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Friday, September 04, 2009
Discussion of Life in Public Affairs Schools Etc.
Use this space for discussion of non-job-search-related topics
15 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Life is mediocre, and the burden of irrelevance is almost unbearable.
It's what you make of it. Unfortunately, I'm rewarded for irrelevant research (journal-oriented), but I try to balance it with relevant, community-based research that is sometimes actually used.
Is it intellectually valuable to the field if one is unlikely to be able to publish an article in major journals that is critical of a developing area of research because the editors of those journals will send the article to the leading scholars of that field for review. The expectation is that most reviewers with a stake in maintaining the research status quo will reject the article arbitrarily to avoid challenge and protect their position, therefore stifling intellectual discourse both valuable and necessary to the advancement of knowledge. This is not a hypothetical, I have both received such a warning and witnessed such an occurrence.
I agree. There will likely be some "growing pains" but UVA is a good university. I wouldn't be surprised if for awhile it remained a very small program until it gets rolling.
UVA is a great university and I agree it likely won't meet many challenges beyond growing pains. Of course, most if not all academic departments experience at least a minor identity crisis every few years. Hopefully, it won't be another Clinton School, which to be kind is a less than noteworthy place. I had forgotten it even existed until this post got me thinking about new schools.
UVA once had quite a PA department, though the Batten School doesn't really resemble it, especially in light of their focus on policy and leadership as opposed to management or administration. If the school plays their cards right it wouldn't take long for UVA to pass up a place like the Clinton School.
I am fairly sure my major professor is somewhat embarrassed by either me or my work, yet she seems to hint at the fact that I am best off working with with her. She's acerbically critical of nearly everything I do, yet seems to still take some odd interest in my work. I've been approached about applying for a few jobs, but she won't respond to any e-mails I send her about them, and generally ignores the topic if I bring it up to her in person. I think it's gradually evolving into a lose-lose relationship and I want to switch to someone else.
Any thoughts on this? Should I keep the old one or find a new one?
Are you sure she's embarrassed by your work? Or, is she being critical because she knows you're capable of doing even better and she is thinking about long-term consequences?
I had similar feelings as you when I was working on my dissertation. My advisor could be extremely critical (there's a rumor that she's made students cry) and she was, at times, very rough on me. She also openly discouraged me from applying to jobs too soon (she didn't ignore my emails, she just said NO). At the time I was not too pleased. Now, I am so appreciative of her. Now that I'm finished, she's much kinder to me, a paper from my dissertation is in a great journal, and I realize that without her criticisms and insistance on not "rushing through it", my work only would have been 1/2 as good.
My suggestion -- talk to other students and see if they have the same experience as you with her.
Talked with several of my MP's old students and received mixed reviews. Nothing overtly bad, nor entirely good. Maybe she's just getting older and grouchier.
So how many publications make a bullet proof tenure case in a PA department? I'm in my 2nd year, have 11, but I'm still pretty anxious... the process seems to allow for way too much arbitrary decisions.
15 comments:
Life is mediocre, and the burden of irrelevance is almost unbearable.
It's what you make of it.
Unfortunately, I'm rewarded for irrelevant research (journal-oriented), but I try to balance it with relevant, community-based research that is sometimes actually used.
Is it intellectually valuable to the field if one is unlikely to be able to publish an article in major journals that is critical of a developing area of research because the editors of those journals will send the article to the leading scholars of that field for review. The expectation is that most reviewers with a stake in maintaining the research status quo will reject the article arbitrarily to avoid challenge and protect their position, therefore stifling intellectual discourse both valuable and necessary to the advancement of knowledge. This is not a hypothetical, I have both received such a warning and witnessed such an occurrence.
are their dangers in joining a new PA school? such as UVA's new school, for example? I'm thinking particularly for a new scholar, such as myself.
UVA has a great reputation as a university, but obviously no rep in PA.
No room to be picky in this market and, as you say, UVA is a quality university.
I agree. There will likely be some "growing pains" but UVA is a good university. I wouldn't be surprised if for awhile it remained a very small program until it gets rolling.
UVA is a great university and I agree it likely won't meet many challenges beyond growing pains. Of course, most if not all academic departments experience at least a minor identity crisis every few years. Hopefully, it won't be another Clinton School, which to be kind is a less than noteworthy place. I had forgotten it even existed until this post got me thinking about new schools.
UVA once had quite a PA department, though the Batten School doesn't really resemble it, especially in light of their focus on policy and leadership as opposed to management or administration. If the school plays their cards right it wouldn't take long for UVA to pass up a place like the Clinton School.
The Clinton School is a total joke.
I am fairly sure my major professor is somewhat embarrassed by either me or my work, yet she seems to hint at the fact that I am best off working with with her. She's acerbically critical of nearly everything I do, yet seems to still take some odd interest in my work. I've been approached about applying for a few jobs, but she won't respond to any e-mails I send her about them, and generally ignores the topic if I bring it up to her in person. I think it's gradually evolving into a lose-lose relationship and I want to switch to someone else.
Any thoughts on this? Should I keep the old one or find a new one?
Are you sure she's embarrassed by your work? Or, is she being critical because she knows you're capable of doing even better and she is thinking about long-term consequences?
I had similar feelings as you when I was working on my dissertation. My advisor could be extremely critical (there's a rumor that she's made students cry) and she was, at times, very rough on me. She also openly discouraged me from applying to jobs too soon (she didn't ignore my emails, she just said NO). At the time I was not too pleased. Now, I am so appreciative of her. Now that I'm finished, she's much kinder to me, a paper from my dissertation is in a great journal, and I realize that without her criticisms and insistance on not "rushing through it", my work only would have been 1/2 as good.
My suggestion -- talk to other students and see if they have the same experience as you with her.
Yeah Lin Ostrom. Way to go, winning a "Nobel" Prize. Good to see some PA/PS scholarship being recognized.
9/23/09 1:31 PM here...
Talked with several of my MP's old students and received mixed reviews. Nothing overtly bad, nor entirely good. Maybe she's just getting older and grouchier.
So how many publications make a bullet proof tenure case in a PA department? I'm in my 2nd year, have 11, but I'm still pretty anxious...
the process seems to allow for way too much arbitrary decisions.
There are definitely a few PA departments that need to read this. It probably explains high turnover in a few of them.
http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Decisions-Decisions/20513/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
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