Sign of the Times?

I apologize for the down time with Renaissance Human. I have been out and about with on-campus job interviews.

One was at a very good liberal arts school. I was so very excited about the job, the support for the faculty, the department (Media and Cultural Studies), and their commitment to the liberal arts.

Turns out they had over 175 applicants, and I was one of a few brought in. Then, I found out I was the department's recommendation for the position. I was so excited!

Then, I find out a day later that the Dean/Provost are not going to approve my candidacy. The reasons were not explicit, but the department head seemed to indicate it had something to do with a) politics b) economy and c) they wanted a superstar, and weren't sure I was it.

I can't believe that administrators would make a decision like this when none of them watched my research presentation, or teaching presentation, or called my references, or looked at my published work. I think it is a sign of the times in two ways:

1) It is a sign that the academy, especially the humanities, is under attack. Even at a place that prides itself on the liberal arts, administrators are very relecutant to give tenure-track positions. Many articles have come out recently about the humanities being under attack from various bureaucrats trying to save money. Apparently, this is an issue even at wealthy, private, liberal arts institutions. Academic freedom seems under attack, too, when departments are not allowed to make their own hiring decisions, especially from a pool of over 175 applicants!

2) The economy--this is a subject that has been beat to death, but when a university called with a 400 million dollar endowment (the dean told me) is rejecting 175 applicants in one of the most competitive, interdisciplinary fields, then you know its bad. I can't help but think some of this is panic and fear. How can a few thousand dollars really be that crucial? It seems like, to me, a case of short-term thinking due to fear and uncertainty. This fear may be the scariest part of all the economic bad news. What happens when even the people with money lose faith in the economic system?

Sadly, for the academy and the economy, the worst may be yet to come...