In Which I Accept a One Year Teaching Lectureship

So, now I can be more straight forward than I was yesterday, with my discussion of "dressy" shoes.  This week, I interviewed for a one year full-time teaching lectureship at Spartanburg Methodist College, hence the need for "dressy" shoes (which, again, I stress that most people wouldn't see them as "dressy"--they are flat and black and boring).  Yesterday, they offered me the position, and I said  yes.

Let me say at the outset, I'm still going to be taking seminary classes, so having this job doesn't change that.  If the Faith Lutheran folks want me to continue past June (when the contract extension ends) as their very part-time minister, a full-time teaching job doesn't get in the way of that.

The college had advertised several positions; I originally applied for the tenure track position, which had this language:  

"A PhD in Rhetoric and Composition or related discipline. (ABD with identified completion date will also be considered). We are especially interested in candidates with areas of specialization in professional writing; technical communication; digital and social media studies; visual rhetorics; business, grant, and non-profit writing; or editing and publishing. Additional experience with creative writing and/or journalism is welcome."

I thought that I might fit--I don't have course work in digital and social media studies, but I've been doing writing for digital spaces and social media.  I've taught business and technical writing.  I've done editing and publishing and professional writing of all kinds.  I thought it was worth applying, particularly since I've had success there as an adjunct.

A few weeks ago, I heard from a woman on the search committee, who also happens to be the woman who hired me to be an adjunct.  She said they had decided on a different candidate for the tenure track position, but she asked me to consider applying for the one year lectureship, which is a 5/5 course load (the tenure track position is a 4/4 load).  After asking some questions, I said that I would like to have my materials given to the search committee.

A week before Spring Break, I was told that the committee would be interviewing me, and this week was the week.  On Tuesday, the search committee came to see me teach, and on Wednesday, I had an interview with the Provost (the chief academic officer on the campus), followed by an interview with the search committee.  There was a meet and greet that was open to the whole faculty, and then the search committee took me to lunch.

On Wednesday as I drove home, I thought that the day couldn't have gone much better.  I've had interviews where later I thought, I wish I had answered that question differently.  But on the whole, I don't think that Tuesday or Wednesday could have gone much better.

Yesterday I returned to campus to teach.  When I was in my office, eating my lunch of Greek lentils and barley, the Provost came by.  He offered me the one year lectureship, and I accepted.  It will be all English 100 and 101 classes for fall, which is fine with me.  I'm not creating new courses, which makes it easier to stay on track with my seminary progress.  I've often said that if I had gotten a PhD in Political Science instead of English, I'd have spent lots of time recently rewriting a lot of my curriculum, but the English Composition basics haven't really changed radically during my lifetime.

When I applied for the tenure track position, I didn't know that the school was beginning a BA in Professional Writing and Digital Communications--that announcement came later.  I am guessing that the tenure track person will be doing a lot to support that program:  curriculum creating now, helping students with job searches later.  In many ways, the one year lectureship works better for me.

What happens after a year?  The lectureship might be extended, or it might not.  It might turn into a tenure track position, which might mean that other people could apply.  In a year, I might be finished with my MDiv degree, and I might have all sorts of options--or I might not.

It's good to have a year of stable income, a year when I have a sense of what I'll be teaching well in advance of when the classes start.  It's good to have a chance to be working with these colleagues who have been wonderful so far--an important reason why the tenure track position interested me.

I won't lie--it's also nice to be chosen.  I've worked in places where it's clear that adjuncts rarely get the full-time jobs.  I'm glad that it worked out differently this time.