Search Committees

The article on search committees¹ is an excellent look into the process of hiring. It confirms what I already knew and "felt" about the political process. It also made me aware of issues that I had not previously considered, specifically the question of ideas for grants when I start interviewing for positions. Of course, the relevance is easy to see now that I've been nudged.

I also hadn't thought about the role of affirmative action offices' bureaucracy to hiring, although I am extremely wary of any attempt to circumvent that system given the already diminished numbers of minorities in the professoriate. The whole discussion of numbers in the pipeline made me want to jump up and say, "Well, of course, if racism is prevalent in society, and it is, then certainly that would be reflected in the number of minorities in all areas of academia, which in turn affects...