Signed, Sealed, Soon to be Delivered

Book it. New Orleans for at least the next 2 years. I'll be heading down there in August, probably around the 10th or so. What's funny is that all throughout the fall, I had no job prospects, other than one campus visit to Waco. I didn't get that job offer, and went into winter break with a lot of uncertainty hanging over me. I got a little interest about possible visiting positions. And then a little trickle of interest on the secondary market (what we call the job market the spring before the next school year). But nothing really tangible. And then, I got some interest from the folks in New Orleans, as well as some folks in Houston, and then from some folks in Vegas.

I ended up taking visits to New Orleans and Vegas. The folks in New Orleans loved me, as did the folks in Vegas. I got the offer from New Orleans, and was pretty sure that Vegas was going to give me an offer, but they had another candidate to bring in. But I was about 85% sure that I had the offer if I wanted it (and in fact, they just called me to see if I had officially signed my letter of acceptance, so I guess that means that I had the offer if I wanted it). In my mind, there was an interesting trade-off. In New Orleans, I could have a chance to do great research, though there was no guarantee of getting a tenure-track position, much less tenure. But if I did get the tenure-track position, I'd make more, and teach less (3 classes per year), plus I'd have essentially bought myself 2 years on the tenure clock. On the flip side, in Vegas, I could do solid research, and getting tenure would probably be a formality, and I'd have 6 years to just cruise in. I'd teach more (4 classes per year), make a little less, but would have a lot of free time available. I think that both Vegas and New Orleans will be fun places, with good food, warm weather, and lots of things to do.

I've told myself that the money didn't really matter. I could have fun in either place. Teaching 3 classes vs. 4 classes wasn't a huge deal. The difference is that really comes into play is the chance to do research at different levels. New Orleans has a lot of opportunities, and the entire school's mentality is aligned with what I'm trying to do. Plus, the expectation at that school is to do top tier work. Essentially, the things that I'm doing now are appreciated and respected, but in the sense that it's the first steps of a research program. On the other hand, I think that I could do good research in Vegas, but the school's ambition is more modest. The stuff that I'm currently doing would be considered excellent work, and worthy of a promotion. At this point, I'm taking a shot at doing great things, at doing research that gets into top journals and also directly influences the community around me. Maybe in 2 years I get it out of my system, and go look for that 2nd tier school. More likely is that I find that I love the research and love the community, and want that tenure-track position. In any case, New Orleans, here I come.

Sadly, I'll be leaving Champaign behind. Who knows. Maybe Illinois will call me home, after I get tenure somewhere, years down the road. But in all likelihood, I'll never call Champaign home again. And I'm strangely comfortable with it.

-Chairman