Hmmm… I guess I was wrong when I talked about the “air of inevitability” regarding the position of webmaster for the University.
The VP of IT e-mailed me back this morning and said she’s going to “pursue a different path.”
Say what? This really threw me for a loop, especially since she didn’t give any further explanation.
I don’t know what’s going on here. It’s strange to say the least, as I thought the job had been offered to me if I wanted it.
Was it something I said? Was it something I failed to say? Did I ask too much? I don’t think so: My requests were not framed as demands. They were reasonable and open to negotiation.
I’m a bit disappointed, not to mention surprised, not to mention curious. And confused.
I wouldn’t sweat it. It could mean lots of things. For example, maybe they’re thinking of diminishing the pay and you’d be too expensive for what they had in mind. Or maybe they’re going to add some more duties to the position and then offer it again. Or maybe, being politicized (as you said), someone has been clamoring for it to be a tenured faculty member for whatever reasons. Or certain groups need to be properly placated before it is offered to anyone.
Higher ed is a funny business that way.
So chin up, B. What will be, will be.
Wow! That is a shocker. I heard they are pursuing this wiz-electronic bald guy in Mid-City who may or may not be the bastard love child of Gstohl and Corky.
Corky?
Sorry B. Post-Katrina New Orleans is very difficult to figure out. Wasn’t that easy before. Take care man.
Weird. Then again, who ever said that university administration folks made any sense at all… (sighs)
Keep us posted, OK?
Man that sounds frustrating!
I’m a former university administrator who hopes he made sense at least some of the time. 🙂 At a public school, you would be entitled to hear feedback on their reasons for not hiring you, especially after having gone through an actual interview for the position. Reasons for not hiring usually need to be documented in writing with the HR department. I’m not sure if these rules apply to where you work, but it could be worth a shot to ask the VP for some feedback. Negotiation happens all the time in higher education, so I don’t know why your requests did not spark an honest dialogue.
Hang in there!
Universities are notoriously cheap bastards who love to have each person working five skills at once. 😉