Thursday, February 04, 2010

New Marching Orders

So I received word from the Provost at my university that I am now, officially, an Associate Professor.

People have asked me how it feels to be promoted and tenured. Short answer--the same.

To be honest and perfectly blunt, I had always expected to reach the rank of Associate Professor, and I never saw the rank as some kind of validation or license. If anything, I've got more work to do, what with wider campus responsibilities (beyond just the department level) and the continuation of both my creative and scholarly work. I also think that such a rank affords one the opportunity to become a more dynamic and inventive teacher. So there's that.

The small boost in pay will be nice, but it won't compensate for the loss of income we suffered early in the year.

Overall, though, I can say that I'm relieved that I don't have to have annual evaluations in the manner that I had had. That's one less headache, for sure.

***

My time is so compressed, what with the coming baby, the advisory duties for my department, and for this forthcoming book. Sometimes it's just good to chill with the kid and watch Yo Gabba Gabba. Last night we sat on the carpet eating unsalted popcorn.

***

I really should be grading right now. My students wrote short responses to Anne Carson's Autobiography of Red. I'm 1/4th through 'em all. Egad.

***

Current Spin:

A little dream pop for your Thursday.

6 comments:

Jeannine said...

Congrats Oliver!

C. Dale said...

Congrats! Tenure is a big deal, even if you always assumed you would get it.

Oliver de la Paz said...

Thanks you guys. You're right CDY. I should celebrate this. I've been teaching in colleges and universities since 1994 (I taught lab as an undergrad), so this really is a big step in a long journey.

Anyway, I believe in working hard and sometimes I do just need to enjoy stuff like this.

Justin Evans said...

Congratulations! Go out for some dinner or something.

January said...

Congrats Olie. You have a lot on your plate, but I don't think you would want it any other way.

Lee Herrick said...

Congratulations, Oliver.