As is the routine for innumerable academics (existing and expecting), I receive email updates from The Chronicle about job postings. Honestly, I am not actively looking and rationalize that I signed up for the notifications just to keep abreast of what's happening in and around my goofy community. And so I was grading student papers when the automated alert came in. Although I'm typically as distractible as a dog among woodland critters, I tried to not chase the link as soon as it boinged.
In that pause, I began to feel the exhilaration. I wondered if perhaps this was THE job posting. While I don't have a specific place or position in mind, I can't help but fantasize. Maybe it would be a richly funded, endowed professorship. Not that the fame would be that great but to have a pool of money for grad assistants and travel (esp. for international destinations) would be a sweet deal. And to be situated in a dynamic community, both from a campus standpoint and located in a hip yet gritty locale, is also a possibility that quickens my pulse. Once again, I take a breath, click the link, and wait to see what new adventure awaits. This week there were two postings.
The first was for Augstana College in South Dakota which is associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church. I don't see much alignment with my background there. The other is for a community college campus in the northwest with all of 25 full-time faculty. It's an administrative position and the title would be Healthy People Associate Dean. The central responsibility for the person who wins this plum assignment would be "lead accreditation and licensure requirements including reporting requirements for various internal and external reviews." Makes what I'm doing right now feel not quite so bad.
