Transcript Institutional Types - University of Kentucky

Tips for Writing Effective Faculty
Job Applications
Dr. Morris Grubbs
The Graduate School
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.]
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.
Institutional Types
• Research university
• Regional comprehensive university
• Independent or private 4-year liberal arts
college/university
• Associate’s college (community college)
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
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
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
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)
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
Know Thyself
and 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?
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.
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.
Keep your audience at the center of your
writing.
o For a position at a large university, tailor your
letter to the character of the department.
o For a position at a liberal arts college or
university, tailor your letter to the character of
the institution.
o Use your research skills to research the place
and its people, the mission and the culture.
Foreground and background your research and
teaching inclinations to suit the type of
institution.
o When applying to a position that emphasizes research,
focus first on your research, second on your teaching.
o When applying to an institution that emphasizes
teaching, focus first on your teaching, second on your
research.
o The same advice applies to the curriculum vitae, which
should also be tailored to the type of institution.
• 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.
• 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.
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.)
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/urbp213assig
nment_jobletter_Tips.pdf
http://serc.carleton.edu/files/NAGTWorkshops/careerprep/j
obsearch/vita_handout.pdf
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
teaching and learning coupled with some
specific examples of how you enact your beliefs
in the classroom.
• May address a set of implied questions
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?
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.
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?
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.
• 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 activelearning 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.
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_guid
ance.html
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts.php
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/publinks/CRLT_no23.pdf
Consider . . .
Certificate in College
Teaching and Learning
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
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?
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
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).
Research Statements
http://careers.uw.edu/ifiles/all/files/docs/gradstudents/pdfs/AcademicCare
ers-Research_Statements_07-08.pdf