Tips for Writing Effective Faculty Job Applications

1. Tips for Writing Effective Faculty Job Applications Dr. Morris Grubbs The Graduate School

2. Four Topics Covered • Quick overview of Institutional Types • Principles of Effective Faculty Job Application Letters • Principles of Effective Teaching Statements • Principles of Effective Research Statements [CV writing is another workshop.]

3. Caveat The principles presented here are general principles. Some of them may be slightly at odds with discipline-specific conventions. Ask your advisor or other colleagues in your department for disciplinary guidelines, especially when it comes to writing a statement of research.

4. Institutional Types • Research university • Regional comprehensive university • Independent or private 4-year liberal arts college/university • Associate’s college (community college)

5. Research Universities(Includes public, private non-profit, and some private for-profit institutions) • Divided into three categories -- RU/VH (Research University with Very High Research Activity) – previously known as “Research 1 university” -- RU/H (Research University with High Research Activity) -- DRU (Doctoral/RU – Moderate Research) See Carnegie Foundation website for full list

6. Regional Comprehensive Universities • Also called Master’s Colleges and Universities in the Carnegie classification system (e.g., Eastern KY Univ., Kentucky State Univ., Morehead State Univ.) • Many evolved from “Normal Schools” opened at the turn of the 20th century, designed to train public school teachers • Provide a comprehensive set of bachelor’s and master’s programs; some are beginning to provide doctoral degrees jointly with a research institution • See Council on Postsecondary Education

7. Four-Year “Independent” or “Private” Liberal Arts Colleges • Emphasis is solidly on undergraduate teaching (e.g., Transylvania University, Centre College, Georgetown College, Asbury University, etc.) • Some encourage and reward research, especially if the research involves undergraduates. • Many have a small number of master’s programs. • Twenty private colleges in Kentucky. See Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities(AIKCU) website

8. Associate’s Colleges • Also called two-year junior colleges, but now usually called Community Colleges • Proliferated in the 1950s/60s to expand public access to higher education and to enrich cultural, civic, and entrepreneurial opportunities, especially in isolated areas • Sixteen community colleges in Kentucky (see KCTCS website)

9. Course loads for faculty at different types of institutions(traditional semester system) • Research universities: average of 4 courses per year • Regional universities: average of 7 courses per year • Small liberal arts college: average of 8 courses per year • Community college: average of 9 courses per year

10. Know Thyselfand be True to Thyself Are you a researcher who can teach? Are you a teacher who can research? Or are you both at a high level?

11. Tips for Writing Effective Letters of Application • Tailor your letter very carefully and specifically to the positionas described in the job announcement • Avoid sending out generic cover letters. Search committees can easily spot these, putting your application in immediate jeopardy.

12. The Faculty Application Letter • Also called the “cover letter” or “letter of interest” • Best to think of it as an argument or persuasive essay (i.e., assertions supported with reasons and evidence) • Should not exceed two pages • Should be carefully customized to match the institutional type, the character of the specific institution, and/or the character of the department.

13. Keep your audience at the center of your writing. • For a position at a large university, tailor your letter to the character of the department. • For a position at a liberal arts college or university, tailor your letter to the character of the institution. • Use your research skills to research the place and its people, the mission and the culture.

14. Foreground and background your research and teaching inclinations to suit the type of institution. • When applying to a position that emphasizes research, focus first on your research, second on your teaching. • When applying to an institution that emphasizes teaching, focus first on your teaching, second on your research. • The same advice applies to the curriculum vitae, which should also be tailored to the type of institution.

15. Avoid rehashing your C.V. in your letter. Okay to highlight accomplishments matching the nature of the position, but leave the details to the C.V. • Limit your letter to no more than two pages. • Your readers will appreciate directness and concision, as well as language grounded in details and examples. Avoid discipline-specific jargon and theoretical language, for your readers may be from varied disciplines.

16. Limit the use of the pronoun “I,” especially at the beginnings of sentences, to avoid giving the impression of self-centeredness. • Dont underestimat they impotance of editing and proofing (including making sure you have spelled the recipient’s name correctly, you have referred to the institution and department accurately, you have avoided gender-biased language, etc.). Screening committees may be looking for reasons to eliminate your application; don’t give them an easy reason.

17. Readers read application letters for three reasons: • To get a quick sense of your case for how your qualifications match the position (i.e., they read it as a preface or foreword to your C.V.); • To get a sense of you as a person (Are you someone who pays attention to minute details, such as those in a job announcement? Are you inviting and open to new ideas, or are you closed and overly self-assured? Etc.); • To get a sense of your writing (how well do you organize your thoughts, manage tone, signal the difference between main ideas and subordinate points, etc.)

18. Further advice on writing application letters “The Basics of Cover Letter Writing” by Richard Reis. Chronicle of Higher Education, 3 March 2000.http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2000/03/2000030302c.htm “How to Write Appealing Cover Letters” by Mary Morris Heiberger and Julie Miller Vick. Chronicle of Higher Education, 21 April 2000. http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2000/04/2000042101c.htm Also: http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/weinstein.agrawal/urbp213assignment_jobletter_Tips.pdf http://serc.carleton.edu/files/NAGTWorkshops/careerprep/jobsearch/vita_handout.pdf

19. The Teaching Philosophy Statement • Usually ranges from two to three pages (single space or space-and-a-half, but not double space) • Should include your abstract beliefs about teachingand learning coupled with some specific examples of how you enact your beliefs in the classroom. • May address a set of implied questions

20. Prompts to Help You Prepare a Teaching Philosophy Statement • Why is teaching important to you? • How do you see yourself as a teacher? What is your role in the classroom? Would a metaphor be useful? • Why is your discipline important for students to understand and appreciate? • How do you think students learn best? • What are your learning goals for your students? • Do you have some overriding teaching goals or strategies? • How exactly will you accomplish what you state? Link assertions to concrete examples. • Is your philosophy statement reflective and personal, not superficial and generic? • What might set your teaching apart from your colleagues’ teaching? Do you apply a different emphasis or use a different set of strategies? • What is your plan for personal growth in your teaching career?

21. Advice from Dr. Peter Fosl, professor of philosophy at Transylvania University (which he shared in GS 650 in fall 2007): TPS should reveal . . . . • A sense of voice (dynamism, personality) • A learner-centered worth ethic (an interest in the needs of students, rather than your own needs) • Evidence that you are not just interested in conveying a body of knowledge or doctrine, but, rather, that you want to cultivate an enduring appreciation for the value of the subject or discipline.

22. In short, give your reader . . . • a clear idea of what you believe about teaching, about learning, and about the differences between the two • examples of how you implement your philosophy so that your reader may envision what it’s like as a student in your classroom • Keep your reader in mind always as you write the TPS: • Is the TPS organized clearly into effective and discernable units? (See next slide) • Are transitions offered between units? • Will there be readers outside your discipline? Be aware of references, examples, and jargon. • What tone are you conveying? Confidence? Open-mindedness? A statement of your beliefs versus a set of absolute truths?

23. More general tips . . . • Write in first-person, but try not to overuse “I.” • Use paragraphing effectively; that is, use paragraphs as units of thought. The convention of announcing the paragraph’s topic in the first sentence or two will be appreciated (and noticed) by most readers. • Be mindful of the importance of your opening and your closing. Find a way to pull in your reader and to take the reader back out gracefully.

24. Readers will want to know that you value active learning (as opposed to the more passive learning gained through lecturing). Remember, though, that saying that you value and employ active-learning techniques is not enough: you must also provide examples of an instance or two when you have used such strategies effectively. • Work toward becoming a student of the scholarship of teaching in your discipline and let your reader know about these efforts. Let the reader know you know the importance of keeping up with new theories and innovations.

25. Resources on writing TPSs • “How to Write a Statement of Teaching Philosophy,” by Gabriela Montell. Chronicle of Higher Education, 27 March 2003. http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2003/03/2003032702c.htm • “Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement,” prepared by Lee Haugen, Center for Teaching Excellence, Iowa State University. http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/philosophy.html • “Four Steps to a Memorable Teaching Philosophy,” by James Lang. Chronicle of Higher Education, 29 August 2010. http://chronicle.com/article/4-Steps-to-a-Memorable/124199/ Other Useful Links: http://ucat.osu.edu/selected_links/teaching_portfolio/philosophy/Phil_guidance.html http://www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts.php http://www.crlt.umich.edu/publinks/CRLT_no23.pdf

26. Consider . . . Certificate in College Teaching and Learning

27. Research Statements • Aim for no more than two pages, in single or 1.5 spacing. • Much more than a summary of your dissertation • Allows you to go beyond your dissertation to describe your broader research experiences and interests • Invites you to give your audience a look at where your research interests and passions may lead

28. Research Statements, cont. • Should be tailored to the specific institutional type, the specific institution, and the specific department, insofar as possible and appropriate • Should address the value of your research: What makes it innovative? How broad are its implications? To whom will it make a difference?

29. Research Statements, cont. • Should address how you will engage students in your research • May describe your ideas about sources of funding • May describe your ability to work on a research team • Should not be too detailed or even too revealing; give just enough information about your research to piqué the reader’s interest and leave her wanting to know more

30. Research Statements, cont • Imagine a general audience for your first paragraph or section; gradually introduce complexity in subsequent paragraphs. • Organize in a traditional way, with opening, body, and closing; use paragraphing effectively (moving from topic statement to explanation and support). • May organize chronologically or topically. • Use section headings if it helps with clarity (e.g., Previous Research, Current Research, Future Research).

31. Research Statements http://careers.uw.edu/ifiles/all/files/docs/gradstudents/pdfs/AcademicCareers-Research_Statements_07-08.pdf