Early American 2009

Early and 19th c. American

tis the season: don't forget about the Universities to Fear wiki http://academicjobs.wikia.com/wiki/Universities_to_fear

Please update the date and time whenever you edit this page!!!
Last update: 5/12 10:05 AM CST

Should we follow the other wiki fields and do a headcount?

• ABD 21
• PhD in hand (lecturer or adjunct or post-doc) 9
• Visiting Assistant Professor 4
• Assistant Professor 7
• PhD in hand working non-academic job 2
• What, no search committee lurkers? 2
  
  

Job Offers Made

Can people include dates and note if the offer was accepted or declined?

Bridgewater State -- accepted

Wofford College (3/2)--accepted

University of South Dakota (2/10) -- accepted (2/15)

Butler U (2/10) -- not yet accepted (Is this offer accepted yet? 3/16)

St. Michael's College (2/4) - accepted

Loyola University (1/29) - offer made, not accepted -- accepted (2/16)

U of the Pacific (2/9) -- offer made (Is this offer accepted yet? 3/16)

College of Wooster (2/2) -- accepted

Georgia State University (2/16) -- offer made and accepted

Young Harris College (2/17) -- offer made (Is this offer accepted yet? 3/16)

     I believe YHC made two offers for this position.  At least one has accepted.

Texas A&M Corpus Christi (2/9)--offer made (Is this offer accepted yet? 3/16)

James Madison U -- offer made and accepted (per 20th c page) (2/11)

Edgewood College--offer accepted (2/16)

U of North Texas--offer accepted

Ball State--offer accepted (2/20)

Kutztown University--offer accepted (3/2)

Pace University (2/24)-- offer made --- accepted (3/21)

Campus Interviews Scheduled/Contacted

Can people add the dates they were contacted for these flyouts?

• Ball State (1/13)
• Bridgewater State University
• Butler University (1/6)
• College of Wooster (1/16)
  • any idea how many people wooster is bringing to campus? A: Sorry, I have a campus visit here, but I'm not sure how many of us there are.
• Edgewood College (1/6)
• Georgia State University
  • Q: does this mean someone has been contacted for visit but just didn't add date?
  • A more or less reliable source indicated that invitations for campus visits had not yet been extended for Georgia State because of financial concerns. Can someone confirm a visit either here or individual entry below?
• Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Four people were/will be interviewed this week and next week (2/13).
• James Madison University (1/8)
• Kutztown University (1/19)
• Loyola University Chicago (1/2)
• Pace University (via email) (1/20)
  • Q: Was this an actual interview request or just a query about whether you were still intersted? Thanks for any info. (1/28) A: Interview date not set; awaiting budget approval. Included request to keep them up to date on my search.
  • Date set for campus visit in February by phone (I also had been contacted by email re: my interest and search) (1/29)
• Penn State Shenango (2/6)
• San Francisco State University (1/6)
• St. Michael's College (1/7)
• Simpson College (notified 2/2, unsure of when scheduled)
• Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (12/19)
• University of Memphis (1/21)
• University of North Texas (12/28)
• University of South Dakota (12/18)
• University of Wyoming (12/30)
• Winona State (1/23)
• Wofford College (1/01)

MLA Interviews Scheduled/Contacted

• Ball State
• Boston University
• Butler U
• CalTech (reported on Romanticist page)
• College of Wooster
• Edgewood College
• Georgia State U
• Indiana University of PA--Any word from IUP re Campus Visit from anyone? 2/3/09
• James Madison U
• Kutztown U
• Loyola University Chicago
• LSU
• Notre Dame
• Pace University
• Penn State-Shenango
• San Francisco State U
• Simpson College
• St. Michael's College
• UCLA
• U of Memphis (phone)
• U of Nebraska (reported on Romantic/Victorian page)
• U of New Orleans (cancelled)
• U of North Texas
• U Pacific
• U of Wyoming
• Wofford College
• Winona State (phone)
  
  

Individual Job Listings

Ball State (11/1)

• email acknowledgment of materials
  
• Acknowledgment of application (11/3) (x2)
  
• Request for further materials (11/11) (x3)
• MLA interview request by phone (12/11) (x2)
• Campus Visit Scheduled (1/13)
• Offer Made 2/14
• Offer Accepted 2/20
  
  

Boston University

• Received confirmation letter that app was complete 11/2
  
• Acknowledgment of app (11/6) (x2)
  
• Request for further materials (11/12) (x5)
  
• Rejection by mail (11/28) (4)
• MLA interview request by e-mail (12/12)(x2)
  
• Rejection by mail--an incredibly thoughtful and generous letter. (1/1 x2)
  
• Post-MLA interview rejection e-mail (1/9) (x2)
  
  

Bridgewater SC Due 12/1

• As of 11/14, I received word this position was still active.
• Email request for letters of recommendation 12/1 (x 4)
  
• Request for Phone interview 12/11 (2)
• Q: Does anyone know if they're interviewing at MLA?
• A: Bridgewater never goes to MLA.
• Campus visit scheduled for late January early February.
  
  

Brock University (Pre 20th C. American Literature) Due: 1/9

• Acknowledgment of app (1/8)
  
• Notice of search cancellation due to budgetary reductions (1/30) (x2)
  
  

Butler University Due 11/3

• Request for more materials 11/5 (Submitted app 11/1)
  
• Acknowledgment of app 11/7
  
• Email from dept. 11/7 with no earlier request for additional materials ("Thanks, but no thanks"?)
  
• Email request for additional material, last week of October.
  
• Request for further materials (11/3) (x4)
• Request for further materials (11/20)
• MLA interview scheduled (12/5 x4)
  
• Q: Were the interviews scheduled by phone or e-mail?
• A: phone
• Campus visit scheduled (1/6)
  
  

Caltech (19th C Brit or Early Amer or Transatlantic)Deadline: Dec. 1,

• Anybody know what it's like to teach literature at Caltech?
  
• A: I hear it's delightful. Low teaching load, very motivated students. Will force you to become a generalist in the classroom, but expectations for research are high.
  
• Email request for more info, including EEO and a job application (12/5)
  
• Was that e-mail request with the EEO and job application something that goes out to everyone?
  
• I don't know, but I got it too. (12/5 x3)
• Did not receive email request, so maybe not.
• Rejection e-mail (12/24)
• Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
  
• E-mail states: "of the three tenure track positions that were advertised by the Humanities at Caltech this summer/fall only one of the three positons [sic] will have a chance of being filled." Not clear whether these are the three sub-fields in literature (which I'd always assumed were for only one job), or three jobs across the humanities.
  
  
• I'd say that it refers to three potential jobs in the humanities. Caltech has a Humanities Division (which includes Lit, History, & Philosophy) rather than separate depts. Hires are thus made at the Division level, and take in several disciplines within the Humanities. Their endowment took a massive hit with the market crash, too, so it wouldn't surprise me that the higher-ups would put the brakes on hiring.

Claremont Graduate University (10/6/08). 19th century American Literature and Cultural Studies.

• Requested interviews at ASA or CGU campus already (10/14).
  
• Any word yet on a short list for campus visits? (10/27)
  
• 4 candidates on shortlist; got call 10/23
  
• isn't it a violation of MLA guidelines for them to be interviewing so early?
• Do you have any more information about these guidelines? As one of the candidates, I'd love to learn if we have any leverage.
• A: You can find some of the relevant guidelines here: [[1]]. *So far, I haven't been able to find too much detail that would make this a violation.
  
• Additionally, because they interviewed at ASA, they may make the case that this is not an exclusively MLA-field job. Also, my understanding is that the MLA guidelines are just guidelines and are not enforceable, though they do indicate a kind of "best practices." There is a list on the MLA site of administrations that have been censured by AAUP, but I would imagine that's for more than violating MLA guidelines. This might be a good question for Chronicle forums, too.
• Have they already made an offer for this position?
  
• A: According to SC chair, offer has been made and accepted
  
  

College of Wooster (11/10/08) 19th century American literature

• Received confirmation e-mail that application was complete(10/30)
  
• Request for writing sample (11/19 x7)
  
• MLA interview scheduled (11/24 x2)
  
• Q: How were these interview requests received? A: Phone (12/1)
  
• Rejection email (12/18)(+1--a rather kindly worded rejection, I might add)
  
  

Edgewood College (Madison, WI) (11/15/2008) [ad]

• Acknowledgment of app (11/19)
• Request for writing sample, STP, and dossier (11/17)
  
• Request for further materials (11/19)(x3)
• MLA Interview Scheduled by phone (12/10) (x2)
• Any insight as to why they started calling so early for campus visits? I was told in my interview that they weren't meeting until the third week of Jan and would be making calls end of Jan, beginning of Feb.
• A: I'm not really sure. I was told that they'd decided it would be better to go ahead and take care of everything sooner rather than later.
  
  

Georgia State University (11/10/08) 19th century, with antebellum specialty

• Wasn't this job posted last year? Did they not find a candidate or was funding pulled? (10/28) I believe they lost funding last year for this job. The search was canceled.
  
• Rec'd e-mail confirmation that materials were received (11/6)
  
• Acknowledgment of app (11/18) (x2)
  
• Request for more materials (11/18)
  
• MLA Interview Scheduled (12/12)
  
• Anyone gotten an update on this job? Are MLA interviewees collectively holding their breath? I know that it was mentioned during interviews that it might be a while on this one. (1/28)
  
  
• A colleague of mine had a campus visit the last week of January.

Indiana University of PA (11/30/08) American Lit to 1920

• acknowledgment of app by mail (12/4)
  
• Did this indicate their timeline for the search? They asked for enough materials initially that they could conceivably be doing MLA interviews or they may be like other schools and circumvent the conference altogether. Just curious if they made their plan clear.
• Letter indicated MLA interviews will occur; also that job is 4-4, which was a bit surprising
• It's not so surprising if you know anything about IUP. FWIW, though, I suspect/believe they offer some reductions for graduate level teaching and/or productive researchers. I suspect you need to fight for a 3/3, though, even if you're publishing and teaching a graduate class every semester. This is guesswork, not fact.
  
• MLA interview scheduled by phone (12/11) (4)
  
  

Any word re Campus Visit from IUP? 2/2/09

James Madison University (11/5/08) American Lit 1865 - 1950

• acknowledgment of app (11/6)
  
• email ack 11/11
  
• Acknowledgment of app 11/12
  
• MLA interview scheduled (11/23 x2)
  
• request for campus visit by phone (1/8)

Kutztown Univ (PA) (11/10/08) Early American Lit

• Acknowledgment of app 11/17
  
• Request for MLA interview by phone (12/7) (x3)
  
• Contacted about campus interview (1/19)
  
  

Longwood Univ. (VA) (11/15/08) Asst. Prof. English/Early American Lit

• Acknowledgment of app. Also received a release form to have academic information released...not sure what this means, but most likely included in all acknowledgments? (11/19)
• Request for phone interview (12/1)
  
• Request for phone interview (12/2) (x2)
• Q: Anybody hear anything since the phone interviews?
• A: I've been curious myself. I haven't heard anything since the phone interview, although I was under the impression I would hear one way or another within a couple of weeks.
  
  
• Request for campus visit (2/5)

Louisiana State University (11/14/08) Asst. Prof. 19th-Century Amer Lit and/or Brit. Romanticism

• acknowledgment by email that application was received (11/14)
  
• MLA interview scheduled by phone (12/8)
  
  
• campus visit scheduled 1/23

Loyola University (Chicago) Asst Prof to 1865

• Wasn't this job posted last year as well? A: Yes, it was. Offer was made and declined.
  
• Received email ack (11/6)
• Email ack (11/14)
• Acknowledgment of app (11/17)
  
• Request for more materials (11/11 x3) (11/14)(11/19)
• Q: wasn't the ap due on 11/14? anyone get news since then?
• A: In request for more materials, it was stated that they did not expect to finish reviewing applications before 12/15
• Thank you!!
• Last year they called on Dec. 23 to schedule an MLA interview
• MLA interview scheduled by phone (12/17)
  
  

Maryville College (Tennessee) (12/1/08) Asst Prof., Colonial through 19th Century American Literature ad

• acknowledgment by email that application was received
  
• USPS acknowledgment of app (11/13, 11/21) (+2)
• Q: Anyone know if this position is still open?
• Notice that this search has been canceled via snail mail (12/17)
• A cold and overly formal letter
  
  

Nanyang Technological University Asst. Prof., 19th C. American

• Phone interview scheduled by email (12/5)
  
• invited for campus visit
  
  

Notre Dame (Indiana) (10/31) Open rank, two positions, 19th and 20th c. American fiction.

• Received letter via USPS that application was received (11/3)
  
• Acknowledgment of app. via USPS (11/4) (x2)
  
• Received request for more materials (11/14)(x2)
  
• Two senior campus interviews scheduled for first two-weeks of December
• Do they still plan to interview junior candidates at the MLA?
• I will double check and get back to you
• Thank you. I ask because the request for additional materials specified 11/26 as the receipt deadline.
• Yes, junior candidates will be interviewed at the MLA convention
• Rejection via snail mail (12/8)x5
• Q: Were any of the rejectees previously solicited for a writing sample?
• A: I was not contacted for a WS and got the rejection ltr (12/11 x2)
• Interview request by phone (and then email) (12/15)
• Rejection via email. (12/17 X2)
• I had been solicited for a writing sample; just received a nicely-worded rejection by email (12/17)
• I was the one above; same deal. I think the niceness is generic.
• 20c page reports visits scheduled last week--does anyone here know if they did all their scheduling at that time?
  
• invited for campus visit
  
  

Pace University (11/15/08) Asst Prof, 19th Century

• Got request for more materials - seemed like mass email (11/7 x2)
  
• Got the same request for more materials; definitely mass email.
  
• Did not get the request -- maybe not all that mass.
  
• got request for dossier via email (11/25)
  
• MLA interview scheduled via phone (12/10 x 2)
  
  

Penn State-Shenango (10/20/08) (Americanism with race/gender diversity)

• Also listed on 20/21st wiki
• Request for MLA interview via email (12/15) x3
• Q: Have they gotten back to you after that initial email yet?
• A: No, I haven't received any follow-up, but I'd give them some time, considering they have to coordinate everyone's schedules. I'm just thrilled their search wasn't canceled!
• A: No, and ditto.
• Interview scheduled (x3)
• Any post-MLA news on this position?
  
• I interviewed with them at MLA but haven't heard from them since.
• Campus visit scheduled
• Q: Could you add the date when the campus visit was scheduled? Thanks and best of luck!
• A: contacted on 2/6 and scheduled visit for end of Feb. Thanks for the luck!
  
  

Princeton University (10/31/08) Asst Prof, to 1865.

• someone in my dept. has an on-campus PRE mla interview scheduled. huh.
• Curious. Is it a current assistant prof on the tenure track, an abd, or a recent PhD?
• Rejection letter 12/11 (x4)
  
  

San Francisco State U (11/12/08) 19th Century Asst Prof

• acknowledgment of app by mail 11/10(x3 11/13)
• MLA interview scheduled via email (12/15) (x5)
  
• campus visit requested (1/6)
  
• does anyone know details on this? at my interview they mentioned that they weren't meeting until 1/21?
• I think they ended up pushing everything forward and meeting early.
• I was also told that they would meet towards month's end, but best wishes to the one(s) for whom they pushed things forward!
• Can someone confirm campus visits? It seems like there's a lot of confusion here. Good luck if you've made it, though!
• a very kind rejection (after MLA interview) received in today's mail suggests that invitations have been extended to fewer persons than the committee had hoped ("serious budgetary constraints" were mentioned), but extended nonetheless. again, all best wishes to those invited to campus, and to those who weren't.
• I'm the one who posted the campus visit and I can confirm I'm going next week. I don't know anything about how many they're bringing, or why it was pushed forward. It's such a bad year -it's nice to have the camaraderie of the wiki and good luck to all!! (1/25)
• Has anyone heard whether or not this job was offered or accepted? I know they did a search last year that got down to the wire and then was canceled. Is this a repeat? (4/4)
• Also wondered about the search, and so discovered, in the department's spring newsletter (on its website), that SFSU had hired someone (a very good someone) in 19th c. American literature.  It is unclear, however, whether or not this was the result of the search (4/6).

St. Michaels American (11/15/08) Lit/pre-20th century

• email acknowledgment 11/14, 11/18
  
• snail-mail ack. 12/4
  
• MLA interview scheduled by phone (12/10)(x2)
• Rejection letter: a wonderfully generous and thoughtful letter that offers a real model for kindness in this profession. (12/20)
  
  

St. Thomas Aquinas

• Phone interview request by phone (12/15)
• Q: Did you actually schedule the phone interview, or did they say they were going to call back end of Jan. to schedule the phone interview?
• A: No, I haven't scheduled the phone interview yet. I was asked to return the call in anticipation of a phone interview in January.
• Q: Has anyone been contacted about scheduling a phone interview?
  
  
• A: Contacted today (02/02) and scheduled phone interview.

Simpson College (IA) (11/1/08) (pre-20th C. American)

• Ack. of app. 11/14
  
• MLA interview scheduled by phone 12/9 (x2)
  
• Q: Has Simpson already scheduled campus visits? (1/21)
  
• A: According to e-mail from search chair, three campus visits have been extended. (2/2)
  
  

SUNY New Paltz (11/01/08) late 19th-Century Amer Lit

• Has anyone heard anything about this position? I ask b/c most state schools in NY have experienced a hiring freeze. I would assume that SUNY NP has been affected. No?
  
• As far as I can tell, New Paltz is avoiding any hiring freeze--a bit of an outdated article, but this might be worth looking at: http://oracle.newpaltz.edu/article.cfm?id=3845 (11/26)
• More recent and less encouraging news: in a statement made reported on 11/21, the New Paltz president indicated that they would consider "reviewing faculty searches." (source: midhudsonnews.com)11/26
• Boo! But thanks for the info... I had a feeling.
• Notification of canceled search by mail (12/12, 12/13)
• I guess the wave had to come to this field eventually, but of all the jobs this year why, oh why, this one?
  
  

Texas A&M, Corpus Christi (10/31/08) (Am Lit to 1865, pre-Renaissance and transnational)

• Ack. of app. 11/11
• Request for phone interview via email (12/5)
• Request for campus interview via email (12/19)
  
  

Texas Tech U (11/1/08) Asst Prof, Am lit to 1865

• Is this the same job as listed last year? (10/28) It's the same position number in the online application system. (10/28)
  
• Acknowledgment of app (10/28) (x2)
  
• Request for more materials (11/11)
• Phone interview scheduled 12/4 (x2)
  
  

Tulane U (New Orleans, LA) (10/15/2008) (early modern transatlantic)

• Received request for dossier 10/22. (x2)
• Thanks but no thanks via email (12/4). (x2)
• What happened with this job? Anyone have news? Canceled?
• Check cross-listing under "Early Modern/Renaissance." Campus visits extended.
  
  

U of Alaska-Fairbanks

• Request for phone interview (12/1)(+1)
• Q: Does anyone have information about campus interviews with this position?
  
  

University of California-Los Angeles (transatlantic studies before 1900) Deadline 11/3/08

• Received acknowledgement of application (11/3).
  
• MLA interview scheduled (reported on Romanticism page, 12/1)
  
• Rejection via e-mail (12/16)
  
  

University of Memphis (11/03/08) Assistant Prof of American lit, beginnings to 1800. ad

• 11/7 Received email from my advisor stating he had been contacted for a phone reference. The department then requested he send on a reference letter.
  
• 12/4 Phone interview request by phone (x2)
• 1/21 Campus interview
  
  

Univ. of Nebraska (11/1/08) (19th C. Am/Brit Lit and digital humanities)

• MLA interviews requested 11/25 (see Romantic/Victorian page)
  
  

University of New Orleans (11/14/08) Americanist in pre-1860 literary and cultural studies

• Request for more materials (11/13) (11/20)
  
• Request for further materials, including a syllabus for upper-level course (11/20)
  
• MLA interview scheduled by phone (12/12)(+1)
• Received email that search had been suspended due to unanticipated mid-year budget cuts. (12/19)
  
  

University of North Texas (10/15/08) Early American Lit

• Received letter via USPS that application was received (10/21) (x3)
  
• Request for further materials (10/30)
  
• MLA interview scheduled (12/4)(x2)
  
• Campus Visits Scheduled (12/28)
  

University of Northern Colorado (11/01/2008)Assistant Professor of 19th Century American, Lit of the West

• A colleague has scheduled a phone interview with them; I'm not sure about the dates
• Campus visits scheduled for three candidates in February.
• offered extended and accepted sometime in late February or early March (4/6)
  
  

U Pacific (11/7)

• Request for further materials (11/18 x3)
• MLA interview requested via email (12/5 x3)
• Rejection email (Memorandum -- TO: American Literature Applicant) 12/22
• Post MLA interview rejection -- Congratulations to the three finalists (1/15)
  
  

University of South Dakota (11/3) Early American/Colonial Lit

• Acknowledgment of app 11/7
  
• USPS ack. 11/14
  
• Request for phone interview (11/25)
  
  

University of Wyoming (11/1/2008) 19th century American

• Acknowledgment by mail that app was received(11/7) (x2)
  
• Acknowledgment by USPS (11/8)
  
• Ack by USPS (11/25)
• MLA interview scheduled by phone (12/15) (x5)
• Has an offer been extended for this position?  Any news at all? (4/6)
  
  

Winona State Univ (MN) (Deadline 11/14/08) Asst. Prof. Early American Lit

• Called 12/14 to schedule phone interview
  
• E-mail notice that SC was no longer considering apps 12/17
• Request for phone interview (12/18)
• Campus Visit Scheduled (1/23)
  
  

Wofford College (Spartanburg, SC). Assistant Professor of English, Early American Literature. (11/7/2008). ad

• Acknowledgment by mail (11/8)
  
• Request for further materials (11/13)
• E-mail request for letters of rec (11/17)
• E-mail request for letters of rec (11/20)
• MLA interview scheduled via phone (12/5)(x4)
• Campus Visit scheduled 1/01
• have any others interviewed at MLA heard from the Search Committee?
• A: Yes, I got my post-MLA interview rejection letter about a week ago. If you haven't heard, it might be a good thing . . . (1/23)
• thank you, but, alas, my not-hearing proved no better a thing than your hearing: I received the rejection today. again, all thanks, and best wishes for better news from elsewhere.
  
  

Young Harris College (GA) (Deadline 11/15/08) Asst. Prof. Early American Lit

• Request for campus interview by phone (12/15)
• Q. Did their process go from submission of materials straight to the campus interview? Or was there a phone interview?
• A. Straight to campus interview. There wasn't a formal phone interview, though I did have an extensive conversation with the search chair when I received the call.
  
  

offer made 2/17/09