Russian & Slavic 2011-2012

'''Уважаемые коллеги! Добро пожаловать! '''The 2011-12 hiring season has arrived.

A few guidelines to keep things neat:

1. Please update the Wiki when you learn about new searches, canceled searches, notifications of interviews, campus interviews, and concluded searches/offers.

2. When adding new searches, please list the institution name in alphabetical order. If an institution is conducting more than one search in the field, list the university and the position name in parentheses beside it, creating two separate entries for updates. Use Header 2 so that the institution will show up in the Contents list below.

3. When updating the status of searches, please give the means by which you learned of the news and also the date, i.e., Interview scheduled (phone), 12/15/11; Search cancelled (word of mouth), January, 2012; Rejection (mail), 3/17/12.

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE USING THIS WIKI?
 * PhD in hand: 14
 * ABD: 7
 * Contemporary: 2
 * 20th century: 10
 * 19th century: 6
 * Pre-19th century: 2
 * Linguistics: 3
 * TOTAL: 21

Anyone else thinks the job market this year is the pits, even worse than it usually is?

 * If so, what are you thinking of doing next year? I still have a year of contract left, so I guess I'm somewhat lucky. But thinking about leaving academia. There are many options out there that aren't quite as humiliating, uncertain, and staggeringly disproportionate to the degree you got.
 * I am particularly taken aback by the condescending, openly exploitative tone of some of the interviews. I hear other people making the same remarks, too -- a friend got totally trashed and ridiculed at several interviews. I wasn't a fan of Occupy movements, but I am beginning to see the point...
 * that sounds awful - ridiculed in what way?? i am also considering leaving, but it's hard to know where to start. plus the feeling that you're no good for anything else but academia doesn't help...
 * They trashed his/her research. On being no good: there are good resources out there on transferable skills for humanities PhDs. Google it. Chronicle.com also has a good forum on this subject. Also articles on how Ph.D.s find jobs in private high schools. Good luck!
 * Thanks for the tips! My sympathies to your friend, I have nightmares about this happening to me.
 * My interview experience wasn't great. The questions were exacting and self-centered on the part of the faculty.
 * One of my senior colleagues has been tracking for over 30 years, and this is by far the worst year. I'm planning to give it 5 years to get T-T, then retrain for another field if I don't, and I'm doing relatively well (currently VAP, have another multi-year offer on the table). It isn't enough to be good anymore, you have to be very lucky.
 * Yes! As my partner just said, "It's like Vegas. You can't assume that just because you keep going back and gambling, you will eventually win."
 * Interesting re: 5 years to get T-T, above. Do any of you plan to do this even as a VAP, for those multi-year contracts? To an extent, I am quite comfortable where I am, too: I have a multi-year contract, very nice colleagues, very nice students, we do quite well as a program, my family has great health insurance because of my job. Yet it has some weird hierarchical implications. Not quite faculty, you know, etc. and sometimes it really hurts. And the falseness of it all, the "contingency," the "visiting," can get annoying, to put it mildly. And our being comfortable with this sort of thing is part of what enables the system to be dysfunctional: the universities can keep the VAP positions without creating T-T lines. What to do? I have been thinking about my job as just "a job," rather than a "romantic" commitment to the university that T-T and tenure imply, and am trying just to enjoy it, for now.
 * The logic for 5 years is that after that, you're ineligible for a lot of the young scholar support and eventually (I think) search committees stop considering you seriously...
 * Folks, there are options, and you are good at things. To me, 5 years in post-doc limbo seemed like a recipe for self-loathing and life paused. This writer successfully transitioned out of Slavic academia doldrums to a successful non-academic career in which I use skills I picked up while a grad student (though not my Russian). Trust me, you don't deserved to be ridiculed at job interviews; I'm sorry that happened and embarrassed for whatever loser faculty members pulled that.

The University of Arizona - Visiting Assistant Professor (Sabbatical Replacement)

 * http://www.uacareertrack.com/applicants/Central?quickFind=203916
 * Not clear when review begins

Bates College - Lecturer in German and Russian

 * deadline Nov 21

Binghamton University - Visiting Asst Prof (3 years)

 * Review begins in Jan
 * Request for Skype interview 2/1 (x3), and 2/13
 * Invited for campus visit (2/27)

[re last year's search; moved from below

Last year when the Binghamton search failed after the on-campus interviews had taken place they had to go back to the original application pool to find their candidate. Something like that happening is why they leave it open until the position is definitely settled. It doesn't have to do with the department itself. It's more likely an HR policy.

That is not what happened with Binghamton. They actually hired soemone who went on the campus interivew. (1/31)

The person Binghamton hired may have had a campus interview, but they had it *after* all three candidates invited for the campus interview turned the job down. So they had to do a second round of on-campus interviews.

Does anyone know why the applicants all refused the position? I ask as an applicant to this year's iteration.

Combination of personal circumstances and better (more long-term) offers elsewhere. It's not a comment on the school. ]

So was there only one of us who got a Skype interview? Do you think they're interviewing candidates one at a time? (I've heard of that happening.)

I just received a letter stating that they are still reviewing applications and will inform me of the results. (2/16)

Bowdoin College - Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Russian (1 year)

 * Has anyone heard anything?
 * I heard through the grapevine that they were already conducting interviews, maybe even on campus.
 * A friend just heard about a phone interview from them.
 * To the person who made that last entry: when did you post it? Thank you.

Brigham Young University - Open rank position in Second Language Acquisition (tenure track)

 * deadline Jan 2

Carnegie-Mellon University - Open rank position in Second Language Acquisition (tenure track)

 * Review begins Oct 31

College of the Holy Cross - Assistant Professor of Russian (tenure track)

 * deadline Nov 1
 * Has anyone received a response? I haven't. (12/12)
 * not me yet, either (12/12)
 * I emailed shortly after submitting my material because I sent it a little late. They replied saying I was missing my undergraduate transcripts. Based on the job announcement, I assumed they only wanted graduate transcripts, and I wonder if anyone else only sent those in, and, if so, if they were told they also needed undergraduate transcripts to complete their application. (12/13)
 * That's very strange and concerning. If they're waiting for undergrad transcripts, they'll have a very small pool, I bet. I only sent in grad school transcripts. I didn't contact them because I assumed my application was complete.
 * I also only sent the grad transcripts. I'd like to think they'd get in touch if they really wanted the undergrad transcripts!
 * In any case, the position looks tailor-made for their current lecturer who has been there for years.
 * This is ridiculous. It seems like this is their way to create a very, very small "pile A." Do they care what you got in chemistry in your sophomore year 15 years ago? I did not mail my undergrad transcripts either and I agree that they probably have an inside candidate. In that case, can't they just do a direct hire? I hate it when academics engage in this kind of hypocritical show of openness. It would save applicants time and emotions if they just hired the person. It would save them time and money that they will presumably spend on bringing someone to campus. In my current job, they spent $10,000 on a similar search, and yes, ended up hiring the really nice, really smart adjunct. ??
 * I sent both my undergrad and grad transcripts, and I haven't heard anything. I'm convinced that there's something shady going on. It should be illegal.
 * I believe that they are required to do an open search for a tenure-track position, even if they know whom they want to hire. Sad for us, but true.
 * But is it an "open" search if they don't even interview anyone?
 * What if they just advertised the job and said, at the end, "but don't bother apply, because we already know whom we will hire."
 * THIS SUCKS. Shall we do anything about it? It doesn't seem like anyone even got an interview. Any time this kind of thing happens in our field (grossly unethical and blatantly so actions), it would be nice to have an open conversation about it. Or just have a private party at AATSEEL and gripe. Preferably in a jaccuzzi.
 * Has anyone else written to the department to check on the status of the search? The next step is to write to HR. They should be interested in the fairness of this process.
 * No comment on the fairness of the search, but they have invited candidates for on-campus interviews. (grapevine)
 * I emailed them asking for a status on the search, but have not heard anything yet. (1/6)
 * Received rejection letter by snail mail 1/28 (x2)
 * There are definitely three on-campus interviews, two external and one the adjunct whom someone mentions earlier.
 * Fascinating rejection letter. Doesn't even mention that you are being rejected, but plenty of verbiage about our "fine" research and the "very careful consideration." Like something out of Gogol. Especially given the likelihood that they will hire the current contingent faculty member.
 * Offer made and accepted (grapevine).
 * Was it the suspected internal candidate?
 * Yes, it was. I feel like we should be charitable about this, especially considering that any one of us might become an internal candidate someday. So many of these 3-yr VAP positions are advertised with the intention of creating a tenure line with an internal candidate. After putting in the time and doing an excellent job, I'd want to be given a slight advantage too! (x2)
 * No beef for the internal candidate. But the system is not exactly honest or transparent, either. There is such a thing as a "direct hire." I wish more colleges used it, rather than act hypocritically.(x2)
 * Exactly, why couldn't they just hire that internal candiadte to begin with, rather than make everyone suffer through the interview process.
 * What amazes me is that this kind of thing is not only cynical but also costs upward of $6,000 at my current (contingent) job. One could fund two solid research trips abroad through this. An undergraduate research project. Maybe even part of a sabbatical. Also, the time spent by the people on the search committee. Who benefits from this practice? I understand the desire to "try out" the person in a contingent position before committing to 7 years with him or her, but the next circle of hell (for everyone involved, including the inside candidate as the uncomfortable person that people see at AATSEEL--the practice is divisive despite some people's good intentions!) seems completely unnecessary. Or is this how things happen in academia--it's about time wasting, rather than doing something genuinely exciting? (x2)

Columbia University - Lecturer in Discipline (Russian)

 * immediate review
 * interview scheduled at ASEEES (email)
 * When were you contacted? (11/15)
 * any developments?
 * Heard through the grapevine that they have invited candidates to campus for teaching demo. (1/27)

Davidson College - Visiting Assistant Professor

 * 2 year position w/ possibility for renewal; 20th century; 3/2 teaching load
 * CV, transcript, 3 letters of rec, statement of teaching philosophy, writing sample
 * deadline Nov. 15
 * invitation to interview (12/13 email): (x8)
 * rejection: did not fit their profile: 12/13
 * yep, same as above
 * Those interviewed at AATSEEL should hear soon about campus interview. They plan to invite 2 people to campus in Feb. (1/9)
 * Email: "At this time we have not made any final decisions in our search. We will be in touch again by late February." (1/12) (x2)

Heard through the grapevine: finalists were invited for campus visits
 * Does anyone know if this means one is not invited? :)
 * I got the same email. I assume it means they have invited people to campus.
 * I like how this is up for interpretation!

Is this the email they sent to everyone who was interviewed but not invited to campus?

I would guess so. Unless there's someone who was interviewed, not invited to campus, and did not get this email.

of course it means you are not invited. After the on-campus, they will let you know that they have chosen their candidate--that's what late February refers to. An alternative, and certainly more honest, rejection email would have read: we have made our selection for on-campus interviews but the general search remains open.

Very "polite" of them. Doesn't make me want to work for them, honestly.

Last year when the Binghamton search failed after the on-campus interviews had taken place they had to go back to the original application pool to find their candidate. Something like that happening is why they leave it open until the position is definitely settled. It doesn't have to do with the department itself. It's more likely an HR policy. [moved Binghamton info up]

It's standard practice to keep a search open until an offer has been accepted; this can take many weeks.

Position offered and accepted, 2/8 (grapevine)

Official email from the search committee saying that the position has been filled. (2/15) Congrats to the person hired! (x2 - same email - and big congrats to the person hired! really seems like a great place!)

A very nice rejection letter.

Does anyone know who got the job? (Happy for them -- just interested in who ended up being a good fit for the institution).

3/4 - Answer to the last question: the person who got the job is someone who fits the original job description and who was chosen after a rigorous and fair process and whose name will, no doubt, be posted on the department website when this person arrives at Davidson in the fall. (This post is authored by the finalist who did not get the job.)

The hire is posted on their website currently - take a look!

Durham University - Professor of Russian and Cultural Theory (3 years)

 * deadline Nov 29

Florida International University - Lecturer/Instructor in German and Russian

 * Review begins Dec 15

Harvard University - Director of the Slavic Language Program

 * Review begins Dec 1
 * Rejection letter received via email (1/24) x2
 * 1/25 - Three candidates invited for campus visits in March (heard through the grapevine)

Indiana (Bloomington) - Senior Position in Slavic Lang & Lit

 * area of specialization open; mid-career scholar sought
 * CV, letter of intent, six letters of rec requested
 * deadline Nov 1

Lafayette College - Visiting Assistant Professor of Russian Studies

 * https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=43827
 * 1/26 - invitation to campus interview
 * 2/21 - offer made and accepted

McGill University - Assistant Professor of Russian Studies

 * Tenure track position; Russian Romanticism and Realism and one or more of the following areas: Russian media and visual studies, performance, intellectual history, and (cross-) cultural studies.
 * CV, teaching portfolio, writing sample, 3 letters of rec


 * deadline Nov 5
 * Has anyone been contacted? (12/12)
 * not me (12/12) x2
 * still nothing (12/15) x3
 * and more nothing (12/19). Anybody? Anything?
 * nothing here (12/19) x2
 * STILL nothing! (12/29) Help!
 * yeah, nothing here (12/30) x4
 * 1/9: Just called to inquire; was told they're still looking through files -- i.e., either have not interviewed or are not finished interviewing. I believe interviews are to be conducted by phone.
 * request for phone interview next week (contacted by email 1/11)
 * has anyone else heard from McGill? (1/27)
 * I'm the same person as who wrote abt phone interview above: e-mail at end of last week (1/20) saying they were deliberating... But the wiki seems pretty quiet -- if, as someone reported, there were 65 apps for Pitt and only 19 of us claiming to be on the wiki, we're not a very good sample...
 * well, at 1/3 to 1/4 of the potential pool, I think we actually are a pretty good sample. So, I would suspect people are keeping quiet on this one.
 * There is a talk advertised on the dept website that looks suspiciously like a job talk... It's scheduled for Feb 6th.

Middlebury College - Assistant Professor of Russian

 * Tenure track position; 19th century
 * CV, transcript, 3 letters of rec, statement of teaching philosophy
 * deadline Oct. 15 (extended to Oct. 27)
 * Invitation to interview at ASEEES (phone, Nov. 7) (2)
 * Congrats to the interviewees! Can I ask whether you both received the call on Nov. 7? (trying to figure out if there's any chance of getting an invite at this stage, or not). Also, what is your specialization?
 * Does anyone know what their timeline is like? Have candidates already been invited on campus? A: Yes.
 * Any idea how many people are invited to campus? there was a talk about a "short list" and I am wondering how short the "short list" is...
 * a short list is generally 3, sometimes 4 people.
 * Nicely worded rejection letter (by email) 01/03/12 (x2)
 * they have invited people for on-campus interviews (grapevine). Any confirmation of this from someone invited?
 * Not one of the people invited, but confirmation via another section of the grapevine.
 * Position offered and accepted (friend of mine).
 * Congrats!

NYU - Clinical Asst Professor/Director Jordan Center

 * Candidates should submit a cover letter, c.v., and three letters of recommendation.
 * Review of applications will begin on September 6, 2011, pending administrative and budgetary approval but applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
 * Submitted application in September - haven't heard anything at all. Has anyone else?
 * Same here - and still not a word.
 * Nicely phrased E-mail rejection [11/7].
 * Yup, me too.

Purdue University - Assistant Professor in Modern Russian Literature & Culture (tenure-track)

 * Review begins Dec 5
 * Confirmed receipt of application Dec 5
 * Phone interview requested for late January (12/16) (x5)
 * How were you contacted?
 * answer to above - by email
 * 3 finalists invited to campus; found out by email from chair, in response to my email query (2/19)

St. Olaf College - One-year sabbatical replacement position

 * Review begins Feb. 24

University of Ottawa - Assistant Professor in Russian (12 months)
candidates within a week or two."
 * Review begins Dec 15
 * Where was this announced? I can't find the original advertisement for the job.
 * AATSEEL job board
 * On 1/9/2012, received the following update (in response to status inquiry): "The members of the search committee are in the process of reviewing the applications and should have a shortlist of

University of Pittsburgh - Assistant Professor of Russian

 * Posted on AATSEEL
 * Deadline: Review begins immediately
 * Acknowledgment received: 11/2 (but I imagine these will be sent out on a rolling basis)
 * Interview scheduled for ASEEES (e-mail) -- 11/14
 * Has anyone heard from them since then? Will they be doing more interviews at AATSEEL? (12/19)
 * Grapevine has it that they are interviewing at AATSEEL this weekend. I'm surprised no one on this wiki got an interview! (?)
 * They did! Several during the ASEEES and several more at the AATSEEL.
 * 1/9: Just called to inquire re. status of my application; the nice administrator told me that everyone's still in the running; the dept. still haven't finished deciding who will be interviewed. There's been a total of 65 applications, 40 of them from people specializing in the Silver Age -- the specialization the department is specifically looking for. Rejections will be sent out later this month.
 * 1/9. They did indeed hold interviews at AATSEEL this weekend.
 * The finalizing of the short list for campus visits must be in process now.
 * Any news? -- email today (1/17) said they just finished preliminary interviews. x2
 * Any news? Presumably finalists have been invited on-campus?

Ruhr University (Bochum, Germany) - W2 Professor in Russian Culture

 * The Seminar for Slavic Studies/Lotman-Institute at the Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, has a vacancy starting October 1, 2012 for a W2 professorship in Russian Culture.
 * Scientific and professional CV, certificates, list of publications and teaching experiences by Sept 30, 2011 to The Dean of Philology, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitaetsstrasse 150, D 44780 Bochum
 * asked for five most important publications and dissertation to be sent (16.11)

Tufts University - Lecturer in Russian Lang & Lit (1 year)

 * Review begins Jan 10
 * 1/27: Received request for a phone interview (x3; it's a 20 minute phone interview).
 * 2/25: Has anyone been contacted for a campus visit? Yes, two weeks ago.
 * 3/3: Position filled (received rejection email) (x2)

Vassar College - Mellon Postdoc in Russian Studies (2 years)

 * Review begins Dec 26
 * Have people who were interviewed for the 1-year position at Vassar also been interviewed for the Mellon postdoc? Answer: they mentioned both in my interview, so I assumed the same interview counts for both.
 * to the above post: not in my case. they did not mention the postdoc
 * Any news about this postdoc?

Vassar College - Visiting Asst Prof/Instructor of Russian (1 year)

 * Review begins Dec 15
 * request for an interview at AATSEEL (12/22) x4
 * I was told (via email) that they are still considering cadidates (via one of my references)...I'm not sure if that means post-interview (btw, I didn't get one) candidates or whether they are exploring all options.
 * Haven't heard anything since the interview at AATSEEL. Vassar seems to have the same problem as Holy Cross with the internal candidate. (2/23).
 * Not quite the same thing, really - this is a short-term hire for now. They have an internal candidate, who will most likely get hired for one of the two positions, but both positions are real. They convinced me of this in the interview. They also said that they would choose the short list sometime in February-March. They did not seem to be in a rush (nor do they have to be with this job market!)
 * just heard that they already did on campus interviews

University of Waterloo - Lecturer in Russian

 * Review begins Nov 30
 * Request for on-campus interview for Feb. (12/16)
 * oddly phrased rejection by email (12/23) x3

Wellesley College - Visiting Assistant Professor of Russian

 * Review begins Nov 22
 * confirmed receipt of application. (12/5)
 * Has anyone heard re. interviews, etc.? (12/19)
 * Nothing as of 12/25.
 * Me either.
 * 1/9: Called to inquire. The department is still going through the applications to decide whom to interview. Rejections and interview invitations will be sent out in late January, approximately.
 * 1/9: Email asking to schedule Skype interview later this week. (x2)
 * 1/20 They received 60 applications, interviewed 5, will invite 3 to campus in mid-Feb.
 * 1/21 Invitation to campus interview. x2
 * offer made and accepted

Williams College - Visiting Assistant Professor of Russian

 * Send application letter, c.v., and three letters of recommendation postmarked by Feb. 1, 2012
 * Acknowledgement of receipt of application, Feb 13 by email. "The search committee will begin reviewing applications in February."
 * HRM -- did anyone else not receive an acknowledgement? -- no acknowledgement here. (02/14)
 * I was one of the people who didn't get an acknowledgement on Feb 13, but I did get one today (2.15). (x2)
 * Same as above. Is it not February? (x2)
 * I received a letter on Feb 15th asking to complete an affirmative action form. (x2)
 * rejection (email, 2/24/12). Over 60 applicants. (I think this comment is for Wellesly not Wiliams)
 * oops, you're right. Sorry.
 * received notice that the search was canceled
 * anyone else? no notice here. -- just emailed to double check (noticed that the email stragely stated that the "German search was canceled") and received clarification that the Russian search is ongoing, and that I received the notice of the German cancellation by mistake.
 * it is now no longer February, but March. Any thoughts on the timeline for this?