We Have a List

I don't think my tenure track colleagues generally realize this, but we, the tenured governance committee and it's leadership subcommittee, have a list, and they're on it.  The list is the future rotation of people to serve on the leadership subcommittee.  (There's also one for chairing the leadership subcommittee.  They're on that one, too.)  Pretty much, the first year someone's here on the tenure track, the leadership chair adds them to the tentative lists.  (The lists are tentative because people go on sabbatical, retire, have new children, or get sick, all of which require adjustments.)

The thing is, the list, that's our expectation that we're going to see our tenure track colleagues tenured and in this committee.  We look forward to it, because it's hard work, governance and reviews and such, and we want to share it with our newer colleagues, and we hope and expect that we will.

I think if my colleagues really believed that we have these lists, and that we've already put them on the lists, they'd be less stressed about reviews.

It's review season, starting now.  I have a letter to review and another letter to write this week; it's hard to write a letter that's totally positive without sounding gushy or impossible, but that's my task.  The dean in charge of such things wants our letters to be three pages, max.  We, being the English department, tend to write four and five page letters about our wonderful colleagues.  It's not just us being long-winded, but rather us trying to specifically show just how wonderful our colleagues are.

Three pages.  At least they're single spaced, right?