Land A Job As A Visiting Faculty Member

by Diane M. Calabrese

Persistence and luck play a big part in finding employment–of any sort. Put the emphasis on luck in a market characterized by scarce positions and abundant applicants. One veteran visiting faculty member has held seven past positions in the category. Yet the particular job-hunter continued to worry in August about being employed for the 2001-2002 academic year.

Word-of-mouth–colleagues knew of hidden needs at colleges and universities–had helped bridge the way to a job in the past. Links established through demonstrated competence and goodwill in a series of previous positions might still land the seeker a job by the time classes resume on campus. Thus, the individual is serious about being available on the shortest of notices, if not exactly sanguine about the possibility of being called.

In fact, being ready to seize an opportunity is among the strategies experienced visiting faculty members suggest for improved odds of securing a position.

“The best recommendation I have is flexibility,” said Steven Stovall, who teaches Business Dimensions of Medicine to medical students. Most recently, he has worked for Saint Joseph College of Maine, teaching at the college’s affiliated program in Belize.

Stovall’s first choice for a foreign instructional post was Cambridge, England, but he was offered Belize. He decided to take the opportunity in Central America, and said, “I am so glad I did.” In addition, Stovall said, it’s important to realize that “university administrators appreciate working with someone who can roll with the punches and can adapt to a variety of situations.” The less the administrators have “to worry about you,” explains Stovall, the more likely it is you will be valued as someone that gets the job done. That will lead to an extended contract or an excellent reference.

Artimus Keiffer, who earned a Ph.D. from Kent State in 1994, has held several visiting positions since. He echoes Stovall’s insistence on flexibility and explains he has done whatever it takes to commit to a position, including renting apartments or sleeping rooms, so he could commute from a more established, long-term residence.

And what was the key to getting the positions? “Networking–being in the right place or knowing someone that is–” provides a crucial start, says Keiffer. Citing newsletters, Web servers, listings in The Chronicle of Higher Education as the place to start looking for openings, Keiffer makes it clear one just starts there.

Indeed, Christine K. Holland did not stop with ordinary channels of communication among academics. She recommends others also cast a wide net. Holland explained, “…I read an article in the local paper about the University of North Florida and how they were working on getting more full-time faculty.”

She contacted the department chair in the communications and visual arts department via e-mail and when invited, she sent her CV. Soon, she had a position.

Adaptability, Visibility, and Preparation

Again, Holland gets back to the importance of being highly adaptable. Keep in touch, she advises, because often hiring is a “last-minute thing.” A visible prospect has a better chance of coming to mind as a possibility.

“If you are a known entity to the [department chair],” says Holland, “most likely he or she will think of you as a way to fill the need.”

Besides being present and positive, be prepared, says LeGrace Benson.

“Set aside time each day to work on at least one aspect of your professional field,” said Benson. “Keep up any needed language skills.”

Turn off the evening news, and turn on foreign language programs, advises Benson. Beyond the skills, make sure priorities are set. It’s more important to skimp on lavish meals and dinners out, according to Benson, than to miss an important conference that raises visibility of the academic because one does not have the discretionary money to attend. Harness the cash to participate by deciding the professional meeting ranks at the top of the spending list.

“Most of all think of yourself as who you really are–a person with skills, gifts and knowledge that the larger community needs,” said Benson. “Always be on the lookout for how you can attach your talents to that need. Stay unflinchingly optimistic.”

If It Works…

As for distilling a strategy, it all seems to be about doing what works. Tautological, yes, but it becomes no less realistic because of it.

Obvious sources of employment information should not be overlooked. Charlene Etkind responded to an ad in The Toledo Blade and was hired as a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Communications at the University of Toledo, Ohio, for the 1999-2000 year. Etkind said on-line job banks are also a good place to check regularly for listings.

Metropolitan area newspapers, such as The Washington Post, often are the primary outlet for the many colleges and universities in the vicinity of the hub city. Hotjobs.com, one of many free places to search job ads on the Web, lists across professions.

Almost no one speaks the word nepotism these days. With concepts such as family values and social cohesiveness being in vogue, one can sometimes tap into the sentiment for more family togetherness to leverage a position. In short, when a spouse can help, let him or her do it, advises one person who has taken the same path.

“Trust me, finding a job for me is not easy,” says Ning W. Schultz, who first came to the United States as a visiting scholar in 1999.Schultz had been teaching English at Liaoning University, Shenyang, China, for eleven years.

She is uninhibited about disclosing that her husband helped her find the visiting faculty jobs she held before she soured on the “unstable life” of trekking from institution to institution on an annual basis. She left higher education and now teaches full-time in a regular position at the Sidwell Friends School, in Washington D.C.

Good Fortune

The what-to-do list for individuals seeking a visiting faculty position resonates with the tips for job hunters in all fields. Contact (word-of-mouth, networking, visibility) counts. Competence does too. All else being equal, however, luck is important. And in one way or another, many sources said something similar to what Artimus Keiffer did.

“I feel I have been lucky,” he says. “I have been able to turn down jobs, resign from two other jobs and be in a place that is geographically and socially acceptable [to me], Indianapolis, while commuting a couple of hours to a job. [I’ve been able to] keep myself mentally challenged and financially secure.”

The Last Word

Several sources said to be careful what one asks for because getting it sometimes shatters a dream. For academicians that thrive on a bit of chaos, the visiting faculty slot can be a good one. But the hierarchy of higher education puts a visiting faculty member near the bottom of the many strata and where pervasive problems settle. Here is a summary of what some sources said. Equipment, even pieces integral to a course, might not work properly. Students have long since learned what the academic pecking order is, and if they decide to ignore or challenge a visiting faculty member, they know how to flex their muscles with administrators.

Administrators frequently do not show an interest in being forthcoming in a timely way about the possibility of rehiring. Worse, some engage in a duplicitous game. Department chairs tell the new, naïve, or first-time visiting faculty member what an honor it is for him or her to be hired without a terminal degree. But the lack of the terminal degree will usually ensure the visitor commands less compensation and fails to fit the profile when a tenure-line position opens. The last word, then, is to beware. As with any endeavor, the more a prospective visiting faculty member knows, the fewer surprises there will be.