other schools do on-campus interviews in the spring. I find this to be a cheesy if increasingly common practice and always enjoy stories where departments get burned trying to game the market. Pure speculation, but, given the recent budgetary situation in Illinois, it could also be the case that they are trying to get an offer out to a candidate in case there is any chance that searches might get canceled.
 * Did anybody get invited on campus today? I thought they were going to invite people today. (11/17)
 * Yes, any news? Enquiring minds want to know. (11/19)
 * Heard they are doing campus interviews early Dec. Not sure how many got called. (11/24)

University of Mary Washington

 * Visiting Assistant Professor position in US history to 1750, with a specialization in race relations.
 * Applications accepted until January 14, 2011.

University of Missouri-Kansas City

 * tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the history of Colonial America/Early Republic, beginning August 2011.
 * Research and teaching interests are open, but could address trans-Atlantic connections, childhood, ethnicity, gender, labor, Native Americans, or political and legal history.
 * Applications will only be accepted online. To apply, please go to: http://www.umkc.edu/jobs. The position number is 36967.
 * Deadline: December 1st
 * Anyone else have trouble with the electronic application? I emailed the SC and things were straightened out, but if you have questions, let him know. Yes, and HR told me to collect references myself and submit them (not going to happen). I emailed SC head and he was very nice and helpful.
 * Can you elaborate please? Wasn't this the school where all the materials had to be put into one single file and then uploaded? Brutally difficult -- took the better part of a day and involved both HR & IT. How were we supposed to include our confidential letters in that file? I was told to have my recommenders mail letters in hard copy to the SC directly, so that's what I did (this was in mid-October).
 * This is such a needlessly difficult system that I'm not even applying. So now there's one less contender.
 * Invited for AHA interview (Dec. 3rd). Specialty Early America, Gender/Sexuality. PhD. Adjunct.

University of Southern California

 * Assistant Professor, early modern North America and/or the Atlantic World: "a scholar of the history and culture of early modern North America and/or the Atlantic World whose teaching and research interests fall primarily in the period from the sixteenth century through the eighteenth century."
 * We welcome applications from candidates with expertise on any region or culture of North America and/or the Atlantic World, including scholars of the Anglo-American colonies, indigenous peoples, New France, northern New Spain, and the Caribbean.
 * Applications including a c.v. and three letters of recommendation must be sent by November 10, 2010, to [mailto:earlymodern@college.usc.edu earlymodern@college.usc.edu].
 * E-mail confirmation that they received materials (11/1) x2 (11/10)

Utah State

 * tenure-track, assistant professorship in Colonial and Revolutionary America (to 1800)
 * Review of applications begins 18 October 2010 and continues until position is filled.
 * Phone interview scheduled for mid-December (11/19) (x2)

Yale University

 * Tenure-track assistant professor in Early American History.
 * Deadline September 1, 2010
 * My understanding is that they searched for a senior hire last year, but that search failed. So this REALLY is a search for an assistant level hire. Albeit, a really good one.
 * Got letter saying my materials were received.
 * Have not received letter yet. Should I be worried? How many have received a letter? (9/16)
 * I just received ethnicity/race survey, but nothing else. (9/16)
 * Sent materials via e: & snail mail ("deadline September 1" wasn't clear to me -- materials in hand, or merely postmarked?) and received confirmation the same way just after Labor Day. The paper letter also included the AfAc card to return anonymously. (9/16)
 * Received request for additional material (10/7) (x2)
 * Invited for a campus visit (10/29)
 * Three on-campus talks advertised. [Names Redacted]. So if you haven't heard...not looking promising. Best of luck to all three.(11/12)
 * Alas, to be redacted. And they were all so young and full of promise...
 * Wow. Great candidates here! It looks like [name redacted] has a major advantage having a book under contract. But maybe the committee wants a young upstart.
 * I thought wiki etiquette dictates that names of finalists are not to be publicly listed ... some people are on the job market secretly (maybe not these 3) ... yes?
 * I'm with you, bad wiki form...no names until an offer has been accepted.
 * IMHO the non names meme is bogus. This idea of secrecy just plays into the hands of (already) to powerful institutions. Anyone who thinks the its possible to "secretly" go on the job market is a fool.
 * I can't see how anonymity helps hiring departments or the current department of a candidate on the market. Anonymity means that powerful institutions have less information, and that candidates get to control how much to disclose. There can be retribution against assistant professors who go on the market. And in a world of full disclosure, a search committee could read the wiki to see if one of their finalists/hires has other opportunities. None of this helps candidates, and some of it can harm them. (x2! Right on).
 * Search committees routinely ask candidates if they have other offers and, frankly, get a little worried if they don't. Also, professors who go on the market can only maintain secrecy until they get a fly-back interview. After that, the talk is advertized online and on walls, senior people gossip, friends in both departments email each other, etc. The cat is out of the bag. Also, this is the stage where you begin to negotiate with your dean. You might not get the job, but between interview and rejection, your dean has been encouraged to offer you a leave year, or a faster tenure schedule, a better salary, etc. It's called "playing the market." This is not to argue that Wiki should be the venue in which the news is revealed, of course.
 * All of the above is true, and definitely good to bear in mind. However, none of it obviates the previous point that posting names of candidates here on the wiki has the danger of robbing the named candidates of a modicum of control over when exactly they reveal their candidacies and how they manage that revelation with their respective institutions.

19th Century
Man-o-man. Could 19th century be any worse?

Yup, half of these could be cancelled. Are we missing anything here? hnet, aha, chron of higher education? is this it?

Don't forget to check the "Multiple/Open" section at the top of this page; many of these either specify a 19th c. speciality, or are at least open as to time period.

It was just as bad, or even worse, last year.... But getting better of late?

Yes I'd say that, with the recent job postings, it's getting better, but still tight. (9/28)

Boston College

 * Tenure-track, open rank position in 19th Century U.S. History. "Scholars with specializations in political, socio-economic and cultural history are encouraged to apply; and nominations are also encouraged."
 * Review of applications begins October 1st, 2010.
 * I have a feeling there may be an inside candidate here. Can anyone closer to the situation comment?
 * There is no point in applying for this position. Christian Samito is getting the job. I can’t see anyone beating him.


 * Were I the inside candidate, I'd sure appreciate people putting the competition off!
 * Christian Samito earned his PhD from Boston College--would this not exclude him as a candidate for a tenure-track position???
 * No, it doesn't exclude him for the position. I'm starting to think that he is the inside candidate. His book was just published. But, in that case, why is the job ad so open?
 * There is every point in applying for this position--it is an excellent position at a very good institution in a strong department. Worrying about a potential internal candidate is really a waste of time. The job ad is open and at all ranks. This is telling.
 * Samito rocks. His publications are better than most tenured professors. I would give him tenure immidiately.
 * Maybe he does, but that means very little. Tenure immediately? Wow, he must be stellar. People should still apply.
 * I would ABSOLUTELY still apply. BC takes their searches really seriously, and I am certain that all candidates would be fully evaluated.
 * psyched out?
 * Word on the "street" is that this is a replacement for David Quigley, going into BC admin, and that the candidate of choice will focus on Civil War and Recon. Also, it's likely they will want an established historian.
 * I heard the same thing: They are definitely looking for a senior hire.
 * Received email confirmation of application and diversity forms (10/4)
 * BC already has finalists for this. I've heard that one has interviewed already.
 * Offer made.
 * And moon made out of cheese. Not sure I would believe the above.
 * What is going on here? Can a grad student pass on the skinny to the rest of us?
 * Just spoke to the department administrator, who says the position has been filled (12/6)

Colorado State University-Pueblo

 * Assistant Professor of History - Nineteenth Century America (tenure-track)
 * The occupant of this position will teach history classes covering nineteenth-century America, especially the American Civil War. Other possible but not required subfields the department would like the candidate to teach are women's history, Native American history, African American history and historiography. Knowledge and or experience teaching historiography and/or the history of a continent besides North America will be especially welcome.
 * Applicant materials received by December 1, 2010 are ensured full consideration; position is open until filled.
 * Recd snail mail mail letter of ack (11/3)

East Tennessee State University

 * tenure-track assistant professor in Nineteenth Century Appalachian History.
 * Desirable sub-fields would include public history, environmental history, or other specialties that complement Department offerings. The standard teaching load is 3/3.
 * Application Due: 12/31/2010
 * Don't expect a fair wage here. For the last three years they have advertised a postdoc at 24K.

Georgia College and State University

 * Assistant Professor: "historian in the field of Civil War and Reconstruction history."
 * Special consideration will be given to those candidates who can teach upper-level courses in one or more of the following areas: women’s history, slavery, the African diaspora and Atlantic World, and nineteenth-century American South.
 * Review of applications will begin November 15, 2010 and continue until the position is filled.
 * Ominous silence since applying (12/2)
 * For all of the jobs this year, it seems!

New York University

 * Tenure-track, assistant professor in 19th century U.S. history, including transnational approaches. "The department especially encourages applications from candidates working on slavery, legal history, political economy, or gender."
 * Deadline for applications (online) is November 15, 2010.

Old Dominion University

 * Tenure-track, assistant professor in modern American History (late 19th-early 20th century).


 * "Specialty open, but preference for a transnational perspective, including the history of immigration, the environment, or economic interactions."


 * Review of applications begins October 15, 2010.
 * Phone interview 11/5/2010 (X2)
 * I got no word 4 weeks after phone interview. Anyone get a campus invite?

Saint Louis University (MO)

 * Assistant Professor: "full time tenure-track position in United States history in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. The department is open to all subfields but encourages applications in gender, immigration, and religion."
 * Review of applications will begin November 15 and will continue until the position is filled.
 * Request for more materials (x2)
 * Received a very polite rejection letter -- they had requested my dissertation and then turned me down after review. They have narrowed pool to 12 candidate for AHA interviews. Best of luck to everyone.

Salisbury University

 * This one was cancelled last year due to budget issues. Looks like a really nice area to live and work.
 * Assistant Professor of History, 19th and early 20th Century America, Cultural/Intellectual.
 * Applications received by November 15, 2010 will be given first consideration.
 * It is a very isolated part of Maryland but unique too.
 * Unique as in has more chickens than people...
 * Mass email stating that 1 letter of recommendation was missing. Also stated that 240 applications had been received for position. (11/21)
 * More applications than chickens.........
 * leading to the obvious question: can you count the ways grad school/the job market is like factory farming?
 * Anyone who did not have one letter missing get a confirmation?? [No. Now I'm worried] [You're not alone]
 * I am yet to be contacted by the committee x2
 * ...yet to be contacted by committee and not worried about it. They're sifting through 242 applications at the business end of the semester.

University of Chicago

 * Tenure-track Assistant Professor in the field of nineteenth century US history.
 * "The area of specialization is open, although the Department encourages candidates to apply who are working on culture, the visual arts, law, economics or governance."
 * Deadline is January 7, but review begins on November 1, and "early application is strongly recommended."
 * Whose job is this??
 * Inside word is that this is a replacement for either Neil Harris or Bill Novak depending on strength of pool.
 * Request for more materials, 11/15. (x4)

University of Massachusetts Boston

 * tenure-track assistant professor in 19th Century American history (1850-1900) who can teach upper level and graduate courses in Civil War and Reconstruction.
 * Research and additional teaching interests may include but are not limited to, borderlands/transnational connections, new South, public history and historical memory (to mesh with our Public History graduate program), environment, and underrepresented peoples/communities. The Department especially encourages candidates whose work crosses racial, ethnic, gender, and/or cultural borders, and who will seek external funding for research.
 * Priority will be given to applications received by Dec. 15, 2010.
 * What is the "seek external funding" part about? Can they not afford to pay this person? Or do they just want someone that brings distinction by securing grants? I thought the one thing we in the humanities/social sciences had over the hard scientists is that we didn't have to beg constantly for our daily bread.
 * I'd certainly be cautious about accepting a position where part of your pay is dependent on securing external funding ("soft money," as they say). With that said, times are changing and historians need to start thinking about this issue seriously. Being able to pull in signifiant grant money is a huge asset to departments as the salary savings can be used for other purposes. Its going to be tricky for them to get someone who can to do that and is an expert on the Civil War and Reconstruction at the same time, though.
 * Forgive my ignorance-- is it not a way of signalling that the school might not have much in the way of research funds to offer? I know UMB is a teaching school that's increasing its research requirements-- I had read it as a warning about that, rather than you actually bringing cash into the dept. as a whole.
 * It certainly could be the case. The only way to know is to ask them. My only real point was that unless you are in the history of science or medicine its pretty bloody hard to generate real grant money -- and even then its really difficult. So unless you are in one of those two fields I wouldn't take a position that is partially soft money. And even if you are I would think seriously about it. In terms of just generating money to go to archives or such that is relatively easy, so I don't see why they would even bother signaling that. But what do I know....

University of Mississippi

 * tenure-track assistant professor with a specialization in the history of the United States during the Civil War Era.
 * The teaching load will be two courses per semester.
 * Responsibilities will include teaching undergraduate and graduate courses and helping to further the program of the department’s Center for Civil War Research (http://www.civilwarcenter.olemiss.edu).
 * Open until filled; applications completed by November 5, 2010 are guaranteed full consideration.
 * Received pleasant ack. email (11/10) X2 (11/12)
 * Applied but no ack. email.
 * The email said that they had received more apps than anticipated and the committee would go through them judiciously. I think they are sending ack emails as they get to the apps. Don't stress, it seems like a really organized search.
 * Very nice rejection email stating that AHA interviews had been selected, but all apps will remain on file until the position is filled.(12/1)
 * E-mail stating that I'm not selected for an AHA interview but committee won't close my application.
 * Ditto (12/2)

University of Oklahoma - The Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage in the Department of Classics and Letters

 * Assistant or Associate Professor. "The applicant should have a speciality in American intellectual history, political culture, or political theory of the 19th or early 20th century with consequences for our understanding of American constitutionalism."
 * Deadline: November 1, 2010.
 * Phone interviews: Nov. 9-11
 * Campus visits completed

West Virginia University

 * Associate or Full Professor in American Civil War Studies.
 * Deadline: Oct. 15, 2011.
 * Have they made a hire? (potential vacancy for next year) (11/19)

Bowling Green State University

 * Two tenure track assistant professor positions in 20th century US history: (1) African American and (2) Diplomatic/Military


 * Diplomatic History: diplomacy, international relations, conflict resolution, and US military campaigns of the 20th century. Expertise in the history of US involvement in the Middle East or Southeast Asia is highly desirable.


 * African American History: expertise in policy history and women's history highly desirable


 * Applications due November 30, 2010
 * You might want to check the status of their Ph.D. Program. I have heard it might be terminated. Lots of retirements by the looks of it.
 * I think these two hirings are a sign they are attempting to salvage the PhD program.I hope so...
 * They still have a Ph.D. but only just and funding is being cut in Ohio.

California Polytechnic State, San Luis Obispo, CA

 * Tenure track assistant professor in 20th-century history. "Specialization in political, U.S. and the world, or public history. Ability to teach both halves of the U.S. survey desired."
 * Review of applications begins November 15, 2010
 * Any idea if they're going to attempt to fill more than one line? These are pretty disparate specialties. (9/27)
 * I heard from an SC member that they will try to do phone interviews rather than AHA interviews. Perhaps that means they will be working on an accelerated schedule.
 * Maybe, but not necessarily. I know they used this method in the past -- in more flush economic times, even. Perhaps they're reading the "Dear SC" page and not wasting our (or their) precious time and money with an expensive trip to Boston in the middle of winter.
 * Just curious, how many here have applied for this job? (x13)
 * Am I missing something? I couldn't find this advertized on H-net jobs, the AHA, or the Chronicle of Higer Education. Where else should I be looking? Help!
 * Just go straight to the Cal Poly HR website.
 * I received an email today that my application was incomplete.
 * I got that message -- granted, over a week before the deadline. Probably your letters of reference or transcripts hadn't arrived. Call the Admin. Asst. on the email; she was very nice. Your candidacy may be safe.
 * I emailed back and asked for specifics. She emailed me right away with the info.
 * Somebody just called me from Cal Poly, but I missed the call and they didn't leave a message. Anybody else get a call? (11/24)
 * No, and I thought I filled all the "disparate" lines pretty well. Oh, well. (11/26)
 * Phone interview scheduled for 12/7. (11/29) (x4)
 * Congrats to those offered phone interviews. I'm curious if all requests for interviews will be made by the end of the day. (11/29)
 * Anyone care to share how they were contacted for the phone interviews? I assume by email, but I'm curious. (11/29)
 * Department's administrative assistant called.

Colby College (VAP/Faculty Fellow)

 * One-year replacement position in Modern (Twentieth-Century) U.S. History. "The successful candidate would be expected to teach four courses, including a survey of U. S. history since 1865, one course in African American history, and two courses in twentieth-century U.S. history."
 * Applications due December 1, 2010.
 * Am I alone in being upset that Colby can't make this job T-T? It is listed as a 3-year renewable contract. Perhaps they have good reasons to casualize this position, but the ad rubs me the wrong way.
 * Colby has not posted a TT job in the past three searches. It is always a renewable contract. Annoying. I wish someone could get the inside scoop.
 * I have a friend who is in a TT position in a different department at Colby. Per this person's report, there are upwards of 20 temporary positions each year across campus, as they have a policy of providing a temporary replacement for every faculty member who goes on sabbatical.
 * I believe Colby ran a successful search for Asian history 2 years ago. Last year's Early Am search was TT; it failed and is now back as a TT search. This search seems like a straight leave replacement, with full pay and let's persume health insuarnce. It's a much better alternative than hiring an adjunct to fill in for a year. (10/19).
 * This is definitely a sabbatical replacement -- I was told so by the dept. (10/23)
 * What's the department like these days? There was rejoicing in the 1990s when Leonard joined the faculty among alums who lived through the "dark ages" there.
 * Also, sorry to have to ask, but who is it replacing? And do graduate students and recent Ph.D. actually call departments? I think I was advised a few years ago now when I finished not to call anyone. But to simply apply and wait. (At that time, I also used to hope).
 * One wonders why they are going through all of the trouble of a national search for a one-year sabbatical replacement.
 * This is the college policy for sabbatical replacements, across all departments.

Cornell University

 * Tenure-track assistant professor in 20th Century U.S. History focusing on political, economic, or constitutional/legal history.
 * Applications accepted between September 1 and October 8, 2010.
 * Is this basically for someone slipping into Polenberg's position as he winds down? (Looks like he's teaching a course per year.)
 * yes. he is on phased retirement.
 * Thanks for the word.
 * A/A link received via regular mail. Chair's letter states "we will be in contact with you in due course." (9/17)(x1)
 * Received request from chair for additional materials (9/17) (x1)
 * Quick q for the above poster -- did you mean 10/17?
 * The search is moving quickly. They hope to have interviews and make an offer before the AHA.
 * Does that mean all or most of the materials requests are already out as of 10/20? They sure are moving fast but that seems to be in keeping with past Cornell History Dept. Searches. (10/20)
 * I appreciate the swiftness here, even if I don't make the final cut. I'm assuming that the materials req'd were the same across the board: pubs, syllabi, course evals. (10/21)
 * Anyone have a sense of how many people they asked for additional materials? Or how many people are customary to ask for additional materials at this stage (eg. 50 or 5)?
 * I'd guess somewhere in between -- maybe 20-25-ish, depending on the pool.
 * Got my req. for extra stuff not long after I submitted in mid-Sept., so they clearly were evaluating on a rolling basis.
 * Has anyone received a materials requests who applied later in the 9/1--10/8 window? (10/25)]
 * yes. (x2)
 * Received request from chair for additional materials (10/15)
 * Anyone else want to guess about the timing for the phone interview stage? If they keep moving at this pace, I wonder if they might make contact with people late in the week of Nov. 1. (Total speculation on my part.)
 * I don't think they do phone interviews. The next stage would be campus visits.
 * They're still moving fast, interviewing 5 people between mid-November and early December, hoping to issue offers soon after. They want to hire 2 people from this search. Interview scheduled. (10/30)
 * That was a fun daydream, while it lasted. Best of luck to everyone moving forward in the process.
 * Rejection received by mail (11/14) (x2).
 * Where's my closure? Send the damn letter already. (11/18)
 * maybe you are on the backup list - don't ask for closure yet.
 * It's kind of you to suggest that, but I'm thinking it's just a matter of slow mail.
 * Any word on how many candidates have rolled through scenic Ithaca? (11/23) -- 3 of 5 (11/28)
 * all 5 have now been through. Offer is expected next week after a dept meeting. All finalists know the schedule.

Cornell University (ILR)

 * Tenure-track Assistant Professor position in 19th or 20th Century US History in the Department of Labor Relations, Law, and History, within the ILR School. "We are interested in social, political, or policy historians whose scholarship engages questions of work, inequality, the economy, or political culture. We are particularly interested in scholars whose work places the U. S. in an interdisciplinary, comparative, and/or transnational perspective."
 * Applications due October 1, 2010.
 * Anyone know the details on the ILR School?
 * It is the College of Industrial & Labor Relations. Several US historians have appointments in it. This is a part of the State Univ of NY, founded after WWII to train leaders of the labor movement. Now it is a small, general undergraduate social science college, primarity for residents of NY state. Many of the students treat it as a pre-law curriculum. It is the smallest undergraduate college at Cornell.
 * Received acknowledgement and request for ethnographic details 9/20
 * Ethnographic details? Like how you would work as a participant observer? Their most prominent labor historians are Nick Salvatore and Jefferson Cowie. So I wonder whether this position complements or replaces them.
 * It is a replacement for Clete Daniel, who died suddenly last spring.
 * Oh, that's sad. He was apparently a great teacher. Now I feel bad for being a smartass.
 * The H-net ad made it seem like one could apply online (link: "apply here") -- but it just gives a snail mail address. Guess I'll be printing and putting something in the mail, or are people emailing stuff to Salvatore? Or is there a web form I'm missing?
 * I applied for the other job at Cornell (not ILR) and had the same question. I just snail mailed and it was ok.
 * Mailed application via Interfolio 9/23; received email confirmation and request to complete affirmative action form around 1 week later.
 * Received req for more material (10/25) Email said that more than 180 people had applied. (x2)
 * Received rejection letter in the mail (11/4); letter said 189 applications were received.
 * Has anyone who sent more info heard anything?
 * Nope (12/2)

Fitchburg State University

 * Full-time tenure-track assistant professor beginning September 1, 2011. The successful candidate will be able to teach United States History 1877-present, introductory courses in American Studies, and upper-level electives in the candidate's field.
 * Please visit our online job site at http://jobs.fitchburgstate.edu for a detailed job description and to apply. Review begins immediately and remains open until filled. (Posted at H-Net on 10/15).
 * Job description says four courses per semester. Ouch.
 * Anyone know how many students per class on average? And if one is expected to teach 4/4 and publish like one is teaching 2/2 or 3/3?
 * Any word? Anyone?
 * Phone interview 11/23 (x1)
 * If you don't mind telling, are y'all American Studies people or did you have a field in it? I'd love an idea of what it was they were looking for.

Fontbonne University (MO)

 * Full-time instructor or assistant professor position in history to begin in fall semester 2011. Tenure track possible pending approval by the Board of Trustees and available funding. The successful candidate should be a dedicated teacher who can teach a variety of courses in history, with a specialization in modern U.S. history. Prefer a Ph. D. degree in history but will consider an M.A. in history depending on academic qualifications and teaching experience.


 * Review of applications will begin January, 2011, and continue until the position is filled.

Framingham State University (MA)

 * Tenure-track appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor in American History beginning September 2011. Teaching responsibilities include both halves of the United States survey and upper level courses in specialization. We are interested in scholars whose work enhances the department's upper division offerings. Candidates who can contribute courses in such areas as the Civil War, race/ethnicity, or transnational topics are especially welcome. Ph.D. in History must be completed by September 1, 2011.
 * For best consideration, application materials should be received before November 15, 2010. Review of applications and nominations will begin immediately and continue until an appointment is made.
 * Apply Online
 * Rejected via email (12/3) x11 --I thought that was fast notification & a classy letter, actually...
 * For those of you who got interviews, what fields? This was a broad ad, so would be interesting to know.
 * Does anyone know anything about the school?
 * Yes.

Georgia Gwinnett College

 * GGC invites applicants for faculty positions in the history of the 20th Century United States starting August 1, 2011. The primary teaching responsibilities for this position include lower-division US and World history surveys, but the ability to teach an upper-division course on the history of the United States since 1945, as well as to develop more focused courses within the candidate's field of specialization is desired.
 * Open Until Filled
 * "In accordance with Board of Regents Policy governing GGC faculty, successful applicants will be eligible to receive 5 or 3 year renewable appointments. Traditional one year appointments may also be approved."

Gustavus Adolphus College

 * Tenure-track assistant professor in 20th Century U.S. History.


 * "We seek candidates [...] in one of the following areas: U.S. in a global context, the environment, and/or popular culture. The successful candidate should have an interest in developing and implementing curricula that address multicultural issues."


 * Application due November 5, 2010.
 * Rec'd email confirmation that application was received. (10/25) confirmation email (11/2)
 * Funny, I have received diddly-squat and sent my materials around two 1/2 months ago (11/3) (x3)
 * Just curious, how many here have applied for this job? (x10)
 * Do you ask because you're expecting lots of applicants? The description is more narrowly defined than a lot of 20th century positions.
 * I'm not sure exactly why I'm asking. But yes, I guess am curious how many applications a small liberal arts college in a rural area will receive.
 * E-mail ack. (11/15) (x1) According to the e-mail, they will interview at the AHA and candidates will be informed of their status during the first week of December.
 * Request for AHA interview received (11/23)
 * By phone or e-mail?
 * By phone (11/23 X 3)
 * Received acknowledgement of receipt of application over a week after AHA interview invitations. Unless the invitations are rolling, I'm not impressed. (12/2) Agreed, haven't heard anything from the department, but am sure I did not make the cut.
 * You recognize that some undergraduate student aid is probably working their way through a spreadsheet, right? (12/3)
 * What are the research fields of the people who have gotten interview requests?
 * My field is 20th century U.S. political/history of science and technology.
 * Congratulations and good luck!

Marymount Manhattan College

 * tenure track position as an Assistant Professor of History, with a specialization in twentieth-century United States
 * Fields of expertise are open, but the College is particularly interested in candidates with specializations in the U.S. in a global context, transnational dynamics, civil rights, environment, urbanization, migration and/or immigration.
 * Review of applications will begin on January 21, 2011, and continue until the position is filled. This position is pending budget approval.

Morgan State University

 * Tenure-track assistant or associate professor in 20th century African American history with sub-specialties in gender/women's studies and diasporic studies
 * Application due Dec. 1, 2010

Moravian College

 * post-1877 American historian
 * Deadline: November 10, 2010
 * Any word on what's happening here? Haven't received any acknowledgement.
 * Received ack in October -- no other info.
 * AHA invite, 12-4 (x3)
 * AHA invite, 12-5 (x4)
 * Never received an acknowledgement. It's perpetually amazing to see the disparity between searches -- some communicate in a clear and timely manner with candidates while with others one simply never hears a thing. It's at least common courtesy to acknowledge receipt of materials. (12/5)

Northwestern University

 * Open rank. "Senior candidates should demonstrate distinction and national reputations in their fields; junior candidates should demonstrate high promise of excellence in scholarship and teaching."
 * October 1, 2010.
 * Several years ago Northwestern ran a search for two 20th c. U.S. historians, one junior and one senior, at least one of which had to be U.S. in the World. Now they're running this open-rank search for a 20th c. U.S. person and another search for a junior U.S. in International History person. Is this the same search revived several years later? I don't know what happened to the earlier search.
 * Yeah, I recall the same search. This one seems open to all fields rather than just "U.S. in/and the world" or whatever it was. The "open rank" part of this might scare me off, though. If they are going to be bombarded with app's from full professors, it might not be worth the effort.
 * They hired Michael Allen for the 20th-c position. They continue to search for a US international historian. This search is to replace Nancy MacLean.
 * A look at their web site shows that they have four lecturers (almost all with PhDs from very good schools) who all teach some aspect of 20th century U.S. Does anyone know if they are all inside candidates or if Northwestern makes a practice of not hiring lecturers onto the tenure-track?
 * They are not inside candidates.
 * Lecturing is very much a double-edged sword in these cases. Sometimes it can serve as a trial run for a TT position -- you'll get on the radar screen of faculty, and they'll decide that you're ready for a permanent gig. But I've seen it work out differently as well -- faculty will think you're old hat, and that someone shiny and new from a different place is somehow better simply because s/he isn't so familiar.
 * Received e-mail confirmation that my application was received. (9/16)
 * Have those who applied since 9/16 received confirmation of receipt? I emailed my materials on 9/22 but no word yet. Thanks. (Received email ack 10/8.) (x2)
 * I applied 9/22 via email and have not received confirmation either. I'm hoping they're just swamped. (x2)
 * I got an "Equal Opportunity Employment Self-Identification" email on 10/4 (x1, but arrived 10/11; I am one of the 9/22 applicants mentioned above)
 * What is an Equal Opportunity Employment Self-Id? Should one fill it out if one receives it? Would someone please answer my question.
 * The federal government requires schools to collect data on race, gender, ethnicity, veterans status, etc. I believe in most cases its voluntary, and is definitely not connected to your application, but I'd imagine it's still wise to fill it out.
 * For the record, the search committee will never know whether or not you filled out the form.
 * Thank you for the answers. Sorry for the delayed response. If one receives the self-id form, does that mean one has made some sort of cut?
 * No, everyone gets one of those forms.
 * Agreed. Everyone gets one of those forms. When I was first on the market a few years ago, one of the readers on my diss told me that some departments only acknowledge applications that they are interested in pursuing in some fashion, however. So, they send letters of acknowledgement and EOE Self-id forms to the short list. Then, after they complete their process and someone is hired they just send out scores of rejection letters. That's why you might receive a rejection letter in April, May or June after having not received any acknowledgement letter or EOE form. Receiving an acknowledgement letter and EOE form could then be a good sign. But then again who knows. The whole thing is so opaque to me. On good days, I just work (and sometimes dare to hope), but mostly I no longer try to figure any of this out. I hope the above post helps someone, nonetheless.
 * Seems like this search has probably moved forward already with some more senior people than are on this wiki. Anyone have a sense of where the search is at this stage? (11/7)
 * Bringing in senior candidates for job talks. Suspect that this was always a senior-level search and that the dean insisted it be open rank...a real waste of a lot of people's time and effort, but there you go. (11/11)
 * I just got an email ack this morning. (11/11)
 * Senior candidates came, offer made to one. Unfortunately this was always really a senior search, but the department was forced by the admin to make it open rank. A cruel joke.
 * Who were the senior candidates? Who was the offer made to? (11/30)
 * Finalists were [?] from Big Eastern U. and [?] from Big Midwestern U.
 * Um, should those names really be here? Even though they're senior faculty, whoever didn't get the job still has colleagues and administrations to deal with. I hope no one minds, but I've taken the liberty of removing the names. Just following standard wiki protocol.
 * I know that this debate has taken place already over the confidentiality issue, but I think the power issue here is more paramount. Let me begin by saying that the moment that anyone, grad student to a senior star faculty member, sends off their application they are entering a public process. Senior people do not submit letters of rec but are asked by SC to send letters--which makes the application process public and visible. Moreover, once said candidate arrives at a campus, their visit is entirely public. Moreover, this discussion about confidentiality implies that said candidates do not want their identity exposed. Don't you realize that at most institutions in this country the only way to get a raise or to show that you have any standing in the profession is to get asked to the dance by another institution? This idea that its going to create negative repercussions for the candidate is not entirely true--it will more than likely--as it has time and time again increased the profile of the candidate, even if they dont get the job. That said, this is really an issue of power. By not disclosing the names, you are unwittingly working on behalf of the University and letting them hold all the cards. By knowing who is up for a job, other applicants can get a sense of the direction that the department is going on, in terms of speciality, etc. It is one way in which we the applicants can gain more transparency in a process that otherwise blocks us out from knowing anything about the search until June when they may or may not send us a rejection letter. This is about power, people. We need to level the playing field more. Thats what this site does so well. It creates a community for us to figure out what is going on during the search season. Don't we get to know who came to campus after we slaved hours over writing cover letters and asking for references, why are we doing the dirty work of departments and keeping their secrets? When in fact it is not even a secret to them, they post ads and distribute emails about job talks all the time. And for those who are naive to think that you can apply for a job and no one is going to know or that its going to hurt--not help--your career, I think, are mistaken.
 * I'm not going to get into a long response because this was all covered in the Yale discussion above. Yes, sometimes it can help for it to be known that other schools are interested in you. But sometimes it can hurt. I've known of people who were denied internal grants because word leaked that they were interviewing elsewhere. And department dynamics can be tricky - difficult colleagues who think that you're not fully invested in the university or resent that you're getting more attention than they are can make your life miserable. As for wanting to know the direction the search went in, fine, both candidates were very high profile from large, R1 schools, who study race and civil rights.
 * Thanks!

Notre Dame

 * Tenure-track assistant professor in 20th Century Cultural and/or Social History
 * Applications due October 1, 2010.
 * Received acknowledgment (09/24/10) (x3).
 * Received acknowledgement with AA form (9/30 postmark)(x1)
 * Informed via email that I did not make the "long short list" (11/1) (2)
 * Informed via rejection email of "the vibrancy of the market" and commenced banging my head against the slim partition separating my work space from that of the other adjuncts with whom I share an office (11/1)(x2)
 * Got same rejection email as the posters on the above 2 bullet points (11/1) - hey, at least they're letting us know now and not making us wait aimlessly... (x4) got mine this morning (11/2) (x2)
 * Any one have information about the TT AP in International Development (with appointment in discipline)?
 * I got a letter from the Search Chair asking for my book manuscript or dissertation on 10/30.(x2)
 * Are there still a lot of people out there who haven't heard anything either way? (11/4)
 * I got the you suck letter about two weeks ago. Just curious to what they were actually looking for. If you received interest from the department, maybe you could let us know what you do. (11/26)
 * I do post 45 social movements but haven't heard anything since I sent them my woefully far from complete dissertation.(12/1)
 * I was asked for materials, I do early 20th century urbanization. (12/2)

Old Dominion University

 * Tenure-track, assistant professor in modern American History (late 19th-early 20th century).


 * "Specialty open, but preference for a transnational perspective, including the history of immigration, the environment, or economic interactions."


 * Review of applications begins October 15, 2010.
 * request for phone interview
 * Anyone else heard anything on this, one way or another?

Queens University of Charlotte (NC)

 * Tenure-track Assistant Professor of History beginning fall of 2011 to teach courses in 20th century United States history. The area of expertise is open; however, applicants with a secondary field in Asian, African, or Middle Eastern history are preferred.
 * Did I miss something or was there no clear deadline on the job ad? (I saw a "close date," but that seems really late). Any idea when they'll start reviewing apps?

Rider University

 * Assistant Professor, 20th Century U.S. History, "who focuses on women's history/gender history, immigration history and/or ethnic studies".
 * Application (online) due November 1, 2010.
 * Received Rejection Letter (11/1).
 * Application materials submitted 10/31; rejection received 11/1. Inside candidate? That is uncannily fast; did they actually read the applications? (x2)
 * I also received a rejection e-mail a day after submitting, from Human Resources not the department. What's going on there?
 * Speculation, but: with the volume of applications I know some recent searches have used a simple rule to narrow down the candidate pool - e.g. only applicants from schools x, y or z, only applicants with PhD in hand, only applicants with a book published, only ABDs, even make it to the consideration pile. It doesn't mean there's necessarily an inside candidate.
 * There is no way they read through one hundred plus applications within 24 hours of the due date (general email received at 1am - essentially the same day the apps were due). And this was a fairly specific job ad so you'd think that taking more than one day to at least glance at each candidate's cover letter or CV would be worthwhile for them. If on'y to pretend they "carefully considered" each applicant. (X2 - I also agree with the "speculation" above but if all those possibilities are plausible then the rejection is especially lame. Don't lie, people. Especially in a buyer's market. You don't need to. When Rider U in NJ - Rider? - can be that selective and that thoughtlessly and inconsiderately dismissive (an auto reply? how lame can you get?) you know there are just too many of us out there. Damn.)
 * I have more peer-reviewed articles that half of their associate professors and got a big ol' rejection just like everyone else. This whole process is like a really bad session of speed dating and I'm left saying, "But he doesn't even know me. How can he not like me?" (Same here....apparently a few peer-reviewed articles and a concentration in two of their three fields (immigraiton, ethnicity, but not gender) doesn't warrant a second look.)
 * Also rejected summarily; received my email early on 11/2 (note: submitted application several weeks ago, but I'm still guessing they never even glanced at it.)
 * just received email that the earlier email was a system-generated error. whew! 11/2 (x1 - they noted they will now be reviewing applications and will be in contact if they are interested)
 * That's a relief but that still seems very weird...
 * Or someone realized how bad it looked to end the search immediately after the closing date, even though the first email was correct (sorry, I am grumpy today).
 * So in the end we have to wait for the mid-April form letter? I'd almost rather be rejected this way!
 * Nobody is going to "take back" hundreds o'rejections just to "look better." My bet is that the mistake was legit and a result of a computer error.
 * OK now I just received three emails in a row from HR with the exact same rejection message as the first one. Another error? (11/3) (x8)
 * These guys need new computer programs. Is it real or a fake rejection?
 * I got another one today too. What's up? (11/3)
 * Did anyone get their rejection emails all at exactly 5:01pm (CST)? - Yep.
 * Yes, me, too. Oddly, it has made me relax about this process a bit. I've now "practiced" getting rejected four times! FWIW, I think all of them are system-generated errors.
 * Yes, it is hard to take it personally when the whole process is so clearly impersonal to Rider (whether it is a computer glitch or a pr job). Will we get three "take back" emails?
 * I sent an email to the chair of the department, but haven't heard anything back...
 * Chair apologized profusely and said that no decisions have been made yet, and that we should all be receiving an actual letter with a timeline soon.
 * Did anyone else NOT get rejection emails? I am almost afraid my application is incomplete or something. I did get the apology emails. (11/4)
 * Ok, it's been nearly a month since the initial computer snafu. Any recent requests for additional materials or interviews set up? Nothing on my end. (11-29)
 * AHA interview requested (12-1)

Rochester Institute of Technology

 * Tenure-track, assistant professor in 20th century US History, with a preferred focus in post-1945, public, or science/medicine/technology.
 * Application due November 15, 2010
 * Anyone heard anything on this one?

Saint Louis University (MO)

 * Assistant Professor: "full time tenure-track position in United States history in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. The department is open to all subfields but encourages applications in gender, immigration, and religion."
 * Review of applications will begin November 15 and will continue until the position is filled.
 * writing sample requested 11/16 (x2)
 * Is that because you failed to include your writing sample with your original applications? We were all asked to send a writing sample by the due date.
 * no, now they want to see the whole diss. (11/17)
 * Congratulations to you. That said, I've been on three search committees and watched my spouse on four more. Asking for a writing sample within two days of the job due date is beyond fishy. But if you were asked, you need not worry about that.
 * There is nothing necessarily fishy about it; search committees operate in a variety of different ways at a variety of different institutions. How about just congratulating without casting aspersions on the request?
 * At the very least the committee is interestedin that applicant. But why would a search committee request to see the entire dissertation? It seems odd, especially if your completion date is Summer 2011.
 * It's not at all odd to ask for a dissertation from someone who is ABD. In fact, it's the easiest way to find out just how far along the candidate really is. And as someone who has been on a search committee, I've definitely seen people claim that they will be finished by the start date when they've really only written one or two chapters. And there is nothing fishy about asking for a writing sample right after the due date - the fastest way to get through a huge stack of applications is to start reading them as they come in.
 * I would never waste an applicant's time, or my time, by asking him or her to send their entire dissertation before I culled through the whole pile. Sorry, that's just how I do business and I've never been on a committee that operated otherwise. I've also never been on a committee that got the bulk of its applications long before the due date. For that matter, I'm not so old that I don't know asking a grad student for a dissertation is a big expense. I have asked for emailed dissertations, but I've never read one. (I did not "cast aspersions." I was merely offering my professional opinion. The level of ignorance about the job market displayed on this wiki is astounding and tells me that universities need to be doing a lot more to mentor their graduate students. God forbid I try to help out. I also pointed out to the person that s/he need not worry, as what mattered is that s/he was asked for the writingn sample. I fail to see how that constitutes casting aspersions. I'm a professor, not a cheerleader.)
 * As a fairly "new" applicant to the market, I welcome your advice and would very much like your "help" figuring the tricky "terrain" of getting SC's to "notice" my letters, CV, etc. I thought I was very much in the running for this position.
 * Sorry, didn't realize "beyond fishy" was a "professional opinion" . ..
 * RE: Requesting entire dissertation. For the applicant above, s/he sent a writing sample and then was asked for the entire dissertation. So the search committee is trying to see how many chapters of the dissertation are done? It's a quantity check, then? If only two chapters are done, then what? There are still 8 months to go for a candidate to finish the dissertation and defend (especially if all of the research has been conducted).
 * b/c it is an easy way to weed people out - why risk hiring someone who might not finish when there are plenty of applicants who already have finished?
 * I just wanted to weigh in on the sending of the full dissertation practice. It is common. Probably about half of the searches I have been involved in have requested the full dissertation either from newly-minted PhDs or ABDs, or have requested the revised manuscript of the dissertation as it approaches published book form. Requesting the full dissertation, or as much as is ready, as part of a request for "principal publications" really depends on the department. But it is common. And, as previous comments have indicated, it also is a good way to discern if someone is likely to finish a high quality dissertation by the appointed deadline. (11/21)
 * On a different note, I would like to note that the school listed different preferences and review start dates on separate postings. The H-Net post (detailed above) has November 15 as the initial review date, but the listing on HigherEd jobs states that the department is interested in applicants with experitise in civil rights (and doesn't note the religion preference) and that applications should be received by December 1. Some consistency would be nice.
 * Contact within department explained HigherEd posting (the original one) was incorrect, fwiw. That was posted before final wording was approved by higher-ups.
 * received email request for AHA (12/1) (x3)

St. Bonaventure University

 * Tenure track Assistant Professor specializing in modern (post 1900) United States history. We seek a specialist in the history of immigration and/or ethnicity. Candidates who can teach World War II and/or Vietnam are also encouraged to apply. The successful candidate will teach 4 courses per semester.
 * Candidates applying before December 8 will receive priority.
 * Received acknowledgement of application six days after emailing it in (11/30)

Texas Christian University

 * Assistant or Associate Professr in 20th Century U.S. history with a research specialty in Urban history, African American history, or Mexican American history.
 * Application due November 25, 2010.
 * This institution has lots of money for research and a very good reputation in Texas. Also, a good location, TX wise.
 * Wow. I just received the AA form. (12/2)

University of Alaska Anchorage

 * a tenure track appointment in Twentieth Century U.S. History to begin in August 2011
 * Expertise in post-1945 history especially desirable. Fields of specialization are open, but the department is interested in candidates with areas in environment, immigration, Civil Rights, or U.S. in Global Context.
 * Position will be open until filled. (Posted at H-Net on 10/6)
 * Does anyone know what the teaching load is here?
 * If we can't answer it, anyone willing to call, find out, and then post the teaching load here?
 * Will they interview at the AHA in Boston?
 * They don't mention the AHA in their ad, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they won't be interviewing there. However, they ask for so many materials with the application that I could see them wittling it down and going straight to on campus, which would be a good way to see who could handle a day of interviews and a job talk with four hours of daylight.
 * I don't know anything about their department, but they could also perhaps conduct Skype interviews. (Skype-ing worked for me a couple of times when the distance thing was too much).
 * What about number of applicants for this job? Anyone know?

University of Connecticut

 * Tenure-track assistant professorship in post-1945 United States history. "Preferred Qualifications: research specialization in law and society or political history, with interests in political economy, globalization, or human rights"
 * Application due: October 29, 2010.
 * Any speculation or inside info on this one? (I am trying to parse out the importance of the tail end -- "political economy, globalization, or human rights.")
 * I'm not sure there's any inside info to be had. In recent years the department and university have really pushed the globalization and human rights angle at all levels and in all fields (from an endowed chair to a 100-level survey course on human rights). It looks like they want someone who can contribute to that.
 * The ad says to send a research paper or published article. Would there be any harm in sending a chapter of my diss instead?
 * I think you should do what the ad says. Or contact the department.
 * Does anyone know the number of people who applied for this position? (x2)
 * A gazillion, I would expect. Of course, that number might be too small.
 * Any word on this one? (x1 -- looks like the other search there is moving forward, curious if this one is too)

University of New Hampshire

 * Tenure Track Assistant Professor of History, U.S. since 1930 (all specliazations)
 * Deadline: November 1, 2010
 * Note: I cannot find an H-Net or AHA posting for this job, though I contacted Ellen Fitzpatrick, the chair of the search, and she assures me it is still open (10/4)
 * Send letter of application, CV, and 3 letters of reference to Professor Ellen Fitzpatrick, Chair of the Search Committee, Department of History, Horton Social Science Center, University of New Hampshire, 20 Academic Way, Durham, NH 03824-3586
 * This was posted to the AHA on 8/20.
 * Huh - that's what I thought, but I couldn't find it by searching through their jobs... (and no one put it up here...)
 * Posted on H-Net today (10/5).
 * When you talked to Professor Ellen Fitzpatrick did she offer you any additional information at all?
 * No, just that the search was very much still active.
 * Are they thinking of hiring one of the two lecturers they hired this year? Any chance, however remote, that they would consider hiring or even interviewing one of their own?
 * I don't know about the culture at UNH, but being a lecturer can be a double-edged sword (see the note re: Northwestern, above).
 * Does anyone know if this position is to replace Harvard Sitkoff?
 * Received an acknowledgment letter; they will contact selected candidates "as early in December as possible" for AHA interviews. x2 (10/26)
 * Last week, I saw a few lines here that are now missing -- or perhaps deleted by mistake -- including that since the crash in 2007 and 2008 some departments are more willing to hire some of their own as well as a few other comments.
 * The following comments appear to have been deleted on 10/15. . . not sure how illuminating they really are, or why they were taken down, but am returning them here for the record (10/19):
 * Since the crash in 2007 and 2008, some have suggested that departments are more willing and have hired their own.
 * The dept has a reputation as "small and incestuous," based on my adviser's assessment of their past practices, though more among the early americanists, and spousal hires.
 * Yes, your advisor is probably right that the dept still has that reputation unfortunately, but perhaps more at a nearby Ivy than nationally.
 * Who cares if the early americanists took care of each other when they needed jobs, bread on their tables and roofs over their heads. Men do that. Women worry about perception.
 * Ouch. Some people do that. Some people worry about perception. Some people do both. Is the old boy network still alive and well in our profession? Probably. Are any historians part of the new girl network that sprung up in businesses across the U.S. in the 1980s, 1990s, and into the 21st century when more and more women who had worked and overcome obstacles decided if they didn't help other women get jobs to put food on their tables and roofs over their heads then no one would? In addition, I doubt UNH will hire one of their own. I do think they should interview a few of their own for perception purposes at the very least. They could spin that in their favor. We train our historians well. They are market ready. See. I don't know if anyone of the SC has heard of courtesy interviews -- a common practice in business to give in-house people practice interviewing -- or if they would be willing to carve out time for this. I love being surprised and proven wrong, however. Perhaps UNH will hire one of its own. Good luck to anyone applying. This would be a very good gig to get.
 * Also, thank you to the person who reposted the missing part mentioned above.
 * I would not bet on UNH hiring one of their own.
 * Apply anyway. I like the ouch comment. Hope you are surprised. Good luck.
 * I like the ouch comment, too. Go for it! Apply and stay strong. You'd be surprised who is rooting for you.
 * Thank you.
 * Does anyone know the number of people who applied for this position?
 * To the person above who called EF any chance you can find out a ballpark number of applicants for this position?
 * Just received the best and brightest acknowledgement of my application letter ever. It clearly and succinctly outlined what to expect for a timeline for this search, including as noted above that they will contact selected candidates "as early in December as possible" for AHA interviews, as well as what to expect after the AHA.
 * Wasn't that letter nice? So refreshing!
 * AHA invite (11/29) x2
 * To the AHA invite recipient, may I ask what general field(s) you're working in? (11/30)
 * Religion and law (although I think they have the latter pretty well covered already). (11/30)
 * can i ask if the aha invite came by mail, email, or phone? 11/30
 * By phone for me. (12/1)
 * Truly nice rejection letter rec - close to 350 applicants. (12/3)

University of Tampa

 * Tenure-track assistant professor in US History since 1877
 * Desirable fields: US South, Florida and the Caribbean, labor, immigration, environment, or sexuality.
 * Application due: November 15, 2010
 * Very involved and tedious online application process. Glad to know they care where I went to high school... (x3!!)
 * Me, me, me, ME! Hire me!
 * Request for a phone interview (11/30/10) (x6)
 * To those of you that got interviews, may I ask your field(s)? (12/1)
 * Organized labor and equal employment in the modern South

University of Toledo

 * Tenure-track assistant professor in U.S. Social and Cultural History, post 1920 preferred. Preference for speciality in labor and urban history.
 * Position begins January 2011.
 * Applications due August 15, 2010.
 * Any word on this one yet? Is there an inside candidate?
 * Got letter saying that materials had been received back in August - nothing else since then.
 * Phone interview scheduled for Oct. 1
 * Any updates on this?
 * rejection letter received today (10/15)
 * Any new on who they hired?
 * Their inside candidate
 * Who was that?
 * Any more news on the hire?

Wellesley College

 * Full-time, tenure-track assistant professorship in twentieth-century U.S. history, research specialization is open.
 * Applications due October 15, 2010.
 * Does anyone know if this job is real/what's up with the dept? They've been running a search for a 19th centuryist since I've been on the market (5 years now) and cancel it after oncampus every year; I'm wondering if the 20th-cen job is going to be subject to the same endless circle.
 * If it makes you feel any better, last year's 19th-century search most definitely resulted in a hire.
 * Does anyone know if they would like separate statements of teaching philosophy and research interests, or if these should be included in the cover letter?
 * Not sure either, but I'm going to put it in the cover letter (i.e. the "detailed" part) 9/14
 * It seems like they have hired several people over the past several years. Lots of younger faculty.
 * This is an excellent position and is highly desirable.
 * Only 2 out of 16 professors in its history department received their PhDs from public universities in the U.S..
 * And so?
 * WC values pedigree, according to a full prof in the English dept, as well as linear careers. Her background: Ivy undergrad, Ivy grad, TT WC, tenure WC. If you doubt this, conduct a random sampling of the College's dept websites. If your background does not match the above mentioned model, you should seriously consider not applying. For the 19thc. search conducted over a few years, the dept did not have the decency to send rejection letters to scores of applicants. They were saving time and money. You might want to do the same by not applying if your pedigree isn't up to their so-called standards. Expect to see a young, newly minted Ivy educated Ph.D. in the 20thc. position in the fall.
 * The person they just hired for the 19th C job got their Ph.D. from a public university. So it's certainly not impossible to get a job there without the above pedigree.
 * Zing!
 * Maybe I'm confused, but why would I decline to apply to a school like Wellesley just because I don't have an Ivy pedigree. Applications are (relatively) free, so what's the risk? That they say no?
 * Why is it that academics, which studies show are predominantly liberal, are so obsessed with pedigree, hierarchy, elitism, and ageism? The notion of having a "linear" career path is also a pretty privileged position.
 * "Private" does not equal "elite." One of those "private" universities has a #28 NRC ranking; another has a #23 ranking. If they were totally hoity toity they would stick with the Ivies and/or the NRC top twenty. But they have not. Apply for everything, and good luck to you.
 * Agreed. And stop whinging about "inside candidates" while yer at it. Git 'er done! (x4)
 * Maybe now is the time for WC's history department to hire an older, state educated, non-linear historian of the 20thc.
 * That would be me! So from your keyboard to . ..
 * That would be I, too. What does so from your keyboard to ..... mean?


 * Isn't there a big circular file for applications from folks in their forties and over?
 * Another ouch on this wiki to which I am forced to respond. The good thing about studying and then teaching twentieth century history as an older, middle-aged graduate student then adjunct is that I bought and read many of the primary sources in the 1970s and 1980s that younger folks are now just "discovering." So, instead of thinking of me as a relic maybe I'll be seen as a living, walking museum. Plus, when I went to college decades ago writing was still taught.
 * Me here. Good thing the Wiki is semi-anonymous. From keyboard to [deity of your choice].
 * Still don't get it, but thank you for trying to explain it. And why do you say semi-anonymous?
 * A: I'll repeat the answer given above under Drake: if you have not created a user name and are not logged in, then anyone can see your IP address in the "History," which could give clues to who/where you are. I would recommend creating a User Name if you care about guarding your identity.
 * Thank you. I read the answer above and wrote there: What kinds of clues to who and where are in one's IP address? And what if one posts from the library or the college cafe? Doesn't the library's and cafe's IP show up then?
 * In addition, the IP address for coffee shops rotates within that shop periodically. Sometimes I see a handful of other academics who are also in our profession and we are all using the same IP address for the cafe's router. We go there because none of us can afford to heat our houses in the winter, but we can still manage to buy a cup of coffee. Sometimes I work in dark, dingy dives during the day, however, escaping not only from heating bills I can't afford to pay, but also from other cold academics, and reducing my chances of sharing an IP address with someone I barely know.
 * "From your lips to God's ears" in an expression more or less meaning "If you say it out loud, maybe God will hear it and will become true."
 * Thank you. I appreciate being told the reference. And they tell me about a pie up in the sky...
 * Old, young, female, male. I have it from the horse's mouth there were more than 450 applications for this job. Perhaps because it was an open call for 20th century? Lots of ABDs trying to take a swing? Those are remarkable numbers.
 * Zing! (x3)
 * Are there really over 450 folks qualified for this job? How does the SC plan to sort through the apps? Any ideas on how many will be asked for more materials? Any thoughts on how many will make a short list?
 * It depends on what you mean by qualified. Do most meet the bare minimum qualifications, probably. The SC could narrow the list down quite quickly by saying something like, "We will only look at candidates from top programs, who have spent at least 2 years teaching, with a book contract in hand." You can speculate on what they will prioritize, or let the chips fall where they may and work on strengthening your own CV.
 * Sorry for my delayed thanks to your post. I was off strengthening my CV. I really do appreciate your answer. I now understand better how departments might deal with hundreds of applications.
 * 450? That seems a little hyperbolic, maybe?
 * The actual number was 473.
 * Buyer's market.


 * Ouch! Good job. Great location. They must have a lot of apps from advanced assistants/early associates looking to move out Dodge, 4/4 loads, or both. There is no way to speculate on hiring prioroties. My university (small liberal arts) has interviewed advanced assistants with books on the way for TT jobs. Each time they hired an ABD or very recent PhD. The power of being perceived as "fresh" and/or better able to adapt to the dept. shouldn't be underestimated. Also, junior faculty don't necessarily want to hire an advanced candidate, who, qualifying for early tenure, will likely be on their own tenure committes. On the other hand, some faculty members prefer advanced candidates because said candidate can take on more committe work, thus becoming department workhorses (granted more likely at larger state schools). All this is to say, we're all viable candidates until we, along with 471 others, have rejection letters in hand.
 * So, someone in the department will send out 472 rejection letters for this search? That's a lot of WC stationery.
 * At $50,000/year in tuition and fees I'm sure they can swing it.
 * Stationery? More and more of my rejections have been coming as email form letters, if I am lucky enough to get them. Perhaps WC is a bit classier than the rest, though.
 * So, unlike some of the 19th c. folks mentioned above who apparently did not receive rejection letters, applicants for this search should, especially since the search is now electronic perhaps.
 * Also, does the SC really narrow down the list by certain criteria? Or, is it more likely that applicants make the short list based on advisors' calls to the SC?
 * I am impressed by and jealous of anyone who has an advisor placing calls this early in the search. Culling a list of interviewees is all about applied criteria: prior teaching, ABD or PhD, degree-granting institution, quality of letters, and, more often than not, fills a teaching need in the dept.
 * Do you really believe that culling a list of interviewees is ALL about applied criteria, especially when there are 473 applications? (Calls to the SC were made before the application deadline BTW.)
 * What teaching need do you think WC is trying to fill with this search?
 * Have not received anything from them. According to the ad they will be interviewing at the AHA, so any news on this search or sense of their time line? (12/1)
 * Search committees don't work the way the more cynical posters on this wiki surmise they do.
 * Ok, so how do they work, then? I'd like to see some surprise interviewees at the very least in Boston at the AHA in Jan.
 * Last year they had far fewer applications for their 19th-century job, and the requests for interviews at the AHA came in the second week of December. So I bet they're still wading through the apps.

California State University-Fullerton

 * "The History Department at California State University, Fullerton invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor of the history of the U.S. and the World, any time period. In addition to teaching courses in the history of the U.S. in a transnational world as well as the history of U.S. foreign relations, the successful candidate will be able to teach the world history survey courses and U.S. survey courses, advanced undergraduate courses in the area of specialization, and courses in historical writing, theory, and methods. The successful candidate will be competent in a language appropriate to the research specialization."
 * Application due November 8, 2010
 * Anyone able to discern what the teaching load is for this position? A: I believe the usual for a Cal State school is something like 3 or 4 courses per quarter/semester.
 * Why did all the conversation that occurred on this job search - i.e., the adjunct who wrote in to talk about working conditions at Fullerton - get deleted from this post? I can't help but wonder who is censoring information like this when this is supposed to be a place to dialogue about the good, the bad and the ugly. I remember the chair wrote in at one point to dispute what the adjunct had said, but where did all of this information go? Did the chair of the program at Fullerton delete this posting? Just curious (10-5).
 * A: Part of it was moved to the Discussion page.
 * Where can I find this discussion? I am unfamiliar with how to access it.
 * A: there is a link to it at the very top of this page. Or just click here: Talk:U.S. History, 2010-2011
 * Received emailed A/A form today (10/21)
 * I have a couple of questions for any participating faculty members: 1) given the state of California's economy is the position in jeopardy of being cancelled? 2) what is the starting pay? Housing costs in So Cal are very high. Can one expect to purchase a house on CSU salary? 3) what is the teaching load and what is the research funding and leave policies? Thanks!
 * Received snail mail ack. letter today (10/26)
 * Just to be clear, many critical comments made by adjunct about Fullerton have been deleted from this page, and the posters IP address have been blocked. There is full blown McCarthyism going on here. Someone is really aggressively trying to shut up the grievances of the adjunct faculty.
 * Has Wikia no sense of decency, at long last? Seriously, no one's life or career is in jeopardy here. Wake me up when they extend interview invitations.
 * McCarthyism - that sounds a little bit paranoid, especially given all the griping and complaining that is pervasive on this post and the talk page. There are limits to how you can talk about people, of course, and if you want to rant without restraint, start a blog. Besides, what's with this constant adjunct business?
 * To the earlier question about the position: None of the faculty can give definitive answers to any of those questions, but the department chair (whaddad@fullerton.edu) can speak to all those points. I can, however, tell you that none of our searches in the recent years got cancelled after we identified a candidate and that no tenure track position was lost. The temporary furlough is over and none of us have heard of talk of another. California's higher education was one of the few winners in this year's budget, with an actual increase. Personally, I feel that the California Faculty Association has also defended us fiercely. Travel and research funds vary, but the publication record of my colleagues is evidence to the fact that we get a lot of good work done. As for leaves, I got a two year postdoc after two years on the job, and the department and college arranged it so that I could take those two years off without change in pay. Yes, teaching loads are higher, but there are ways to make that manageable. But again, check details with the chair.Vjanssen 01:25, November 13, 2010 (UTC)
 * What the above person wants to say, is that after you get a tenure job you can go off and be a researcher, because some adjunct is going to teach your classes for 3,500 and save the department money. There was a time when Fullerton tried to be a teachers school, and teachers were paid properly. Now it wants to be a research school, and it funds that by exploiting the adjuncts. It should never try to be a research school. The reason is was established was not to be a research insitute. They should stop hiring new tenure faculty, and start paying their adjuncts more. Last but not least, if you ever do a background check on the citation index, none of the faculty have published anything that has been cited by more that 50 times. The publication of the faculty remains isolated to insignificant articles and books. But it should not be about publications. It should be about teaching, and paying the teacher a just wage.
 * Received snail mail ack letter. Short list for AHA to be decided by mid-December. (11/15) (x2)
 * No ack yet, but the comments in the discussion sure are fun to read.
 * Received ack letter addressed to the wrong person - this department is a mess
 * I was an adjunct there, and I thought it was just fine. I got paid more than I ever have for being an adjunct, got medical, dental AND vision insurance, and was treated better than at some of the other instutitions for which I worked. I would say that it is not the dept. that is a mess but academia generally and California specifically. Professors have a full load, make decent pay for somewhere not in California, have service committments, deal with the state budget problems (something like unpaid leave), and then have to do a search on top of all that. If you want to live in the promised land or have a tenure track job, you make sacrifices. I think some of us need to relax a bit and remember that these are tough times for the employed and unemployed. Just a thought (11/26).
 * Received rejection (11/27)
 * Received ack letter about Nov 15 or so.

Colgate University

 * Tenure-track assistant professor position in Peace and Conflict studies.
 * The Program is particularly interested in candidates whose scholarship focuses on the structural dynamics of trans-national or trans-regional conflicts, and who engage sophisticated methodological and theoretical approaches in their study. Empirical grounding in a particular conflict history, region, transnational, or transglobal system or process is highly desirable
 * Applications due October 25, 2010

Embry-Riddle University

 * Tenure-track assistant professor in US foreign relations
 * Applications due November 15, 2010

Louisiana Tech

 * Tenure-track position for FALL 2010 " to teach survey courses in world and United States history, and advanced and graduate courses in U.S. diplomatic history, modern western European history, and other area(s) of specialization as determined by qualifications."


 * "Secondary area(s) must be compatible with needs of department."


 * Applications being considered immediately.
 * One should note this position was listed as "US history, post 1815"
 * 7/26: Received notice that the search has been canceled for budgetary reasons. Possiblity of reopening for 2011.

Northwestern University

 * Assistant professorin the field of the United States in International History.
 * Candidates should expect to offer a teaching sequence in U.S. foreign relations, broadly conceived, as well as more specialized courses.
 * Application due November 1, 2010.
 * FWIW a few years ago one of the top profs here was on an AHA panel on job searching and said that anyone whose recs did not bear the current year's date was immediately dismissed from consideration. Since my &^(% advisor can't be bothered to update my recs, and I'd spent a load of time on applying to a job there, it ticked me off, but now it might be useful to somebody!
 * I agree with the above. I know that several search committees only count current letters (the calendar year), so out of date letters are not useful at all.
 * It is very sad to hear these stories of utter professional negligence on the part of academics - I am on the employed side of the fence, just tenured and assigned to an administrative post in my department and the more I learn about the malfeasance, laziness, and outright acts of career sabotage inflicted on grad students seeking jobs the more depressed I become...
 * Glad to see someone on "that" side of fence (for once) actually writes from the cuff. Thank you. But...you may want to take note that it's not only "grad students" seeking jobs...(9/5)
 * Point taken re: not only "grad students" seeking, but I assumed that someone relying so heavily on her/his advisor could not be all that far removed from that status...
 * Several years ago Northwestern ran a search for two 20th c. U.S. historians, one junior and one senior, at least one of which had to be U.S. in the World. Now they're running this search for a junior U.S. in International History person and an open-rank search for a 20th c. U.S. person. Is this the same search revived several years later? I don't know what happened to the earlier search.
 * They hired Michael Allen for the 20th-c position. They are continuing their search to replace Mark Bradley. The new 20th-c search is to replace Nancy MacLean.
 * Did Nancy MacLean retire?
 * She moved to Duke for personal reasons.
 * Any idea when this search is going to move forward? I understand that they do not interview at the AHA, so the next step should be materials requests. Have they made any yet? (11/7)
 * Haven't heard a thing. Anyone? Bueller? (11/23)
 * Nothing at all as of 11/30. No ack/etc. Anyone have a sense of what is going on here with this search? (x2)

Purdue University

 * Tenure-track assistant professor in 20th-century US foreign relations, diplomacy, or US in the World


 * Deadline: November 15, 2010/
 * Does anyone know what "evidence of scholarly and teaching effectiveness" means? I assume teaching effectiveness means reviews or evaluations, but what is scholarly effectiveness? Isn't that on your CV? Please advise.
 * Basically what this means is that the school wants to see that they are hiring a competent researcher and teacher. Have you published? Presented at conferences? Do you have a book contract? Achievement in these areas demonstrates scholarly effectiveness. Teaching evaluations, sample syllabi, and so forth can demonstrate teaching effectiveness.
 * Purdue's history department traditonally hires aggressive, research-oriented, faculty. Check out the profiles of the current assistant and recent associate professors. Do you match their achievements? If you haven't published in decent journals or in edited books from respected presses, you are probably out of luck. Book contracts or at least a press willing to acknowledge they are considering your manuscript will probably be the coin of the realm in today's market. 2/2 teaching load....
 * Received acknowledgement letter. Despite having sent c.v., transcripts, sample syllabi, statement of research interests, statement of teaching philosophy, and three letters of recommendation, they still need to receive the mysterious "evidence of scholarly and teaching effectiveness." Says short listed candidates will be interviewed by phone after November 15. (11/22)
 * I also rec'd ack letter requesting "evidence of scholarly...effectiveness," which turned out to be a writing sample. I had sent a complete teaching portfolio (mine includes things like supervisor and student eval summaries) so it may be that they wanted student evals in addition to your teaching philosophy. Just guessing. I'd email the dept and ask -- the Admin Asst emailed me right back & was very friendly. (11/23)
 * Yes, it appears that writing sample and student evals are what they are want. And kudos to the administrative assistant for her prompt response to me as well. (11/23)

Rutgers University, Camden

 * Tenure-track assistant professor in History: US Global, America in the Wider World, 1860-1960
 * Looking for a scholar whose research and teaching locates US institutions and actions within larger, transnational dynamics from the mid-19th through the mid-20th centuries. Areas of interest: comparative emancipations; domestic sources of imperial power; origins and development of globalism and neocolonialism; immigration, migration, and urbanization.
 * 2-2 teaching load
 * Applications due December 15, 2010
 * Any idea if this is replacing someone? The areas of interest sound a lot like Lorrin Thomas's... (10/2)


 * Lorrin Thomas's job is technically a Latin American history position.
 * Snail mail ack received (11/18)

Syracuse University

 * Tenure-track assistant professorship in the history of the U.S. in the world, American international relations, or U.S. diplomacy.
 * Deadline (online): October 15, 2010.
 * Did someone retire? Seems like a few positions at Syracuse over the past few years?
 * Yep, they're filling retirements. This position once belonged to William Stinchcombe.
 * Request for more materials. (11/4) (x4)
 * Any word on AHA interviews yet? (11/20) Curious as well (11/23)
 * Decisions scheduled to be made early in the second week of December

University of Nevada, Reno

 * Assistant Professor, History, United States in the World, 20th Century. We seek a scholar who specializes in the cultural history of the United States and its interactions with other parts of the world. The successful candidate should be prepared to participate in the university's Core Humanities program as well as teaching more specialized courses, including an upper-division course in the United States, 1877-1945, and graduate seminars.
 * First interviews will be conducted at the upcoming annual meeting of the AHA in January.
 * Deadline: 11/08/2010
 * Isn't Thomas Smith, the Vap at Reno, a more a perfect fit for this position?(10/1)
 * So...is he the "inside candidate"? (10/5)
 * No offense, but people need to stop fretting about "inside candidates" on this or any other posting!!! Git 'er done!!!
 * I have no idea if he's the "inside" anything. However, if you look at his credentials and what the department wants for this position, hence, "an Atlantic or Pacific transnational approach in American history" it seems to me he's got an "inside" shot, no?
 * It's not outside the realm of possibility, but don't let it get inside your head. There's no downside to applying.
 * True.(10/11)
 * Yes, the fact that there's a visiting person who might fit the job description simply tells you that the dept has a need for those classes. Many VAPs (at least in my dept) have very little oppty to meet and mingle with TT and tenured faculty. They teach more courses and aren't obligated, and therefore don't, come to meetings. Nor do they do committee work, which, granted tedious, is one of the few ways junior faculty interact with senior faculty. There's no inside advantage to being a VAP. Don't let it freak you out. There are much better things to worry about on this market.
 * I find this varies from place to place, according to departmental "culture." Generally the more prestigious the school and the more emphasis on research, VAP will not help or may even hinder. In less prestigious schools, especially non-flagship branches of state universities where teaching ability counts for more, being a "known quantity" can definitely help. Actually I've noticed like tend to hire like in terms of pedigree. If there are numerous people on the faculty who are from Yale or UCLA, they are more likely to hire people trained there. Same if it's people trained at Big Ten schools.
 * Any movement here? I've received nothing since submitting materials in early October. (11/30)
 * AHA interview request (12/4)

University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

 * tenure track assistant professorship, who will also be designated the Richard M. Krasno Fellow in the Curriculum in Peace, War, and Defense
 * Competitive candidates must have promising records of research in modern U.S. foreign relations, foreign policy, or international relations. Applicants should have a strong interest in global and/or international history. Expertise in one or more regions or countries outside the U.S. desirable.
 * Consideration of applications will begin on October 15, and the search will remain open until the position is filled.
 * Received email confirming the receipt of my application (09/29/10).
 * Just saw this position posted on 10/26 on the Chronicle for Higher Ed with due date of 12/1.
 * The 10/26 Chronicle ad is different. Original was for a TT assistant professorhip in the history dept; hire is also designated as Krasno fellow in the PWAD Curriculum. New ad is for Krasno Distinguished Professorship, PWAD Curric, with hire having a home dept in either history, poli sci, soc, or pub policy. It's possible they've tanked the history dept assistant prof search for this new position or this search is separate. Link below:
 * Krasno Distinguished Professorship, UNC 10/26
 * Received request for further materials 11/12
 * Any more news from UNC? 11/25
 * Nothing since the request. Anyone else? If so, for which search - assistant or senior?

University of Texas at Austin

 * Tenure-track postion in global policy studies at the the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law. "Disciplinary affiliation is open to candidates from any appropriate discipline, including but not limited to: law, economics, history, political science, sociology, geography, and public policy."
 * Applications due December 1, 2010.
 * Can someone explain "global policy studies"? I asked a UT prof, and he had no idea...
 * Has anyone heard anything? Any idea about the timetable? Are they evaluating on a rolling basis or do we have to wait until after Dec. 1 for the SC to begin reading materials? Some of us are already hearing back from other searches and want to know if there's any chance in this one.
 * Haven't heard a thing...was wondering as well...

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

 * Tenure-track assistant professor in US and the World.
 * The candidate will be expected to develop an introductory course on the U.S. and the world, and teach related upper-level courses in History and interdisciplinary courses pertaining to democracy and justice
 * Preferred: Candidates prepared to teach a course on Asia, Africa, the Middle East and/or Latin America.
 * Applications due November 1, 2010
 * Not my area, but I feel like I've seen this one for the last couple of years.
 * It is very similar to last year's call. The department has made some recent hires, but none were in this area
 * Received email acknowledging the receipt of my application (09/30/10).
 * Any news here?

Discussion
For those who have been on the market previously, would you be willing to compare the number of jobs to years past? (8/26)

It's early to tell, but things feel quite slow and weak this year, as they have for the last 2 or 3 years.

I study the nineteenth century and this year is much worse, in my opinion (9/17)

I study 20th c. I would argue that the market is far better than it was at this point the past two years. It is only late August--we haven't yet entered the high-volume season for postings (September/October). (8/30)


 * Agreed, I think the 20th century numbers are up

Thanks to the above posters. Based on last year's wiki, and the information provided by my department, it is easy to put together a fairly detailed timeline for the job market - but these timelines usually list "July-October" as when most jobs are posted. I was curious if there was going to be a bit more of a wave in the coming weeks. (8/29)

I seriously doubt there will be a wave soon, though there will probably be more ads than last year. Having said that, it is vital that the searches are not cancelled. Last year lots of searches were cancelled mid-year. I wonder how many of those cancelled searches from last year will be running this year (as a repeat). A wave seems unlikely. The high season is soon to be here so I hope it is coming. (8/29)

A question about how to find out a search committee chair: all the cover letter advice I've read so far suggest that it is best to address cover letter to a sc chair (I'm new to the job market this year). And all the advice article indicate that If job posts do not have the names of the chair, we can call and ask for the name. Based on what I read, it seems a reasonable request. But when I asked a * university for the sc chair name, they said they don't advertise the names as if that violates some kind of privacy issues. What's you opinion? Do you always address your cover letters to specific people? Does it matter? Any advice on writing a cover letter from those who were successful at landing jobs? Wondering if any of you would weigh in on something I heard from a colleague. Is it true that if you have not been asked to apply for a job then your chances are next to none?
 * You may already know, but if not, the Chronicle displayed a plethora of jobs yesterday (8/31)
 * Why did H-Net mess with the format of their Jobs Page in the middle of a job hunt? It's annoying! (9/1)
 * The new format is terrible! The old format was so much better. I mean, really, who could look at that and think it was an improvement? (9/1)
 * Agreed. It's useless.
 * I like the new display much better. I don't have to scroll through lots of different fields, seeing many duplicate listings, when I do a search. Much easier to view now. (9/2)
 * Nope - the new format sucks! (9/2)
 * If the job ad lists a contact name, use that. If not, just say "To Whom It May Concern." I can't imagine anyone discounting your application because it is not addressed to a chairperson who is not listed in the ad.
 * I've seem people use "To Whom It May Concern" -- I've also seen "Dear Sir or Madam." Personally, I choose to resolve this problem by omitting the salutation altogether when a name was not given in the ad and instead using a header that incorporates the name of the position. Thus "Letter of Application for Assistant Professorship in [insert area here]." For what it's worth, I got dossier requests/interviews/offers resulting from job letters addressed this way. Essentially the person above is right: there are several reasonable solutions to the issue, and what matters more is the content of the letter, rather than the way it is addressed.
 * I say "Dear Search Committee." Honestly though, unless you're addressing people by their first name only, people do not care about this stuff.
 * I usually put, "To the Members of the Search Committee." (x2)

Alright savvy job market veterans. We're nearing mid-September and job postings appear to have slowed down since Labor Day. Any thoughts on the state of the market this year, as compared to last season?
 * I am on the search committee for one of the jobs posted above and I beg you not to believe your colleague. How do you expect us to find the best candidates if you do not apply. Apply to anything that is even close to your field as far as I am concerned. Ignore rumors about inside candidates, what type of historian they are looking for, or anything else for that matter. If you look back at past wikis you will find those rumors are almost always false. (9/13)
 * That is absolutely not true. In my experience, schools very rarely ask specific people to apply. Those that do are generally the top schools and are looking for someone with tenure or at least an advanced assistant. I can only think of two people that I know (nationwide) who were asked to apply somewhere. (9/8)
 * Agreed, not true. Might be an older notion of the "good ole boy" network. I've had friends invited to apply for positions who were then turned down. Imagine if you're on a search committee and have someone in mind, but then get 100 outstanding applications. You could easily be convinced that a better candidate is in your stack of applications. I would pay more attention to the language of the job ad. If you study gender and sexuality and the job ad is looking for someone who does immigration history - then you might not want to waste your time. (9/8)
 * Not true! Nobody asked me to apply for the job I currently hold. One of my colleagues has been asked to apply for three jobs and didn't get any offers. One of the common reasons for inviting candidates to apply is if the search committee wants to make sure they have a strong pool. Sometimes a department has to demonstrate they have a good pool of applicants before the dean will let them go ahead with campus visits.

To Hell with online application forms that demand every excrutiating detail of your last ten years' employment. That is all. (x2- I can't imagine anyone outside of HR is reading that and it is such a pain in the ass. Isn't that what CVs are for?)
 * About as clear as whether the Democrats will gain a greater footfold in Congress after mid-term elections. Your guess is as good as mine.(9/10)
 * Well, I am not an African-american, or Islamic, or women's historian, which is all that departments seem to be interested in hiring this year. So, it is bad.
 * Rough count: of the 55 jobs advertised, 45 do not fall under the rubrics you describe.
 * Looks like a tough year for 19th century and a slightly better year for 20th century. US and the World or US/International or US Foreign Policy (whatever) continues to grow.
 * It is most definitely not a good year for 20th century (except perhaps relative to other centuries/sub-field specialties), or any US field by and large. Take a look at the 2008 archived wiki page to see a year, at the time considered "bad" but still with quite a few more positions across the board. 2010-11 is a very bad year on the market. Period. Let's hope for few to no search cancellations, at least.
 * It is WAY too early to compare this year's market to the market for an entire year (2008 or otherwise). We are still three months out from the AHA--many administrators are just now establishing budgets, and many departments have just held their first faculty meetings and only now have a firm sense of funding/need. We are really only one month into the pre-AHA market, with three months remaining. Then we have a secondary market. Things could go in MANY directions. [and . . . did you hear . . . the recession ended over a year ago! . . . surely everybody will now be dying to employ us!] (9/22)
 * It looks like another good year for early Americanists. Why are more graduate students not writing focusing on earlier time periods? Based on the job market over the last four or five years there are normally twice the number of early jobs than 19th century jobs. It is also a far better funded field (postdocs, fellowships, grants, etc.) per capita.
 * I was on that job market in 2008! Sure, it looks like a lot of jobs... but 80% of the ones I applied for had been cancelled/suspended by January. You'd have to look at how many went through... my impression is this is sure not at pre-crash levels, but it's still a lot better than last year (esp. for early 20th-century folks-- there was 1 job last year, this year around 5?) I was told that since Uni's investment portfolio are on a three-year turnaround in most cases, universities will be feeling the effects of 2008 well into next year before we see a sign that funding is up and coming. (Heard this from a dean at Duke.)
 * "Good year for early Americanists?" "Good" is a relative term - it is certainly a better year than for twentieth-century Americanists, but there are still more people than positions. I am in my fouth year.

FWIW, I melted down a couple years ago over one of those & talked to the head of the Search Committee at that school-- it's b/c the electronic app is used for ALL applicants, including janitorial, drivers etc. She told me that if you're attaching a CV they really don't expect tenure-track applicants to fill out all that employment stuff & other things that look really irrelevant... now I just put "see attached CV" and I'm still getting interviews.

I wish I had read that before I just wasted half an hour. (I did suspect it was because non-academic staff applied through the same site, but I still feared they would insist on a fully filled-out form.)

Prospective faculty aren't always exempted from these common applications, though. A while back, I applied for a position and after my AHA interview, they handed me a paper application from the university asking for my entire employment history and asked me to mail it to them. I totally forgot to fill it out (probably because it was both odd and a hassle), so after a week or two I got a nasty e-mail from the SC chair saying, "Even if you're no longer interested in the position, please fill out the application and mail it back." I definitely wasn't interested in the job after that e-mail. By the way, that department is one of the schools listed above.

Yeah, I'm going to keep filling them out to be on the safe side. And kudos to those departments - such as SUNY-Buffalo, which I just finished filling out - that have online forms but do NOT require all that.

It seems like I've been filling out a lot more of these online apps than in the previous two years. Perhaps not coincidentally, it seems like I've received far, far fewer acknowledgements of any kind (letter, email, whatever). I just noticed a school has moved ahead with phone interviews, and I still don't know if my material even reached the right people. Do others get this sense, or am I retreating further and further into my own paranoia?

Q: Anyone have advice on what search committees are looking for when asking for a statement of research interests?

A: A statement of research interests should include a synopsis of your dissertation/book's topic (what question are you addressing?), methodology (how are you addressing it?), sources (what are you using to address it?), and historiography (who else has addressed it and how are you different than them?) You should also situate the dissertation in a broader context of your research interests. What _kind_ of historian are you? Finally, a line or two on ideas for future projects (and how they fit into your overall research arc) makes sense. You want to portray yourself as an innovative, hard-working scholar full of bright ideas that they would LOVE to have in their department.

For any search committee members who might be reading this: I try not to procrastinate, but with all my teaching and grading responsibilities, I often end up mailing my materials very close to the deadline. I am reluctant to pay the big bucks for guaranteed next-day delivery. Are these deadlines usually arrival deadlines or (much better for me) postmark deadlines?

I don't know, but it strikes me if you can get it there by November 17, you can also get it there by November 15 (or whenever the deadline is).

Please proof read and double check

I am on a search committee right now which has received several applications with the wrong school addressed at the beginning of the letter. When you have 100-200 applications to go through it's easy to throw that one in the "no" pile. Just be sure you send the right letter to the right school.

Alternate Jobs?
As most people on this site won't be getting TT academic jobs, I was wondering what most people plan on doing next year? How long do we stay on the academic job market before giving up? Two, three, four, eight years? What are people thinking?
 * Continue adjuncting at a local school until TT comes along?
 * Government work
 * What does that mean? Working for what gov't agencies?
 * High school work? If so, where do you find those jobs?

My plan is to continue adjuncting, publishing, and applying until I am hired even if it takes a gazillion years. (I don't know what single people do. If I weren't married, I would be living in abject poverty or more likely penniless on the street (literally). My kids want me to work at the Apple Store, where recently one of its managers kindly asked me if I would be interested in applying for a sales position there, while I was working on a Keynote presentation to accompany the paper I just gave. A blue t-shirt may be in my future.)

I generally think 2 years on the market post-PhD and then I am done. Maybe try to publish more popularly, do grant/copywriting/editing work, all the while expanding applications to include U Presses, museums... not that those are easy to get by any measures. If nothing pans out, the Apple Store doesn't seem that bad to me. Funny, I feel lucky to be single - no mouths to feed, no partner to answer to, but I guess to each his own. Would love to hear from others too..

I would love to hear from others, too. After how many years on the market does it become embarrassing, if you will, to keep applying. I know that that number might be larger now given the fact that so many searches were cancelled in 2007 and 2008 or larger if one was on the market then off the market perhaps for family reasons. I make $2500 per course as an adjunct where I teach and do not receive any benefits nor can I get to my classroom by public transportation. I really couldn't survive (i.e., pay for housing and utilities, buy food, own a car, and buy gas) without my partner's salary and benefits. Also, I think I might be happy as a salesperson for Apple. I believe in their products. I'd like to know what folks think would happen if hundreds of us just keep applying year after bloody year as some sort of political act? Would anything change?

I’ve been on the market five years – premature the first year, got a postdoc the second year, lots of interviews but no job the third year, and then the economy tanked, job opportunities disappeared, and the already fierce competition skyrocketed. I have kids and a gainfully employed partner (overworked, underpaid prof at a small liberal arts university). Unlike previous posters, I cannot even begin to afford adjuncting as my primary source of income, and I find it really f***d up that my degree allows me to earn less than in grad school and provides fewer benefits and no job security in academia. The system really needs to be addressed, but that’s a whole different topic. Thankfully, my dissertation was interdisciplinary and provided me will transferable skills for a job outside of academia, but which I can spin as helpful for certain tt jobs. I haven’t given up on the dream of an academic career, so I straddle two worlds. I adjunct at least once a year to keep my teaching current, to be in the classroom that I love so much. I’ve published a couple of articles and book reviews, presented at conferences, and even served on a masters committee. But I am getting tired and may give up on the academic thing after this year.


 * Yup. I am almost in the same boat as you, just trailing a bit behind. I too straddle different worlds between kids, and more importantly, being *present* with the kids despite the drudgery of pursuing the so-called TT dream job. After a couple of publications, I am searching for an academic press to publish my manuscript (diss), which as quixotic as it sounds, is something I intend to do come hell or high water. I have something to say and after that, I may walk away from academia altogether. One thing is for sure, I will NEVER encourage my child to earn a degree beyond a masters and put up with this sordid game. In a not so funny way, I feel landing a TT job is becoming analogous to *landing* a role for a film--its a crap-shoot in academia now more than ever (I just wish I wasn't so addicted to Pannamaker's double-edged "truth-serum" essys on the Chronic[le]: "hey look at me, I'm tenured, sorry you're not and here's why you suck! Sorry.") But, unlike most actors, did they invest tens of thousands of dollars to put up with this garbage year after year?
 * Agreed. I have a grad-school friend (a single, footloose, continent-trekker moving from VAP to VAP) who likens it to professional baseball--you pay your dues in the minor leagues for a few years, putting up with job insecurity, low pay, and far-flung locales, and then you reach the "major league" of a t-t job. To which I reply that major league baseball is millions of dollars, five-star hotels, star-struck fans, and amoral groupies. Whereas a t-t job is $50,000/year to fight with colleagues, desperately suck up to childish journal referees as though your life depended on it (it does), and cajole mostly disconnected students in a place that you wouldn't even drive past had you chosen any other career. And that outcome makes you extremely lucky and a superstar amongst your former grad-school colleagues. For me (and I bet a lot of others), it started as some amorphous thing that I thought would be fun to do, and morphed into an unhealthy obsession. Now I'm frantically checking the wiki, desperate for the privilege of paying $800 to go to Boston and take a 1 in 12 shot at landing somewhere called Institute, West Virginia. I recognize that this is my own choice, but I do think the system is fundamentally broken.
 * To the post above -- as you probably know -- don't advise your children to enroll in terminal masters programs where one is often expected to pay for tuition and living expenses. Masters programs are the cash cows of some departments.  Instead, if they are interested, then your children should enter fully funded Ph.D. programs and then perhaps take their masters and head for the hills.  Are women still more likely than men to be encouraged to start out in a terminal masters program and see how it goes? Or are June Cleavers with MA's part of the past?