Tips for Writing Effective Faculty Job Applications

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Tips for Writing Effective Faculty Job
Applications

• Dr. Morris Grubbs
• The Graduate School

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Topics Covered

• Principles of Effective Faculty Job Application
  Letters
• Principles of Effective Teaching Statements
• Principles of Effective Research Statements

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Caveat

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

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Institutional Types

• Research university
• Regional comprehensive university
• Independent or private liberal arts
  college/university
• Associates college (community college)
• Various kinds of for-profit colleges and
  universities (such as Strayer University)

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Research Universities(Includes public, private
non-profit, and some private for-profit
institutions)

• Divided into three categories
• -- RU with Very High Research Activity
• -- RU with High Research Activity
• -- DRU (Doctoral/RU Moderate Research)
• See Carnegie Foundation website for full list

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Regional Comprehensive Universities

• Also called Masters Colleges and Universities in
  the Carnegie classification system (e.g., Eastern
  KY Univ., Northern KY 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 bachelors and
  masters programs some are beginning to provide
  doctoral degrees, mostly jointly with a research
  institution
• See Council on Postsecondary Education

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The Independent or Private Liberal Arts College

• 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 masters programs
• Twenty private colleges in Kentucky. See
  Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and
  Universities (AIKCU) website

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Associates 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
• For public Associates Colleges in Kentucky, see
  KCTCS website

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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

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Know Thyselfand be True to Thyself

• Are you a researcher who can teach?
• Or are you a teacher who can research?
• Or are you both at a high level?

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Tips for Writing Effective Letters of Application

• Tailor your letter very carefully and
  specifically to the position as described in the
  job announcement
• Avoid sending out generic cover letters. Search
  committees can easily spot these, putting your
  application in immediate jeopardy.

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The Faculty Application Letter

• Also called the cover letter
• Best to think of it as an argument (i.e.,
  assertions supported with reasons and evidence)
  -- a marketing essay
• Should not exceed two pages
• Should be carefully customized to match the
  institutional type, the character of the specific
  institution, and the character of the department.
  

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• Keep your audience at the center of your writing.
• Tailor your letter very specifically to the
  institution and to the department.
• Use your research skills to research the place
  and its people, the mission and the culture
  (insofar as this is possible from afar).
• The letters that will stand out in the pile are
  the letters with a clear attention to the
  character of the place.

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• Foreground your experience suiting the type of
  institution.
• When applying to an institution that emphasizes
  teaching, foreground (that is, place up front)
  your teaching experience, while backgrounding (or
  subordinating) your dissertation and research
  interests.
• When applying for a position that emphasizes
  research, foreground your research experience and
  research potential.
• The same advice applies to the curriculum vitae,
  which may also be tailored to the type of
  institution.

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• Include a separate Teaching Philosophy Statement
  or Research Statement only if it is required in
  the job announcement.
• Avoid rehashing your C.V. in your letter. Okay
  to draw attention to highlights, but let C.V. do
  its job.
• Limit your letter to no more than two pages. Your
  readers will appreciate directness and concision,
  as well as language grounded in detail and
  examples. Avoid jargon and theoretical and
  abstract language.

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• Limit the use of the pronoun I, especially at
  the beginnings of sentences, to avoid giving the
  impression of self-absorption..
• Dont underestimat they impotance of editing and
  proofing (including making sure you have spelled
  the recipients name correctly, you have referred
  to the institution and department appropriately,
  you have avoided gender-biased language, etc.).
  Screening committees may be looking for reasons
  to eliminate your application dont give them an
  easy reason.

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Online 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/2000/03/20000
  30302c.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/2000/04/2000042101
  c.htm
• Also
• http//www.sjsu.edu/faculty/weinstein.agrawal/urbp
  213assignment_jobletter_Tips.pdf
• http//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/639/01/
  
• http//serc.carleton.edu/files/NAGTWorkshops/caree
  rprep/jobsearch/vita_handout.pdf

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The Teaching Philosophy Statement

• Usually ranges from two to three pages (single
  space or space-and-a-half, but not double space)
• Should be a mixture of your abstract beliefs
  about teaching and learning and some specific
  examples of how you enact your beliefs in the
  classroom. In other words, make general
  assertions and then back them up with some
  anecdotal evidence.
• May address a set of implied questions

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• 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 profession?

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• Advice from Dr. Peter Fosl, professor of
  philosophy at Transylvania University (which he
  shared in my GS 650 course in fall 2007)
• TPS should feature . . . .
• A sense of voice (dynamism, personality)
• A learner-centered focus (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.

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• In short, give your reader . . .
• a clear idea about you as a teacher?
• a clear idea about what you believe about
  learning? About teaching?
• examples of how you implement your philosophy?
•  
• Keep your reader in mind always as you write the
  letter
• Is the letter 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?

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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 paragraphs 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.

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• 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.

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Online 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.ht
  ml
• 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/teaching_portfolio/philosophy
  /philosophy2.html (for samples)
• http//www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts.php
  http//www.crlt.umich.edu/publinks/CRLT_no23.pdf
  

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Consider . . . Certificate in College Teaching
and Learning
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Research Statements

• 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

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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?
  

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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 committees interest and leave them
  wanting to know more

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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.
• Aim for no more than two pages, in single or 1.5
  spacing.

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Research Statements
http//career.ucsf.edu/pff/assets/ResearchStatemen
tHandout.pdf http//artsandsciences.virginia.edu/
gradschoolcareer/academiccareers/applicationmateri
als/trstatements.htmla3 http//careers.uw.edu/if
iles/all/files/docs/gradstudents/pdfs/AcademicCare
ers-Research_Statements_07-08.pdf