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warrrreagl · 12-13-2004, 08:40 AM

I was on the faculty of a major SEC university a few years ago, and I served on a search committee for a highly visible faculty position. There was an in-house candidate for the position who was extremely well-connected, but she was seriously under-qualified and under-credentialled. When the search committee did not include her as a finalist, the Provost of the university crashed one of our meetings and "strongly recommended" that we backtrack and include her as a finalist. We caved in and agreed to add her to the list.

When the interviews and teaching demonstration started, the other finalists were magnificent and she (the in-house candidate) was awful. It was an easy decision to offer the position to one of the other finalists, and the in-house candidate was allowed to keep her old job with some bonuses added to placate her wounded ego.

That's when the shit hit the fan. Within two years, the candidate who got the job was run out of town, and 6 of the 7 faculty members on the committee (including myself) were either fired or forced out.

After I was forced out, the new "search" committee offered her the job without a search, and she's still in that position to this day.

I have to say that leaving a shit-hole such as that place was the best thing that could have ever happened to me, although nobody deserves to go through the petty bullshit that I faced on a daily basis. It was the same routine that I imagine a whistle-blower must face.

And no, it was NOT my beloved Auburn....

12-13-2004, 08:40 AM	#32 (permalink)
warrrreagl pinche vato Location: backwater, Third World, land of cotton	I was on the faculty of a major SEC university a few years ago, and I served on a search committee for a highly visible faculty position. There was an in-house candidate for the position who was extremely well-connected, but she was seriously under-qualified and under-credentialled. When the search committee did not include her as a finalist, the Provost of the university crashed one of our meetings and "strongly recommended" that we backtrack and include her as a finalist. We caved in and agreed to add her to the list. When the interviews and teaching demonstration started, the other finalists were magnificent and she (the in-house candidate) was awful. It was an easy decision to offer the position to one of the other finalists, and the in-house candidate was allowed to keep her old job with some bonuses added to placate her wounded ego. That's when the shit hit the fan. Within two years, the candidate who got the job was run out of town, and 6 of the 7 faculty members on the committee (including myself) were either fired or forced out. After I was forced out, the new "search" committee offered her the job without a search, and she's still in that position to this day. I have to say that leaving a shit-hole such as that place was the best thing that could have ever happened to me, although nobody deserves to go through the petty bullshit that I faced on a daily basis. It was the same routine that I imagine a whistle-blower must face. And no, it was NOT my beloved Auburn.... __________________ Living is easy with eyes closed.