WHEN THE RECRUITMENT OF AN ENGLISH DEPARTMENT CHAIR GOES BAD: REFLECTIONS

Mark Wyatt

DOI Number
-
First page
287
Last page
301

Abstract


Recruiting senior academics from overseas to fulfil key leadership roles can be an attractive proposition to ambitious universities aiming to climb the world rankings; such leaders bring, besides their hard-won reputations, valuable experience, as well as elements of their own research infrastructures. However, this recruitment strategy targeting overseas leaders comes with risks, particularly if too much of the work is left to untrained and relatively unsupported faculty search committees. To avoid subsequent disappointment, it is vital that good practice is followed at each stage of the selection process, as these reflections from Arabia vicariously highlight. This article explores in-depth what went wrong during the recruitment of an anonymized individual at an unnamed university some years ago. This was for a Chair of English position. Practical recommendations to guide the work of faculty search committees in such circumstances are made, particularly with regards screening processes so that deeply unsuitable applicants who may initially look promising on paper can be eliminated. These recommendations extend beyond the recruitment of Chair positions by English departments comprised of specialists in diverse aspects of English literature, applied linguistics including English for specific purposes, and language teacher education, all perhaps pulling in different directions.

Keywords

search committee, recruitment processes, Chair position, Department of English, Arabia

Full Text:

PDF

References


Anderson, L. J. (2021). Effective search committees – The why, who, and how. Retrieved 21/09/23 from the AGB Search website: https://www.agbsearch.com/newsletter/effective-search-committees-the-why-who-and-how

Ayish, N., & Deveci, T. (2019). Student perceptions of responsibility for their own learning and for supporting peers’ learning in a project-based learning environment. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (31)2, 224-237. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1224347

Brandt, C., & Dimmitt, N. (2015). Transfer of learning in the development of peer tutor competence. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Gulf Perspectives 12(2), 23-39. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.18538/lthe.v12.n2.201/full/html

Deveci, T., & Nunn, R. (2018). COMM151: A project-based course to enhance engineering students’ communication skills. Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes 6(1), 27-42. Doi:10.22190/JTESAP1801027D

Hall, S. (2023, Feb. 16). These are the top 10 universities in the Arab World. Retrieved 21/09/23 from the World Economic Forum website: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/02/best-universities-arab-world-education/

Loomes, S., Owen, A., & McCarthy, G. (2019). Patterns of recruitment of academic leaders to Australian universities and implications for the future of higher education. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management 41(2), 137-152. 10.1080/1360080X.2019.1565296

Nowicki, M.D. & Rosse, J.G. (2002). Managers’ views of how to hire: Building bridges between science and practice. Journal of Business and Psychology 17(2), 157-170. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1019641413928

Nunn, R., Brandt, C., & Deveci, T. (2018). Transparency, Subjectivity, and Objectivity in academic texts. English Scholarship Beyond Borders 4(1), 71-102. https://www.englishscholarsbeyondborders.org/esbb-journal-publications/english-scholarship-beyond-border-volume-4-issue-2018/

Sutherland, M., & Wöcke, A. (2011). The symptoms of and consequences to selection errors in recruitment decisions, South African Journal of Business Management 42(4), 23-32. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajbm.v42i4.502

The President and Fellows of Harvard College (2018). Best practices for conducting faculty searches. Retrieved 21/09/23 from the Harvard University website: https://faculty.harvard.edu/recruitment-best-practices

Times Higher Education (THE) (2022, Oct. 5). World University Rankings 2023: Methodology. Retrieved 21/09/23 from the Times Higher Education website: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/world-university-rankings-2023-methodology

Wyatt, M., & Nunn, R. (2018). Exploring academic writing with Grice. Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes 6(3), 365-375. https://doi.org/10.22190/JTESAP1803365W

Wyatt, M., & Nunn, R. (2019). Tracing the growth of a community of practice centered on holistic project-based learning in communication at an engineering university in the United Arab Emirates: Insights from a socially-situated teacher cognition perspective. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 20(2), Art. 8, 1-21. http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/3170/4371


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


ISSN 2334-9182 (Print)
ISSN 2334-9212 (Online)