History 2008-2009

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Introduction


 * If you are applying for academic jobs in history during the 2008-2009 school year, this wiki is for you. Since history departments do not always do a good job of notifying applicants about the status of their search, this wiki allows job applicants to share their updates with each other.  Through this collaborative effort, job searchers can provide the latest news on the dates and status of phone interviews, conference interviews, campus visits, job offers, and acceptance of job offers.  As we work together, we can help keep search committees more honest.  If you are unsure whether a search committee has acted inappropriately, review the AHA guidelines and standards that are linked below.
 * Our goal is to list below all known open searches, by regional and topical specialization. Please check the below job listing web sites frequently and add new searches as they appear on the Internet.  Try to match, as closely as possible, each job with one or more of the below categories.  In some instances, an open search may need to be listed in more than spot below.  Consider adding a link to the job announcement so that other users can find the job description quickly.  Please start each new sub-entry with a "star."  When adding news about a search, finish your note with the date in parentheses. This keeps entries easy to read and makes development over time more clear. Thanks!
 * Salary data is taken from the AAUP Faculty Salary Survey. Calculations for history are based on the fact that, in 2007-2008, the average assistant professor of history at a private institution earned 90.7 percent of what the average assistant professor at the same institution earned.  Similarly, the average assistant professor of history at a public institution earned 84.1 percent of what the average assistant professor at the same institution earned.  See "Barely Keeping Up?" by Robert B. Townsend for more details.
 * For some idea of the teaching load at these institutions, the student/faculty ratio from the Petersons.com web site is included.
 * As a measurement of student quality, median SAT scores are included. These were calculated from data available at the CollegeBoard.com web site.  The writing portion of the SAT score was excluded from this calculation and converted ACT scores were included.

Job Listings

 * AHA web site (must be AHA member)
 * H-Net
 * Chronicle of Higher Education
 * OAH
 * HigherEdJobs.com
 * InsideHigherEd.com
 * Higher-Ed.org
 * jobs.ac.uk (Major site for British jobs)

AHA Guidelines for Job Market

 * Click here for guidelines and standards on hiring, interviews, job offers, etc.

Status of Job Searches

 * I don't mean to be a pain, but do we really want a few thousand jobs on this one page? (As it is, the page is 38KB long, which is already longer than suggested.) Breaking it down in the AHA categories would make sense, though I have no idea how to do it.


 * I agree, and I think others do, too. Are we really locked into this page?  Someone already started a wiki for North American fields, using the old format.  Can't the North American folks just stick with that?  Anyone with me? Here's the link:


 * WHAT IS GOING ON? -WHICH SITE OF THE (NOW THREE) SITES ARE WE USING FOR U.S.&N.AM.JOBS?
 * what is the third site after this one and the old wiki?


 * Three sites, different content:
 * 1-Seems most up to date thus far/best?
 * 2-This one-see below
 * 3-Old version of this one?
 * Can we find consensus and select just one?


 * I think most people seem to agree that the original one is the best and most user-friendly, and most of the chatter seems to be settling in on that one. Also, one poster on that site pointed out that it's easier to figure out the IP addresses of posters on this site and thus harder to protect one's privacy.  That's a big vote for the original site.  Anyone want to make an executive decision?


 * I agree as well - thanks for providing the link.


 * Thanks! That one is much better.


 * The problem (last year) with the old wiki page was that it was much harder to restore once the deleting began. I've started a sub-page for all Americanist-oriented jobs.  Please move anything I missed (I'm getting bored doing this...)

COMPLAINTS/VENTING

 * With canceled searches and rush visits to campus, it seems to be about time to start up the complaints/venting/and other comments on the history job market . . . shall we?
 * Sure, I'm ready to vent--I'm starting to feel desperate


 * Fear. I'm gripped with fear. There were plenty of job searches canceled this year, and according to most faculty members, this is only the tip of the iceberg for hiring freezes--they are going to reach Ice Age proportions next year. I am afraid that, if I don't get a job this year, there will be NO JOBS available next year and that grants and postdocs will be cut back because endowments have fallen so hard. I don't know how long I can hang on in this profession without an actual paying job. Anyone else having trouble breathing when you think about the future?


 * Anyone else annoyed that the AHAs are in Manhattan just after New Years? I just got an interview and the hotels are booked
 * NYC is actually quite convenient for many of us in the Northeast; however, since I don't have any interviews scheduled yet, it doesn't really matter.
 * Well it may be conveniently located for some (next year's meetings are in San Diego), but January 1? There could not be a worse time to try to get to NYC.
 * I'm glad it's convenient for some, but those who aren't from the Northeast are facing $400/night hotel rooms if they didn't get some of the last available AHA rooms, and some of us are also facing $20+/hour childcare costs (with a four-hour minimum). I for one would have been happier if this conference weren't in one of the most expensive cities in the nation.
 * Wow, $400 is very expensive for a hotel. Shop around first -- a quick perusal of Travelocity found hotel rooms as cheap as $74/night in Manhattan for the period in question.  Many hotels in Brooklyn and Queens are less than $100/night.  Good luck!  New York is a safe city with lots to do and great public transportation.  It doesn't have to be expensive either; there are many fantastic inexpensive restaurants.
 * Note also that Manhattan has a very high hotel room tax that is not included in the quoted price
 * Yes, yes, we all know that New York is just swell, but I agree that having the conference in the most expensive city in the US at the most expensive time of year is pretty crappy. And let's be frank about it, those of us on the market are the only ones who are really paying our own way.  Most others can just bill it to their departments.
 * Why in the hell does the AHA have to pick the most expensive cities in the U.S. for its conferences when half of its attendees are probably graduate students and poorly paid adjuncts or VAPs who are there to interview for a jobs?? Can't they find other convention cities less expensive yet still convinient to large numbers of people? And how does San Diego count as convinient to anyone except residents of LA and SD? Why not Sacramento? I think there should be a movement to make the AHA less onerous to people who do not have financial backing to attend the conference. Even many of those who do may overrun their department's ability to fully fund their travel and lodging.
 * Well, I guess I'm the only person pleased with the location. Good luck to you all!
 * You do not have to pay that much for a hotel. I know it takes more time than we already have, but look for rooms/sublets on Craigslist and post to university list-serves. So many Columbia, CUNY, and NYU students are out of town then that you should be able to find lodging for the entire time for less than $400 -- yes, it's a little more of a commute too, but the conference is on lots of train lines.
 * 4 of the 15 searches I applied for have been canceled. Why me?!?!
 * You are not alone. I got a call saying that I was a finalist in the morning and that the search was canceled in the afternoon.
 * The AHA does not stay up all night trying to think of ways to make you miserable. They plan the annual meeting 5-7 years in advance. Do the math. New York was selected in the fall of 2001, just after the attacks there. At the time, hotels in NYC were terrified that no one would come to the city, so they gave the AHA the best deals imaginable. So the AHA arranged the deal so anyone who wanted could spend New Year's in Manhattan for $100 a night, which is a very good deal. They were trying to give people a chance to go to NY for the conference and yet *not* pay crazy fees. So while I agree that it's expensive and I don't have the money but I have to go (bitter, bitter, bitter), it's not the AHA that's making us miserable.
 * I'm absolutely amazed that so many people here are truly unhappy to have to go to New York. Lighten up!  Most of us are in similar situations in terms of financial strain, but it simply has to be done.  And even if you have only one interview (and I don't even have one, yet, and I'm thrilled about going), there are worse places to be for a weekend than New York City.  I'm looking forward to catching up with old friends from both college and academia (isn't this one of the best things about the AHA?), visiting the museums, and enjoying the nightlife.  And New York doesn't have to be expensive; stay in Queens or Brooklyn (or with a friend, for free -- what was all that networking at conferences for, anyway?) and take the train in to Manhattan for the meeting.  It'll take 30-45 minutes and cost you next to nothing.  New York has a superb subway system, if you didn't know that.  New York simply rocks -- get over it and enjoy yourselves (for once?).
 * LaDiDa!!! New York is GRAND.  Thanks for your service on behalf of the chamber of commerce.  Some of us have lived in New York and understand what it is and what isn't. It is a fine city, but it is expensive. And the conference is scheduled for January 1, which is an inconvenient time--as in a time when throngs of tourists flock to Midtown.  The AHAs, particularly when you are on the job market, are not a vacation.  And just about the last thing I want to do before and after an interview is commute to Brooklyn. Why not stay in Rochester or Port Jeff?!?  Loose the attitude.   BTW, did you see the name of this section?  It is, in case you are unclear it is COMPLAINTS/VENTING.  I suggest you start a new section called A'int the AHAs in New York Lovely; I Am Looking Forward to Catching Up With Old Friends & Making New Ones. How About YOU? :):):)
 * I'd just like to know when (and where) would be a convenient time and location for everyone? Should the AHA take a survey of graduate students?  Meet off of I-70 in the middle of Kansas every year?  What do you want, exactly?  The AHA has always been either the first or second full weekend in January, and the location is in a different region every year (the next four are in the West, East, Midwest, and South, respectively) in order to provide diversity of locales.  Some years you might get lucky, others not so much.  But it should even out.  And the timing is convenient because nearly all schools are still on winter break, which means that no one should have scheduling conflicts (and isn't it better to get the process moving along?).  It's not as if the AHA sprung New York -- an admittedly expensive city -- upon all of us at the last minute.  As a contributor noted above, these meeting are chosen years in advance.  The next five meeting locations -- and the hotels hosting various events -- are listed on the AHA website.  A little planning by those of us on the job market would probably alleviate much of the stress evident in the postings here.  And look, many, many events beyond job interviews take place at the AHA.  Did anyone look at the program?  There are hundreds of interesting panels on all aspects of history, as well as workshops and other opportunities for professional development.  This meeting is not all about *you* and your future.  It's about the historic discipline, where it is and where it's going.  Perhaps some advice: to cut down on AHA costs, several of my friends arranged to present papers at past AHA meetings while planning on interviewing for jobs.  And surely most of us can find funds for conferences.  I just can't condone blaming the AHA for giving us all the information we needed.  Also noted above, hotels in New York can be found very cheap, particularly if you book well in advance.  And yes, the AHAs, particularly if you are on the job market, can be stressful, but a lot of that depends on your attitude, too.  I've just decided that I'm going to be as relaxed as possible and do my best during interviews -- let's face it, they're either going to like you or they won't -- and enjoy the rest of my time in a cool city.  That's all I'm saying.  It doesn't have to be all stress and angst.  You *can* work and have fun, too.  Maybe we should arrange a night out amongst those posting on this board?  How about some collegiality (if we can avoid the $15 martinis, of course)!
 * A word to those who were dismayed when the rooms ran out (which I'm assuming they did) – vent away – but as someone who has been going to the AHA for job market purposes both on and off the tenure track for 8 years, I just always book a room in advance. The conference rates are always great given the locales and I've always ended up with interviews.  Even if I didn't, there's no cancellation penalty as long as it is a day or more in advance. And I've always paid out of pocket and my last name is not Rockefeller or Trump.

I've always thought that the AHA stage of the hiring process was simply an added, needless expense. Couldn't departments narrow their interview list to candidates they can afford to bring to their own campus? It might exclude a candidate or two who really impress at the AHA, but it would also put the onus and expense of the search on the people with the money. It seems profoundly unfair to force grad students, who usually have little money, to show up for interviews where they odds may be as high as 1 in 10 or even higher, merely to give institutions who aren't offering to foot their expenses a broader range of choice. Perhaps interviewing institutions should foot the bill for grad students? People seem to get hired in the UK, in New Zealand, in Canada, and in Australia, without such a conference; I doubt the historical profession would come to a shattering halt in the US, though perhaps the institution of the AHA would no longer survive. But then, is there really any need for it?
 * That's a worthy question. Wasn't there a study done last year that showed that less than half of all positions in the U.S. even interviewed at the AHA?  If that's true, that's probably a good step.  I'm torn, as I'd rather meet a search committee in person (even in the dreaded cubicles) than have to talk to four or five people over the phone.  But it does seem like more and more schools are moving away from AHA interviews.  I don't know, though, about schools paying for graduate student interviewees.  Doesn't that lean toward discrimination or bias?  And aren't there graduate students who make more than, say, adjuncts or part-time faculty?  Or graduate students with other financial means (husband, wife, or partner has a real job, etc.)?  I'm not sure it's feasible to be fair.  And I'm still of the opinion that if you don't want to deal with the expense or hassle of going to the AHA, you're free to do so.  There are jobs available that won't make you jump through that particular hoop.  But there are consequences to not playing the game.

I wonder about the relevance of conference interviews, too – having been on both sides of the proverbial table now and seeing that the top candidates often, but not always, tend to stay the top candidates going both in and out of these interviews. Sometimes there are surprises and sometimes search committees are more divided than not but I've wondered if flying out the favored 3 or 4 for campus visits wouldn't be easier, less costly, cut down on months of anxiety, and just cut to the chase. I once flew to a different conference (not AHA) for an interview for a position at a school I was very interested in only to find out that they were interviewing 25 candidates. How they could even discern one from the other by the end still boggles my mind. And, while they work for some, I tend to think phone interviews are disembodied evil incarnate.
 * SO sick of cancellations and chairs and admins who don't reply or give a sense of timeline for decisions; not to mention being SO sick of the places that proceeded with searches and materials requests only to cancel. Ah well. Bad economy, bad job market, bad year. Bad.

anyone else?

The cancelled searches are ridiculous - over 1/5th of the jobs I've applied to have been cancelled. And yes, I spent my money on postage and interfolio, and wasted my time imagining that I might actually be happy in any of those places. The bigger question, though, is how long with this last? Will there be even less to apply to next year? Do we brace ourselves for years of adjuncting? I don't even think I could afford to move for a VAP post if I was to *luck* out and get one. What of health insurance for those who need it? Maybe the AHA should make itself useful and buy group insurance for adjuncts -- kind of like a freelancers collective. In general, though, how long do you push forward until giving up?


 * I certainly share in the frustrations over canceled searches (1/5 for me, too), but it's not a search committee's, department's, college's, or university's fault that a search is canceled. These jobs were posted in August or September, before the rapid changes that took place in the global economy over the last two months.  Universities are hurting, too.  Look, Harvard has lost $8 billion dollars in investments in the last four months.  Yes, that's billion.  And we're talking about one of the finest investing institutions in the world with a 350-year track record.  We're in a serious recession now and the academic market is going to suffer, just like the rest of the country and world.  Will it be worse next year?  Who knows, as we can't predict the future.  Economists say the current recession could last far beyond the post-war record of 16 months.  So yes, it could get worse.  If there's any consolation, the general trend seems to be that it's the state schools that are canceling searches, as their funding is tied to state legislatures and public funding.  Private schools seem to be holding up, for now.  But don't give up -- if this is what you love, and you're good at it, you'll get a job eventually.


 * RE NYC Lodging, the website http://www.airbedandbreakfast.com lists many great, cheap nightly apartment rentals and is not sketchy at all.


 * FYI = The AHA sent out its online newsletter yesterday and it claimed that there WERE in fact still rooms available at the conference rate of $129/nt at the Sheraton New York, so the rooms are not, in fact, sold out. You can't book the rooms at that rate, however, until you register for the meeting. (12/4)
 * Re. Well, when I tried to book a room at Sheraton, the website of AHA said that there were still some rooms available, like 900 something rooms were booked out of some 1200 rooms. But when I called the hotel, the price they suggested was around $250 or something. They said that $129 ones were not available...
 * Do NOT call the hotel. You have to do everything online, otherwise you'll get the runaround.
 * RE: I tried several times to do everything online to no avail. Then I called the hotel.
 * AAaaaaiiiiighghghg
 * Just to clarify (not that you don't know this already) but you have to book through the AHA website under Annual Meeting. Believe me, I tried to deal with the hotel for the OAH last year and they couldn't seem to *get* what conference I was with or why I thought the room should be cheaper. If you go through the AHA website and register it should automatically direct you to accomodations. But hey, in the midst of all of the rest of this, why should this go the way it should?
 * When I tried to book online, I was directed to call the Sheraton's reservation line. When I called that, I was directed to call the hotel directly.  When I did that, the agent could not find the AHA group rate.  Eventually, they found it, but it seems that the conference is called something like International Historians, so be aware of all this.  Further, the rooms are not sold out, if you want one night.  They do not have rooms available in multiple night blocks.   Even further, I was only able to get two nights (not consecutive) at the conference rate.  This, by the way, was about 3 weeks ago--so I am sure it has only gotten better now.  Well done Sheraton!  Well done AHA!
 * I booked directly with Sheraton several months ago, because they didn't require any deposit, just credit card for security against no-shows (through the AHA site, you have to pay one night deposit I think), they gave me the AHA rate, and my booking can be canceled up to 24 hours before, at no charge. I don't know why people are always scrambling at the last minute. Book the damn room in August, then if you don't get an interview, cancel in December. I did that for Atlanta.
 * Gee, well aren't you omnipotently wise. Thanks for the late advise!
 * The poster above isn't offering wisdom or omnipotence, simply common sense. Sometimes I wonder how so many supposedly smart people can't grasp such simple concepts as making completely commitment-free hotel reservations or purchasing refundable airplane tickets well ahead of time.  This AHA business is not new.  Maybe we should start talking about such issues on the Wiki in the summer to make things more clear, and people won't be so stressed come December.
 * Bravo! The immediately-preceding comment is well-put.  Of course, the AHA guidelines for interviewees also recommends this, but I suppose we are far too skeptical to take the advice of our professional association.  Maybe we should create a wiki page on "Advice for Job Seekers/ Lessons learned"?
 * When I booked my room it DID require a deposit of one night's stay. This coupled with the registration fee, the plane tickets etc was a hefty hunk of change that I had to save for.  Not everyone has credit my friends, and those of us who are poor cannot usually afford to "think ahead" in the suggested fashion.  I expect all this to change of course once I land that TT position!
 * Oh, I see. So people are booking rooms that they may NOT use. And we wonder why there are not rooms during now, but there will suddenly be some in a couple weeks.  Thanks for that.  You know, some of us HAVE NOT been on the market before, so this is new.  And do we really want to start cursing on this board?  It is easy to do and I am happy to do it, but it just might not set the right tone.
 * No need for profanity...yet :) Yes, the job market is daunting and confusing.  The AHA does its best to provide transparency and support -- their website has a wealth of information for job seekers.  But I agree that we should start a page for advice for job seekers to help alleviate some stress (though some advice, such as staying outside of Manhattan for this year's conference to reduce housing costs, has been greeted with scoffs and anger).  There are a lot of failures of transparency out there -- for example, some departments do a terrible job of providing knowledge concerning the job process (about everything, from comps to the job market, all of which seems to be a big mystery to many graduate students), while others are better.  I'm lucky to have had a good friend and mentor who I watched go through the various processes a few years ago, which has helped me immensely this time around.  All of this to say, why not start a page for advice?  It would be helpful for people new to the process.
 * Advice on the job market is available in abundance, in Perspectives, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and various blogs. The problem is people not seeking such advice because they don't want to think about the job market til they are at the very end of their PhD program. I'm a bit skeptical of those who, at the end of 5+ years of grad school, don't even know about job interviews taking place at the AHA. But such people evidently exist. I got my PhD from a school where there was NO assistance in preparing for the job market at all. A couple of people in my cohort seemed to be completely clueless. But my point is that it's a 'lead a horse to water' situation - the information is out there, but the people who apparently need it won't seek it out until it's too late (and then complain 'nobody told me'...).
 * Enough of the smugness, the attitude, and the cursing on this board. The basic problem is that there are NO ROOMS LEFT at the AHA hotels.  Okay, everyone got that?  Take your condescension elsewhere.  It is not about not knowing how the job market works or whether to read Perspectives, it is about a lack of rooms at the AHA in Manhattan on New Years. Clear enough? Now for those of you who know to book a room early, regardless of whether you are going to go or not, YOU are why there are no rooms left.  This is not what the AHA suggests.  If you have reserved a room and are not going, you are screwing the rest of us.  THANK YOU.
 * Someone from LA is purporting to have scheduled AHA interviews today in Medieval Europe, Early Modern Europe, Modern Europe, and Russian/Soviet history. Um, WTF??!
 * Has anyone else had just about enough of the hotel discussion? It seems to have gone from something potentially useful to relatively pointless bickering.
 * Obviously some people are having a real panic. The poster above, who complains of 'attitude' and 'cursing' and then rants off and uses the term 'screwing' is pretty much a case in point. Yes it is stressful, and all of us are probably feeling it. Regarding the LA poster with the multiple interviews, it could be one person posting the interviews they know of from among their PhD cohort. I've certainly posted info on behalf of friends here. Or, indeed, it could be someone messing around, hard to know for sure!

Atlantic History

 * Boston College
 * more materials requested, 11/19


 * Dalhousie University
 * short list decided. At least one candidate has on-campus scheduled. (11/12)
 * Anyone know more about this?


 * East Carolina University


 * Emporia State University- Emporia, KS
 * application deadline is 1 Nov 2008
 * field has been narrowed down to top 10, who will be contacted this week to answer interview questions via email


 * State University of New York - Buffalo
 * application deadline is 15 Nov 2008

Diplomatic/International History

 * Naval War College
 * application deadline is 1 Oct 2008
 * - application confirmation received [early Oct]
 * - any news on this? I haven't heard anything since getting the application confirmation  (12/3)


 * Ohio University
 * application deadline is 15 Nov 2008
 * this one has an inside candidate on a one-year VAP
 * email ack 11/14
 * Really, an inside candidate? Oh well.

* Ohio State - Newark - US/Internation with focus on Middle East Due date Nov. 1
 * Any ideas if there is an inside candidate here?


 * Stanford - International History
 * application deadline is 15 Oct 2008
 * has anyone heard anything? (11/11)
 * seriously, nothing?? that online app thing was weird too (11/25) X 2
 * it's Dec 3, has anyone got an update? are they interviewing at AHA? X2
 * Spoke to Naimark a few weeks back. He did say they'd be interviewing at AHA.  Beyond that no details or dates.
 * 12/4 A Stanford history dept faculty member told me today that a hiring freeze has been implemented at Stanford. Not sure if this is true or not, but that might explain the delay in moving forward with this search.
 * Search Cancelled (email 12/6)


 * University of British Columbia
 * application deadline is 1 Oct 2008
 * - application confirmation received [early Oct]
 * - Campus Interviews [late Nov]
 * - How many candidates are being interviewed? When are they happening?


 * University of Texas at Austin
 * History of Empire, open rank
 * application deadline is 17 November 2008
 * received email ack. 11/18
 * anyone heard anything else? Are they interviewing at AHA? (12/1)


 * Wake Forest University
 * Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
 * application deadline is 1 Nov 2008
 * average salary for assistant professors in 2007-2008 was $57,900
 * assistant professor of history should earn at least $52,522 annually
 * student/faculty ratio - 10:1
 * median SAT score: 1295 to 1325
 * [letter ack rcvd 11/22]