Theater 2007-2008

2007-2008 Theatre

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NO WORD FROM YET:

Acadia University (Theatre Studies, in Dept of English)

Brown University

Cornell College

Indiana University, SE

University of Iowa (Scenic Design)

Kutztown (Acting/Directing)

La Verne, University of

Mass, Boston

Metro State, Denver (Generalist)

Middlebury College (Acting)

Minnesota ''has anyone received confirmation from U Minnesota? I've received nothing as of Jan 3'' No, nothing here. Word is they dropped the search this time because they didn't feel they had an "appropriate" candidate. They intend to repost with a new description for a 2 year visiting.

Missouri State Southern University (Acting/Directing)

Northeastern University

Oberlin (Visiting)

University of Montana (Acting/Directing)

University of Nebraska, Lincoln (Performance Non-t-t)

University of North Carolina, Charlotte (Acting)

SUNY Fredonia

Tennessee, University of

University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire (Acting/Directing)

Walla Walla Community College (Theatre Instructor)

Wayne State University (Scenic Design)

NOTIFICATION RECEIVED: (please note dates and what kind of notification) -- once further contact occurs, these dates have been shifted to the appropriate category below (to decrease the clutter).

American University: letter/materials received (11/01)

Colorado, Boulder (Non-Western): letter/materials received (12/3)

Concordia, Morehead, MN (5/12)

U of Connecticut (2/12)

Denison (Acting/Directing): letter/materials received (11/10)

Elizabethtown College (design): email/materials received (09/13)

Franklin and Marshall College: letter/materials received (09/26)

University of Georgia: letter/materials received (1/24)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Design) (3/08 Email)

Maryland Baltimore County, University of: email/materials received (10/10)

Missouri State University: letter/materials received (9/29)

Montevallo, University of: letter/materials received (10/12)

Old Dominion: letter/materials received (10/13)

U of Pittsburgh, Theatre/Performance Studies. (5/14)

Reed College: letter/materials received (12/2)

Rider: Short list is made and they should be calling to schedule interviews in late Feb/Early March (1/31)

Stanford: email/materials received (11/15)

Trinity University: letter/materials received (10/13)

University of No. Carolina Chapel Hill: have been moved forward to second round of consideration (1/7/08)

Vassar College: letter/materials received (12/2)

Washington U (11/7)

Wisconsin-Milwaukee, University of: email/materials received (11/07)

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS REQUESTED: (please note dates and what materials)

Amherst (Visiting): Writing Sample (Feb)

Baylor: Statement of faith (11/26)

Colorado, Boulder (Acting) (1/18) video of creative work, statement of teaching philosophy

Davidson College 11/20 confidential rec letters

Eastern Mennonitie (2/10) Personal statement of faith, response to questions regarding EMU mission statement, etc.

U of Georgia: writing sample [published article] (2/8)--- has anyone heard anything since this intial material request (they told me they were still in process but wanted to know if I minded if my application be considered for a post-doc there as well --haven't heard since then). * me too, seems strange to ask us to be included in their candidate pool and then never follow up. Anyone heard anything yet?

Knox: Info on directing, a statement of how I saw my role at Knox, updated letter of rec. letter/materials received (09/27)

Montana, University of (history position): request for permission to contact references (3/17) Heard from referees that they had just been phoned (4/2)

Notre Dame, University of: letter/materials received (11/16) (as per English Lit drama page)

Reed College: statement on ability/approach to teaching playwriting (2/5)

Reed College: statement of teaching theater history, pre-20th C. (2/4) Any idea what their time line is? (I am moving to this site from the other--will post more here)

Yale (Theatre Studies): dissertation requested (11/26) (letter/materials received (11/6)

PHONE INTERVIEWS:

American, Jan. 2008

University of Arizona (Dramaturgy), 12/10

Bellarmine, Jan. 2008

U of Central Florida TYA/OST Some interviews last week.WHAT WEEK WAS THAT? NO DATE ON THIS POST. PLEASE DATE POSTS OR DATES OF INTERVIEWS.

College of Santa Fe (Acting) mid-Feb. 2008

Colorado, Boulder (Acting), Jan. 2008

Colorado, Boulder (Non-Western), Jan 2008 (said there were 6 candidates left at that stage and would narrow for campus visits soon)

Cornish College for the Arts, 6/6/08

Daemen contacted but no follow-up

Hartwick College (02/01)

Indiana University Bloomington(Theatre History): sent email requesting phone conversation 1/28 (letter/materials received (12/13))

Knox College, contact on 11-09

Lake Erie College (letter/ materials received (10/25))

LSU Head of Acting  early April

Moravian College, January

Penn State Schuylkill 3/31

Reed College 2/22 DID REED SCHEDULE YESTERDAY OR DO THE INTERVIEW YESTERDAY? Interviewed on 2/22. They said they would be phone interviewing others next week.

University of Louisville (3/25)

Wayne State (January)

MLA INTERVIEWS:

Hunter College (12/17 as per English / drama page)

CAMPUS INTERVIEWS: (please note dates)

American University - in the next month

Amherst (Visiting) - scheduled as of 3/10

Arizona (Theatre Studies) February, 2008

Baylor, January

Bellarmine University, Feb. 2008

Central Washington University (Design): 4/08

Colorado-Boulder non-western - Campus interviews March and April (HAS ANYONE HEARD YET???)

College of the Canyons, CA (March 2008, but I had already accepted a job)

U of California Davis, late Feb, early March

U of California, Santa Barbara (all three positions) beg. Jan 29

Illinois Wesleyan University Feb. 2008

Indiana (Theatre History), mid-February [3]

Knox College, January 2008

Loyola University (Scenic/Lighting Design) March 2008

University of Montana (Theatre History) April 2008

University of New Mexico (Scenic Design) 3/08

Notre Dame, January 2008

Penn State Behrend/Erie 2/21

Penn State Berks (April 2008)

Reed College, March 2008

St. Lawrence, March 2008

South Carolina, University of (Dramaturgy), March 2008

SUNY Buffalo February 2008

SUNY Fredonia, February 2008

Trinity 12/1

Wayne State, February

Wisconsin-Milwaukee, University of (History/Lit/Crit): late January

Yale (scheduled by phone, 12/7)

ACCEPTANCES:

Alberta

Baylor University

Elizabethtown College (design) 2/29/08 Trinity--candidate was a former Trinity student

UNC Greensboro (When exactly did campus interviews for this position take place???)

Arizona (unconfirmed)

Oberlin

IWU

Indiana

Wayne State University / Hilberry Repertory Theatre (3/08)

U Wisconsin-Milwaukee

St. Lawrence

Notre Dame (unconfirmed)

Reed College: I don't know who got it but I do know they made a one-year visiting appointment and will redo the TT search next year.

REJECTIONS: (please note dates and what form the rejection takes)

Brown acting 3 yr. visiting 4/13/08

College of the Canyons Acting, etc.  3-17-08

Concordia College (Moorhead, MN) (5-25). Very short search. Seems likely there was an inside candidate.

U of Connecticut (5/12)

Davidson College: Acting  1/28/08

Dennison: acting, etc.  4/8/08

Drew University  Acting   2/4/08

Eastern Mennonite (6/2/08) Letter indicates an internal hire was made.

Florida State Theatre History 4/28 FSU sent a postcard with a check mark next to a box that said the position was filled. That tells me all I want to know about that department...Good luck to whoever goes there. I felt it was extremely rude, unprofessional, and has lowered my opinion of that institution.

Fordham University: rejection letter received (10/30) and was dated the same day my materials arrived in the theatre department. disrespectful and unprofessional.

Grinnell - Acting/Directing (1/30/08)

Ithaca College Acting 4/08/08

Knox College: letter (11/8)

U of Maine (Scenic Design) 3/08 Email naming the candidate they hired.

Miami University (5/13) VAP. Letter encourages application for TT in Acting/Directing: "we hope thi search will be conducted during the 2008-2009 academic year." Something to look forward to.

Michigan State Univ. Acting/Directing  3/28/08

Missouri State University: letter (10/12)

U of Pittsburgh, Theatre and Performance Studies. 5/23/08

Rockford College - acting - 11/16/08

Santa Clara - acting - 11/16/08

Stanford U-letter dated March 5, 2008 and sent via mail. The letter stated that they "kept my file open to further consideration until very recently." Did any other letters state this? Could be boiler-plate language, but very nice. Another poster on the wiki remarked that his/her rejection letter from Stanford arrived (3/17/08), saying they had made a recommendation to the dean for a hire. **Yes, mine had the same language. But I too was touched and still am. Shows you that a well-written rejection letter does mean something. I agree...I got the same rejection letter but was very impressed.

Trinity U San Antonio: Letter rec'd (11/03) Letter indicated that candidates have already been asked for additional materials.

Washington U.--sent me the wrong rejection letter--but then sent an e-mail to correct it. It's always nice to be rejected twice.

UC Santa Barbara - 3 positions - letter 3/19/08

University of Colorado Boulder - Acting- 3/2208

University of Maryland Baltimore Acting 4/1/08

U. Of North Carolina Chapel Hill Acting   3/22/08

University of San Diego

University of San Francisco (1/14/08)

University of Wyoming (1/22/08)

Notre Dame (1/26/08)

UC Davis (2/5/08)

University of Washington (Scenic Design): Letter stating that they had decided on a short list.

University of Minnesota (2/15/08)

Yale (acting) 3/17/08)

University of North Carolina, Greensboro. (3/14). Even named the successful candidate in the letter! (Don't feel comfortable posting that info on this site, but hey, if you're reading this: congratulations!) [Why not name names; where's the unwritten rule?] (As far as I know, the unwritten rule remains written only on my heart).

City College of NY (5/12). Single best rejection letter I've received for anything. Ever. Well written, actually seemed sincere in its claim that it was a "Herculean task" to sort through the 217 (!!!) immensely-qualified applicants for the job.

South Carolina, University of (Dramaturgy), letter dated 5/6.

SEARCH ABANDONED:

UC Santa Barbara - Acting/Directing - per letter dated 3/19/08

Great Basin College (2/08)

U of Minnesota- Any idea why? I heard secondhand of internal disputes, but no details. (No "appropriate" candidate is what I heard, with no real details.) The job description was odd, I'm not suprised they couldn't find any suitable candidates.

Sonoma State University (notification 2/21); email/materials received (11/20) FYI - this is the 2nd year in a row that SSU has abandoned their search.

Truman State University - possibly abandoned - they checked my references but when I emailed them, they told me that the position has not yet been approved. That was in March. ABANDONED SEARCH CONFIRMED. LETTER DATED 5/13. SAYS TEMP POSITION TO BE POSTED SHORTLY.

University of Central Florida. Posted last month, canceled this month. State budget cuts. HOW DID YOU FIND THIS OUT? WAS THIS THE TYA JOINT OST JOB? [No, the TYA job stands as far as I know. The theatre history search was canceled. I received a letter to this effect last week after having already been in e-mail communication with the Admin Asst.

A word about the TYA/New Plays job: I know Orlando Shakespeare Theatre had a TYA position AND there's a pretty hefty TYA program through UCF at the Orlando Rep. Not sure if there is any connection between these programs. OST had one full and one shared (with UCF) position dedicated to the New Play thing. The Playfest is buttressed by a substantial private grant for another year or three, though I believe that's only indirectly related to the position (if the funding goes away when the grant expires, there may be no New Play Festival to run -- it is in no way a self-supporting operation). And then there's the teaching load at UCF. My best guess: they're filling the shared OST New Play/UCF teaching position and the OST TYA position with one person instead of two, and rewriting the job description to exclude some of the other duties the former TYA person also undertook. The shared OST New Play/UCF position is already two jobs made into one largely for budgetary reasons, which is not to say it was a bad gig -- just a complicated one. A caveat: this is based on inference and a basic knoweldge of how things have worked there for the last several years and NOT on any information directly received from previous or current faculty/staff at UCF/OST. In other words -- don't take any of this as gospel. I truly think that the right person, with their own clear cut agenda and some grit and political savvy, could make something really interesting out of all this -- but be prepared to fight an uphill battle in a state where legislators look to arts and education first when it comes to budget cuts and where they are additionally determined to cut taxes at every turn to insure their own job security]. WOW--YOU CERTAINLY KNOW A LOT. THE JOB AD SAYS THE TEACHING LOAD IS THE NEW PLAY STUFF IN THE FALL AND THEN THREE COURSES IN THE SPRING. SOUNDS LIKE "3/3". IS THAT NOT TRUE? IS THE LOAD HIGHER THAN THAT? ALSO IS THE TYA PERSON LISTED IN THE WEBSITE LEAVING OR WAS IT A PREVIOUS LOSS THEY INCURRED? IS THERE ANY WAY ON THIS WEB SITE TO E-MAIL OFF LIST?

Not sure about the off list mail, though I'd be happy to do that if we can figure out a way not to publish our private info here. My info on this is, at best, second hand and inferred from, as I say, my previous experience with area institutions. Used to have some friends who worked at OST, but they've moved on. Playfest has been traditionally held in Jan or Feb (right before or near the start of Spring semester at UCF) and the weeks leading up to it are, as with any such endeavor, very intense and busy. Infer what you will about the balance of the teaching load. I'm assuming that the current AD for New Play Development is leaving. Only been in the job for a year or so. I'll see if I can confirm that and find out more. As to the TYA thing. . . I don't see anyone listed in that role at OST anymore. They used to have someone who did some of that (a TYA playwright) and had other responsibilities. Everyone over there wears multiple hats and the hats shift according to budget and availability. They've had a staff retention problem the last few years. Don't know the status of the UCF faculty member currently heading the TYA MFA, but the current budget climate has no doubt put UCF in much the same fix as OST. They need people who can cover multiple bases. This is a shared line with OST, so if the TYA faculty person is leaving and they can get someone to cover the core courses for that program and share the expense with OST. . . . win (OST)/win (UCF). My question is, will it also be a win for the person in that hybrid position? VERY INTERESTING STUFF. SO IMPORTANT TO KNOW. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO DO OFF LIST BUT MAYBE THIS IS BETTER ON-LIST SO ANYONE INTERESTED IN THE JOB CAN ALSO READ. SEEMS TO ME THAT IF ONE WERE OFFERED THAT JOB, THERE WOULD BE A LOT OF POINTS TO NEGOTIATE FOR LIKE TEACHING LOAD REDUCTION GIVEN THE TIME NEEDS OF THE FESTIVAL.SEEMS LIKE WHOEVER GOES INTO IT BETTER DO SO WITH OPEN EYES. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF THE DEPT. CLIMATE? WHY ARE PEOPLE LEAVING? No idea what things are like now. A year or two ago, they had a new outside-hire dept head who was, by all accounts, a disaster. Spent hugely, leaving the tail end of the season with no production $$. Very unpopular with long-term faculty under previous (long term) chair. Program has expanded rapidly over the last few years, adding a multi-track MFA to a large BA/BFA(?). [University has been growing by leaps and bounds too and is now the largest in the state (55-65K enrolled, I think).] Current chair is interim, from among the long term faculty. Spoke to a recent MFA grad who liked program -- but student experience is not, as we know, always indicative of faculty experience. About three years back, they had a new person in the shared OST/UCF slot -- a playwright. Negotiated out of most of New Play festival admin commitments. Much fuss was made over transformative agenda in playwriting aspect of program. Moved on a year later. Current person in same slot is the one leaving now. No idea why in either case. . . as I say, I'm not wired in, just pay attention to the smoke signals. I'd say there was still something burning over there. Good luck!!

Winona State: TT canceled, 1 year VAP search initiated. Presumably they will or have already posted the new search.

COMMENTS: Go Franklin and Marshall! Get it right this time; 10th time's the charm!

Does this years market really suck or is it just me?

Nope, it really sucks.

Give it time...things will start to heat up soon.

it is still early, esp for tech/design jobs. Tech/design jobs seem to be everywhere, my kingdom for a directing job!

Is it still early at this point? Or is this it? Where are all the jobs?

As someone who is going out on the market for the fifth time, let me assure you: it's not late yet. More jobs should be trickling out in December, and a handful will keep showing up in January and February. Then, around March/April, expect to see short-term gigs start cropping up (as departments scramble to accommodate sabbaticals, etc.)

Is it possible to start listing area that the opening is in? Some of these schools have multiple openings.

Anybody know the story on U of Montana, why there are so many openings?

I am used to applying for English jobs where the MLA is the expected deadline. Noting the vast number of schools unaccounted for above, I am curious when you expect the majority of them to have responded by.

Hey folks, I recently noticed the older wiki is active again and has updates this one doesn't. Does anyone know if its safe again? Are most people sticking with this one whats the story?

Last I checked the old wiki had flamed out again.- As of Feb 23rd its still active with new info, I tried to update this one today from the old one but it seems different groups of people posting on each version with a few posting on both.

Where is the old wiki? I cannot find it. http://wikihost.org/wikis/academe/programm/gebo.prg?name=theater

I see that there's an unconfirmed acceptance for the UNC-Greensboro job but this page indicates an update on 3/6/2008 and the other page says it was updated 3/10/2008. Can anyone tell me what is the most recent information. I'm particularly anxious about the status of UNCG's search. [Just received the letter today, 3/19. As noted above, they even included the name of the successful candidate in my rejection letter.) ... That's odd, they didn't include her name in my rejection letter.

Job Search Status Poll: Come on folks, add yourself in under the catagory that you fit below- unemployed PhD, PhD/MFA combo, MFA or any of the above in a seriously bad job. So if there is a total of 1 by the catagory add yourself and change it to 2 and the next person should then change the total to 3 and so forth-this could be interesting. An unscientific poll to give us an idea of how many of us are out there. Add a catagory if you don't fit the existing ones.

1) Anybody know exactly how many unemployed Ph.D.'s in theatre there are right now? Total= 2

2) I'd also be interested to know how many unemployed MFA(theatre)/PhD(performance studies) combos (like myself) are knocking around still w/out tenure-track positions. Total = 0

3) Unemployed MFA. Total = 1

4) Add to that the total of us who are employed in REALLY bad jobs? Total= 2

5) Finally landed a job? PhD Total= 0, MFA Total= 0, MFA/PhD Total= 0

6) PhD's back on the market after being cut from a tenure-track job. Total= 1

When I began in my PhD program the chair said that they keep the program small because they don't want to grant more degrees than there are jobs. I feel that man owes me a job b/c he gave me an entirely incorrect view of the market, i.e., that there exists even the possibility for all PhDs to have jobs.

[I'd say you probably should have checked out the validity of those statements. Even before I decided to go to grad school, I knew that the job prospects in the humanities were not great. Full employment in academia is ludicrous on its face: Schools with theatre programs (x) multiplied by the number of freshly-scrubbed Ph.D.s regurgitated annually (y) equals. . . well, WAAAY more than the number of jobs available in any given year. (NOT a math grad, obviously.) And then you calculate all the people (like us, apparently) who don't get jobs in their first year on the market. . . if the Ph.D. didn't have some instrinsic value to me personally, I would have been a fool to pursue it, knowing something of these market conditions. It did and I still sometimes feel like a fool -- but I have something that I've always wanted and I just have to believe that I did all that for a reason, even if that reason doesn't turn out to be a career in academia.]
 * I'd say it might be nice if you didn't tell others what they "should have" done! This is a stressful time.

This is the same kind of Uncle Tom thinking that keeps academia in chains. Wake-up!

I do regret the "should have". Fair criticism. No less stressful on this end, btw, but I offer my sincerest apology. I was simply reflecting on my own reasons for doing this and did not mean to imply that you must feel the same way. All I was saying was that the presumed extrinsic rewards of a career in academia were not MY reason for going to graduate school, though I do sustain some hope for a non-traditional version of that career. Not sure I understand the "Uncle Tom" criticism, which seems to be from a different poster. Wake up to what, exactly? Would you care to elaborate? Am I to infer that you believe some kind of collective action is in order? How would that work exactly? Will our employed, comfortably tenured and tenure-tracked fellows support us in our action? (As gently illuminating as your response was to my musings above, you will pardon me if I doubt the kind, supportive intentions of everyone on the other side of the job search fence).

The "intrinsic value" argument is like being sold a broken television and being told by the salesperson that it is still a good piece of furniture. Collective action? Yes, demand of ASTR and ATHE to spend the time and money to do real research into the state of the profession as does the MLA.


 * You make a good point. ASTR and ATHE should both put some more effort into institutional research.  I have a publication dated 1999, compiled by Tom Postlewait, that lists all the doctoral programs in the US and Canada, with lists of recent dissertations and schools where graduates are currently working.  I would have liked a little more detail than this provides (i.e. actual statistics of how many graduates are hired in academic jobs of various kinds how long after completion), but as far as I know, nobody has attempted to update even this much in the past decade.  This disconnect between the numbers admitted to grad programs and the actual market for these graduates has been ongoing as long as I've been in the field (since the early 90s).  Rumors of mass boomer retirements any year now have fueled irrational hopes for nearly two decades.  Unsurprisingly, a fair number of grad programs have suspended enrollments or closed their PhD programs altogether in the past two decades to cries of alarm from throughout the field (about a half dozen of the programs in Postlewait's book don't exist anymore).  But shouldn't we rather applaud some faint hint of realism when programs admit that they are not supported by economic reality?  The mere existence of so many PhD programs does not indicate the health of our discipline.  And real statistical institutional research is a necessary first step to better practices.

Also, the writer who started this strain doesn't reach the full depth of the problem. It isn't just that there are too many fresh PhDs or even PhDs going out on the market a second time. The decreased likelihood of junior scholars being tenured is sending many seasoned PhD's back out on the market from year to year. Imagine assistant professors, some of whom may even have been your advisers in grad school, competing for the same jobs as you because their publication dossiers didn't quite pass muster or some other exacting reason. These "tainted" faculty aren't necessarily preferable to fresh PhDs in a faculty search, but there are also many very successful junior faculty who go on the market to better their position, and may take a new job if their home schools don't bargain well enough. Many desirable jobs are going to scholars making lateral moves, leap-frogging from less to more desirable positions. I heard Sue-Ellen Case quip a few years back that academia is becoming increasingly like the military. Constantly being shifted to a new assignment.

All this suggests that our doctoral programs may be way out of step with the reality of the job market. But someone has to step forward and do the numbers.

The MLA has just published the worthwhile "Report of the MLA Task Force on Evaluating Scholarship for Tenure and Promotion" and its PROFESSION 2007 has excellent commentary about the report. Would that the esteemed senior faculty of our discipline would take on the task of doing the same and even relating it to the MLA's report. Obviously, the variability in theatre departments is greater while the population is smaller; it would be a tricky task, but an ethical one. One structural problem: the membership of ASTR is not wholly from departments of theatre and is not representative of the profession in the same way that MLA is. In this way, the "discipline" of theatre studies is incongruent with the "profession" in a way that is harmful to both.

I'd like to add my two cents. I finally landed a tenure track job after two visiting positions, one for three years and another for one. Given my first year of applying ABD, that totals five years on the market--a lot of interviews and phone conversations but no job. I have seen jobs I was perfect for not even give me a nod and gotten calls for jobs that seemed completely out of left field. I share the frustration and despair I hear in these pages, and I know very well of the anxiety that comes when April rolls around and one has no employment other than adjuncting and/or working at Borders. The key (in my experience) is persistence...there often seems to be no rhyme or reason for why people get some jobs and do not get others. For the record, I got more phone calls and interviews this year than ever before, so I think that experience does matter. I also know a fair number of junior faculty who have made lateral moves, and it is difficult for a newly minted PhD. with less teaching/publication experience to realistically compare. I agree with Sue Ellen Case that academia has become like the military in that you must be willing to go where the jobs are. For example, my institution had an opening and we only have 25 applications...and only 3-4 completed PhDs. applied. I encourage anyone on the market to keep looking--I got a call today from a major institution, so clearly all searches have not been completed, and I was once hired as late as July. That being said, I wonder what we could do with the numbers. Clearly, Postlewait's work needs to be updated, but I think it would be difficult to determine an"average" number of PhDs. and/or job openings. There have been, in the five years on the market, great job years and terrible ones. In addition, if we are counting PhDs on the market, do we count those applying ABD? What about those who may be leaving the profession for a more lucrative career (I always thought about being a plumber)? What about ABD's adjuncting or in full time non-tenure positions (as I am in now)? I'm not saying its impossible, but I think these are questions worth thinking about. Just as a side note, I have found (as a theatre historian and director) that ATHE was a much better conference for job networking than ASTR (since ASTR is primarily people who already have jobs as theatre historians). Finally, I want to stress that sites such as this have been very helpful to me in terms of venting, sharing info, communicating, etc. I hope for the best for everyone on here, and trust me, I understand, sympathize, and hope you get a good job soon.

Without the numbers, I have no idea whether the "problem" is the sheer volume of competition, a flaw in my materials, or whether I am just not good enough, especially in a field where (as a traditionalist) I feel like an outsider already; the experience of graduate school has destroyed my self-worth and my financial future.

What is a traditionalist?

Since we don't have "the numbers" and won't for a while, I suggest to the person above that you have a senior colleague at a different institution than yours look at your materials; that way you can know if there is a flaw in the materials or if you need to do something else to improve your chances (i.e., write a better cover letter, get more publications/productions, etc.). I did this and it was very helpful. Finally, I think that we have to accept the fact that there is no such thing as a cookie cutter approach to the job hunt. Unlike other industries, it seems as if each academic job is an individualized search...sometimes with narrow criteria and sometimes with broad criteria. Given this, I would not worry about competition as much as finding the "right" position.

Anybody hear *anything* from Reed or Montana?REED INTERVIEWED SIX CANDIDATES. THE FINAL ONE WAS INTERVIEWED 3/26. Six!! No wonder they're taking so long. I WILL POST AS SOON AS I KNOW MORE. I THINK YOU COULD ALSO CONTACT THE CHAIR OF THE SEARCH TO FIND OUT YOUR STATUS...THEY ARE PRETTY LATE IN THE YEAR ALREADY AND CURRENT PROFS NEED TO LET CURRENT ACADEMIC POSITIONS KNOW BY 4/1 IF THEY INTEND TO LEAVE...GOOD LUCK.

Having served on a job search committee, I can tell you that a department that brings in 6 candidates instead of 3 is wasting a lot of people's time. The purpose of phone interviews is to ask the right questions so you can narrow the search. Six candidates is either academic wishy-washyness or a department's precious self-image if you ask me.

Has anyone else on this wiki heard anything on any of the Montana positions? I heard that they were calling up references a few weeks ago, but nothing more. It's getting pretty darn late to be stringing out tenure track hires.

I heard for the Acting/Movement position that they had invited two people for on campus interviews several weeks ago.

HELP! Where are the VAP's this year?!

I agree...there seem to be no VAPs this year...what's up?

Just FYI...do people consider this a good year for jobs or a bad one?

In general, bad. There were fewer openings and less than usual movement (3rd year on the market, here). Specifically, a good year. I landed a great position.

I also have the feeling it is a bad year...I am very surprised by the lack of openings in the latter part of the job search (Jan/Feb.) . It seems as if a lot of committees are taking their time this year, so perhaps some VAPs will open up soon. As for the above poster, congrats! May we ask where, or is that too gauche?

I concur, its been the worst year I've seen in the last six that I've paid attention to the market.

Has anyone heard anything from Cornish College beyond the "we got your stuff postcard"? THEY CALLED ME 5/21 TO SET UP PHONE INTERVIEW FOR JUNE. ANYONE KNOW MORE ABOUT THE JOB? July 6- Has anyone heard anything about the Cornish job yet? Their human resources page lists the job still open and not filled? Has anybody accepted this one yet?

CORNISH: 7/14/08: They phone interviewed me (mid June) and then said they were doing campus interviews week of June 23rd. Seems like it should be filled by now. They did 5 phones and three campus interviews. I did not get campus interview. Please post when you know who got it. I think it is fine to list who got a job. for god's sake this IS a WIKI.

Walla Walla CC update? They started late (April 4) and were suppose to meet mid-May for first round decisions.

Anybody see the Art History page? They have a whole search history listed for each job, maybe a better way to format for next year? Yikes, next year! On the bad side they also list who accepted the job. Although many of us would want to know out of curiosity, I don't know about having my name posted say before I told my empolyer, and where does one even get such info right after an offer is made anyway?

Anybody know what's going on at Denison? They had a tenure-track opening this past fall and obviously didn't fill it. Now, they are hiring two new tenure-track positions. This could be a great sign--the university is supportive of the department, OR once could wonder why both acting/directing professors left the school. Just wondering...