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IX.
Final Open-Ended Responses
Q
64. What else do you want to add about your experiences as a faculty member
at Purdue?
Click
to view snapshot results of (Q
64)
Faculty
members offered a wide variety of comments in response to this question,
often describing personal experiences, both positive and negative, about
their time at Purdue. Many of the negative comments focused specifically
on difficulties related to spousal employment, so these are listed separately
below.
- Negative
comments about Purdue experiences
“Had
a very bad experience with other faculty member who wrongly attacked
my scientific integrity. He was protected by Purdue, I was not.”
“I
have identified what I call "the Purdue way," a style of
administration that leaves all of us demoralized.… "The Purdue
way" asks "What have you done for me yesterday?" instead
of recognizing years of service and commitment to excellence. It
means making grudging counter-offers when professors are recruited
by other institutions. It flings about the term "the Purdue
family," then treats hard-working employees as undeserving.
It sucks the life and enthusiasm out of even the most energetic people.”
“When
I came to Purdue, it had been a long-standing dream of mine to be
a professor. After two years at Purdue, I was discouraged with academics,
particularly with proposal writing and the National Science Foundation.
After three years, I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. At that
time, I began to get counseling. Now, at the end of my fourth year,
I am sure that I want to be a professor, but I am not convinced that
Purdue wants me or that I want Purdue.”
- Spousal
Employment
“My
biggest stress point as a faculty member has been my dual career situation.
My spouse has now earned her PhD and has been employed for [several]
years on soft money that is now coming to an end. There don't seem to
be any special efforts to accommodate spousal hiring for those of us
who have been here for a long time. Instead, these efforts seem to be
channeled into new hires.”
“Regarding
spousal hires: I know of at least one colleague who left because of
the unlikely prospects for spousal hires. I nearly was in this situation
myself. My spouse obtained a job at Purdue through an open competition,
not a spousal hire but this was largely luck and had it not happened,
we would likely be gone – I had a number of interviews but withdrew
from the competitions… I felt that the ‘Gee we hope you don't leave’
attitude of my colleagues was naive. It basically assumes that faculty
members on their own will 'work it out,’ which means unsustainable
long distance families, stressful commuting relationships, and the
like. If it wasn’t for my Husband's appointment here, I would have
left in a heartbeat- I had interviews at more prestigious schools,
in more favorable locations. Improved spousal hiring is one way to
greatly improve retention, a big problem, at least in our department.”
“Finding
employment for the spouses of Purdue employees would be easier if
the Personnel Office took this as a priority. Many faculty members
are married to individuals with advanced degrees. Some of those partners
are willing to accept jobs for which they are over-qualified, in the
interests of accommodating a dual career marriage. The Purdue Personnel
Office seems decidedly uninterested in such individuals. The requirement
for ‘Purdue experience’ or ‘university experience’ in many job ads
excludes from consideration qualified individuals just moving into
the community.”
- Positive
comments about Purdue experiences
“It
has been a privilege to serve as a faculty member at Purdue. I have
been fortunate to know and work with a great group of students and colleagues.
I would recommend Purdue to any aspiring young person over most other
universities in the country.”
“Overall,
I am very positive about my experiences as a faculty member here.”
“Overall,
I am very satisfied here at Purdue. My positive experiences far outweigh
the few negative experiences that I have had. The impact on me of
the things I would like to change are minor. I feel very fortunate
and am honored to be a faculty member at this world-class university.”
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