and creative writing from the
University of Houston in 1993.
“Who leaves the tenure track to
go do university administration?
How many writers do you find
being directors of academic tech-
nology? Who does a double dis-
sertation in both fiction and in
poetry? I’m not sur-
prised that people in
the field look at me
and just can’t figure
me out.”
Mr. Lantry applied
for the Ohio job along
with a couple of doz-
en other openings
that year. He says he
would have had no
qualms about leaving behind the
Washington area, where he lives
with his wife, for the Midwest.
“For a creative-writing job, I’d
pick up and go,” says Mr. Lantry,
whose first full-length book of po-
etry, The Structure of Desire, was
Continued From Preceding Page
“It seems like every time
there’s a job opening, I know
at least 10 or a dozen people
who are applying.”
published last year.
Although teaching at Ohio
didn’t pan out for Mr. Lantry, he
is not discouraged. He’s applying
for writing jobs nationally and
for regional administrative jobs.
“I’m pretty sure I’m going to find
something.”
Hardy Jones Jr. was already on
the tenure track when he applied
to work at Ohio. But Mr. Jones
saw the Ohio position as an up-
grade, where he could teach solely
in his specialty of creative writing
and work with graduate students.
He expected the applicant pool
to be deep, but “once I applied I
just tried to put it out of my mind,”
says Mr. Jones, who earned a
Ph.D. in creative writing from the
University of Louisiana at Lafay-
ette in 2007 and an M.F.A. in cre-
ative writing from the University
of Memphis in 2001.
“Since so much is out of your
control when you’re an applicant,
all you can do is put together the
PROVOST
The College for Creative Studies seeks a creative, visionary and entrepreneurial leader
for the position of Provost. Reporting to the President, the Provost will have an extraordinary
opportunity to advance a distinctive college incorporating a range of forward-looking
programs in visual arts, media and design. As the chief academic officer of the College, the
Provost is responsible for all matters related to academic operations including oversight of
faculty and curriculum and is a catalyst for innovation. In collaboration with the President,
leadership team, and faculty, the Provost will implement and evolve the College’s strategic
plan to build upon the College’s excellence through program development, faculty professional
development, encouragement of greater interdisciplinary learning, integration of new
technologies, and promotion of partnerships with varied outside organizations. The Provost
will help to enhance the College’s reputation by serving as a spokesperson for it locally,
nationally and internationally and advocating for the value of art and design to society.
The College for Creative Studies’ mission is to nurture the creativity that is vital to the enrich-
ment of modern culture. The College educates visual artists and designers, knowledgeable
in varied fields, who will be leaders in creative professions that shape society and advance
economic growth. The College fosters students’ resolve to pursue excellence, act ethically,
embrace their responsibilities as citizens of diverse local and global communities, and learn
throughout their lives. The College engages in community service by offering opportunities
for artistic development and opening career pathways to talented individuals of all ages.
-
The successful candidate will possess a terminal degree in a relevant field and academic
qualifications appropriate for appointment as a full Professor at the College for Creative
Studies. He/She will also have a record of distinguished creative practice and/or scholarship
and accomplished teaching. In addition to candidates currently holding academic positions,
outstanding academically qualified candidates from industry or other non-conventional
profiles will be considered. For a full job description and additional information about
CCS please visit: www.collegeforcreativestudies.edu/provost
The College for Creative Studies has retained the services of Korn/Ferry to assist with this
search. Review of applications, nominations and expressions of interest will begin immediately
and continue on a confidential basis until an appointment is made. Preference will be given
to candidates who submit their materials by August 1, 2013. Prospective candidates should
submit a cover letter, resume or curriculum vitae, and the names and contact information of
five references. References will not be called without permission. The electronic submission
of materials is preferred.
Nominations, applications and inquiries should be sent to:
Paul H.L. Chou, Senior Client Partner
Rosa Morris, Senior Associate
ccs-provost@kornferry.com
CCS is an Equal Opportunity employer and educator. Minorities, women, veterans, and persons with
disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. The College values candidates who have experience
working in settings with students from diverse backgrounds.
LEONArDO CArrIzO FOr THE CHrONICLE
Dinty W. Moore, chair of the search committee, says many of the
candidates were worthy, and he wishes he could hire more of them.
best cover letter that you can,” he
says. “Plus, when I was applying,
my novel had just come out, so
that helped.”
More than two-thirds of the ap-
plicants who had M.F.A.’s earned
them after Mr. Jones earned his.
And 17 of the Ph.D.’s in the pool
had doctoral degrees fresher than
his. Yet Mr. Jones, a newly ten-
ured professor of English at Cam-
eron University, in Lawton, Okla.,
says professors like him “have a
proven track record. They know I
can handle everything that comes
with being a full-time professor:
teaching, writing, doing commit-
tee work, and doing work in the
department.”
BEIng ACU TELY aware of the competition is one of the stranger aspects of the job search today, some of the applicants
for the Ohio job say.
“It seems like every time there’s
a job opening, I know at least 10 or
a dozen people who are applying,”
says Jared Y. Sexton, who was a
non-tenure-track professor in Ball
State University’s department of
English when he applied to Ohio.
“It’s almost like a dance we do in
conversation. You make small talk
and then out of nowhere someone
will say, ‘Hey, did you apply to that
Ohio job?’ And then you compare
notes about whether you’ve heard
anything. It’s all very strange.”
Mr. Sexton says he applied for
a only few positions at the time,
including his current job as an as-
sistant professor of creative writ-
ing at Georgia Southern Universi-
ty. His search had a much differ-
ent vibe than when he applied for
jobs after graduate school.
“When I first got my M.F.A.,
I sent out a ton of applications,”
says Mr. Sexton, who graduated
in 2008 from Southern Illinois
University at Carbondale.
Michael Croley, a visiting assis-
tant professor at Denison Univer-
sity, applied for the Ohio job. “We
know who’s out there, who our
competition is: writers I’ve seen
in conferences who are friends
and people I went to grad school
with,” says Mr. Croley, who has
taught at Denison since 2011.
“The part that is a mystery is why
one candidate gets hired over an-
other. That makes it seem like an
absolute crap shoot.”
Mr. Croley expected his odds of
landing the Ohio job to be tough.
Denison is a liberal-arts college
and doesn’t have a graduate pro-
gram in creative writing. Also,
his book, like Mr. Sexton’s, had
not yet been published, but it was
forthcoming.
Sydni Dunn and Jonah Newman
contributed to this article.
