Wanted: Assistant Professor of Second-Language Acquisition, U. of Florida
The department of linguistics at the University of Florida received 71 applications for a tenure-track opening in 2011-12. Here’s what the CVs from the search showed about the candidate pool.
WHO GOT THE JOB
Stefanie Wulff
Previously assistant professor in the department of linguistics and technological communication, U. of North Texas
Highest degree: Ph.D. in English linguistics, U. of Bremen, Germany, 2007
Publishing highlights: Wrote one book and was a co-editor of another, 10 journal articles, six contributions to edited volumes, 7 publications in progress.
Conference presentations: 35
Research focus: She examines digital collections of authentic language to identify distributional patters that help second-language learners learn English.
Teaching experience: 9 years
WHO MADE IT TO FINAL ROUNDS
Others who were top contenders include two assistant professors, a postdoctoral fellow, and a Ph.D. student who had completed his coursework but not his dissertation.
WHO WAS IN THE POOL
71 applicants
13 assistant professors
2 people who applied from jobs outside of academe: a test developer for a global-language-learning company, and a translator and technical communicator for a major credit-card-processing company
36 people who were expecting to earn Ph.D.'s before the job started, in August 2012
10 people who had two master’s degrees each
Earliest Ph.D. earned by a candidate: 1998
14 people who earned Ph.D.'s from universities outside of the United States
Classmates from 8 different colleges who competed against each other for the job
Wanted: Assistant Professor of Creative Writing and Fiction, Ohio U.
The department of English at Ohio University received 117 applications for a tenure-track opening in 2011-12. Candidates were required to have a Ph.D. or an M.F.A. and at least one book published. Here’s what the CVs from the search showed about the candidate pool.
WHO GOT THE JOB
Patrick O’Keeffe
Previously visiting professor, U. of Cincinnati
Highest degree: M.F.A. in fiction, U. of Michigan, 2000
Publishing highlights: The Hill Road, a collection of four stories, published by Viking Penguin in 2005, that won two national honors, the Story Prize and the Whiting Award. The Visitors, a forthcoming novel, also published by Viking, expected March 2014. Four short stories (plus one forthcoming), two essays, one poem also published.
Teaching experience: Mr. O’Keeffe has taught undergraduate and graduate courses. They include an introduction to fiction writing, advanced fiction writing, introduction to creative writing, advanced creative writing, advanced fiction workshop, nonfiction workshop, writing and literature, poetry, college writing, argumentative writing, and introduction to the short story and novel.
WHO MADE IT TO THE FINAL ROUND
Visiting assistant professor at a private university in the Midwest
Highest degree: M.F.A. in creative writing/fiction from a university that is a member of the Association of American Universities, 2007.
Publishing highlights: One published book, a novel. Short stories published in more than a dozen publications.
Teaching experience: Graduate and undergraduate workshops, courses about literature.
Non-tenure-track faculty member at a private liberal-arts college on the East Coast
Highest degree: M.F.A. in creative writing from a private liberal-arts college on the East Coast, 2008
Publishing highlights: Three books. Wrote three plays—two of them produced—and co-wrote the screenplay for a film adaptation of her novel.
Teaching experience: Undergraduate, intermediate and advanced workshops in fiction, courses in dramatic writing, and literature courses.
WHO WAS IN THE POOL
117 applicants
3 associate professors, 12 assistant professors
67 people working off the tenure track
7 people who applied from jobs outside of academe
30 people who had earned a Ph.D., 88 people who had earned an M.F.A., and 15 who had earned both
61 people who had at least one novel published
28 people who had no novel published