This is the beginning of my fourth year on the tenure track, which means that it's time for my department to make a formal review of my progress toward tenure. Our departmental documents describe this process in a paragraph: tell us what you've done in terms of teaching, scholarship, and service. Give us a current CV; include copies of your papers; write up a self-evaluation. So back in June I wrote up my teaching philosophy and my research statement and sent them off to some peers for their comments. It was a little painful, but NBD. I had a brief talk with my chair, who told me (in language that made it seem optional) to go ahead and complete the formal application to the provost that I'll use when I apply for tenure in two more years. I have to go back to my teaching evals (joy!) and pull out some numbers, but it didn't seem onerous.
Yesterday I sat down with the colleagues who are also going up for review and two of the faculty who will be doing the review, and learned that my colleagues have spent HOURS and HOURS over the summer creating giant binders. One of them said that hers contains hundreds of artifacts. I don't even know what she means, exactly-- conference programs, I think? sample assignments from her classes? thank-you notes from students?
Sooooo I am suddenly feeling a bit behind. My binder is due in two weeks, and I had thought I could tie up my loose ends today, before the start of the semester. Part of me is worried that I have a lot more loose ends than I thought. But no: I am going to push back against the worry. I have more than enough publications by the standards of my institution, my teaching evals are fine (with the exception of my heartbreaking spring class, for which I can provide context), and my interim letters from the committee that reviews yearly productivity reports have all been fine as well. (Do you hear the panicky part of my brain attempting to spring free from the cave where I have put it in time out? It's howling, "But the thaaaaank-yooooouuu noooooootes from students!!!!!")
The committee members expressed a clear preference yesterday for streamlined binders. But I cannot quite shake the worry that mine will look too skimpy next to my Type A colleagues' submissions. I'm pretty sure that being ahead of the game on pubs will cover a multitude of sins -- but only pretty sure.
Recent Comments