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Know the Vital Players in Your Career: The Head of the Tenure Committee

David D. Perlmutter. “Know the Vital Players in Your Career: The Head of the Tenure Committee.” Chronicle of Higher Education, October 18, 2013, pp. A42-43.   In every department, certain figures can profoundly affect your progress Brian Taylor for The Chronicle Enlarge Image By David D. Perlmutter From my own experiences as a faculty member at seven colleges, and from the hundreds of informants I have for this column, I can attest that tenure criteria differ widely. So does how specifically those criteria are defined and how rigorously they are applied. At some institutions, for example, the requirements are exhaustively laid out, as in "16 articles in Tier 1 journals from among the following listed below," or "teaching evaluation median should be no less than 4.0," and so on. Elsewhere the tenure guidelines are "know it when I see it" inexplicit—as in "the candidate must be a good teacher and a productive researcher." What all tenure-granting colleges and universities have in common is that the process is run...
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Know the Vital Players in Your Career: The Chair

David D. Perlmutter. “Know the Vital Players in Your Career: The Chair.” Chronicle of Higher Education, September 16, 2013. [online] In every department, certain figures can profoundly affect your progress in academe Brian Taylor for The Chronicle Enlarge Image By David D. Perlmutter One difficulty in dealing with the "human factor" in academic careers is that we often don't understand the motivations and circumstances of people around us. In talking with graduate students and new faculty members, I frequently encounter some version of the following lament: "And then he did this to me for no reason. ..." (more…)...
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Week one on the New Job

David D. Perlmutter. “Week One on the New Job.” Chronicle of Higher Education, August 13, 2013, pp. A30-31.   What to do and what not to do Mark Shaver for The Chronicle Enlarge Image By David D. Perlmutter During my initial week on the tenure track, I set an example of incompetence that, to my knowledge, no other assistant professor has emulated. I lost the key to my new office—twice. I still remember the moment I opened that door for the first time and scanned the room, bare except for a desk and a computer. I had never in my life been in possession of an entire, unshared room called "my office." (more…)...
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The Good Hello

David D. Perlmutter. “The Good Hello.“ Chronicle of Higher Education, July 19, 2013, pp. A30-31.   A primer on post-hire etiquette at your new position Brian Taylor for The Chronicle By David D. Perlmutter As of this writing I am in a new position at a different university in a different state. By academic standards my transition has been a whirlwind: I signed a contract a few months ago; my last day at my old office was June 30; my first day on the job here at Texas Tech University was July 1. (more…)...
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Chronicle publishes column: “The Good Goodbye.”

Chronicle publishes my latest "Career Confidential" column. David D. Perlmutter. "The Good Goodbye." Chronicle of Higher Education, June 10, 2013. You are never too old in academe to experience what you advise others about. In recent months, while The Chronicle was publishing my columns on job offers and contract negotiations, I was offered and accepted a new position as a dean. Then I confronted a truism I had observed time and time again in other people's searches: The academic-hiring process was not yet over. (more…)...
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Latest Chronicle Column: “The Best Problem: Dealing With More Than One Job Offer”

Chronicle publishes my latest "Career Confidential" column. David D. Perlmutter. "The Best Problem: Dealing With More Than One Job Offer." Chronicle of Higher Education, May 10, 2013, pp. A35.  "In the movie Broadcast News, William Hurt's smooth character, rapidly promoted toward anchorman stardom, asks his less-successful schlumpy colleague, played by Albert Brooks: 'What do you do when your real life exceeds your dreams?'               Brooks replies: 'Keep it to yourself.'               Yes, it's tough on the job market for tenure-track positions. Nevertheless, thousands of tenure-track offers are made every year across the disciplines, and contract negotiation is the important next step. But what if you get more than one offer, or anticipate another one? I have no national statistic on that occurrence, but I have experienced and heard from many department chairs that top candidates for assistant professorships often receive multiple offers." [Read More]  ...
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Latest Chronicle Column: “The Etiquette of Accepting a Job Offer”

Chronicle publishes my latest "Career Confidential" column. David D. Perlmutter. "The Etiquette of Accepting a Job Offer." Chronicle of Higher Education, April 5, 2013, pp. A40-41.  "The academic job market is overcrowded, but departments are hiring, and each year thousands of graduate students and other candidates will get phone calls offering them tenure-track positions. It is typically a moment of mutual giddiness. The department heads are excited at the prospect of a terrific new colleague; the job applicants now know that their immediate future is assured. Then, well, complications may ensue." [read more] ...
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Perlmutter to be Dean at Texas Tech University

It's official: On June 30 I will step down as director of the Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication. I have been offered and have accepted the position of Dean of the College of Media & Communication at Texas Tech University and will start there July 1. I am very proud of my time with the great people of Iowa. We can cite a long list of achievements, including the building of the Moeller Research Lab; our new Master of Strategic Communication degree; the Philanthropy and Fundraising Certificate program; the extension of doctoral funding to four years; the hiring of a large, innovative cohort of new faculty; the considerable upgrade and revision of our graduate and undergraduate curricula; the increase in quantity and quality of student services (including internship and career counseling); the expansion and greater involvement of our Professional Advisory Board and engagement with the state of Iowa, our peers, and the industry; and, not least, achieving full accreditation...
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