Eratosphere - Post your GOOD News 2

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- - Post your GOOD News 2 (https://www.ablemuse.com/erato/showthread.php?t=31138)

Ten days ago one of my sons-in-law was granted tenure at his University of Maryland Baltimore Campus. His field is advanced environmental science. It helps to save the world. Love thy trees and glaciers and thy neighbors' trees, etc! Nice guy, too.

Thank you, Mike (below). He moves fast, but he's subtle. Suddenly you realize where things have changed.

Great news—my daughter's permanent residency status in Canada finally came through, almost two years after she married someone with dual US-Canadian citizenship (who is now a PhD student in robotics at the U of Toronto). Yay!!! Now the health insurance arrangements will be much simpler.

Also, her heart is still doing great eight years after transplantation, so she's now on minimal doses of anti-rejection drugs. Meaning if she gets COVID, they think her immune system is likely to be able to fight that off without attacking her heart in the process.

I won't contemplate my son-in-law's employment prospects in academia just yet.

Great, Julie. I’m glad your daughter escaped to a place less barbaric when it comes to the health of its citizens.

Double congratulations on your daughter's health and homeland good news. And I'm guessing that a PhD in robotics might be good for more abundant job opportunities than, say, a literature or history degree.

That is good news, Julie - congratulations!

Cheers,
John

Good news, Julie!! I was going to comment on how much simpler - and easier - and cheaper - your daughter's health care is going to be - and then noted that John Riley beat me to it. So I'll compliment her, instead, on Canada's enlightened approach to gun control.

Maybe we should just subcontract the administration of our government to our wise neighbors to the north.

That's delightfully Good News, Julie.

Here in the UK, the Queen's Platinum Jubilee has been a remarkable event. It's been heartening to see so many people celebrating alongside their neighbours, whilst showing respect to Her Majesty. Who else has done the same job for 70 years - and is still doing it, aged 96? What an amazing achievement.

This afternoon my son and daughter-in-law hosted a party at their house for everyone in their village, who all contributed to a fabulous spread of food and drink; it was like being at a wedding, and a good time was had by all!

My husband took the attached photo but the resolution is too high for it to transfer well here, sorry. If you can make it out, I'm to the left of the girl in pink - with sunglasses on, and the only one with a glass in my hand!

Jayne

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Isbell (Post 480270)

Many congratulations, Shaun!

They may make you say The Ohio State University when you're there. :-)

Thanks, John! While I do use the "the" in official documentation, pretty much everyone I've come across in my five years at OSU thinks it's incredibly silly (as does everyone outside of OSU as well). The university tried to trademark the "the" a few years back, and it was basically dismissed out of hand. And rightly so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Susan McLean (Post 480275)

Congratulations, Shaun. Those fixed-term positions at least carry benefits, and they give you some stability while you are searching for another position. I had two one-year appointments at my university before they finally committed to a tenure-track position, and they did a whole national search for that. But by then they at least wanted to keep me. The smaller or less prestigious the university, in my experience, the more likely they are to keep you on after the fixed-term position. There is no hope at all for those at the Ivy Leagues in such positions, but sometimes they can use the prestige of that location to get a better job elsewhere.

Thanks for this, Susan. What you outline is exactly my plan, and is also exactly why I'm so relieved and grateful for the position. I was grimly preparing for a year of adjunct work for low pay and no benefits, despite having several interviews for strong positions (some TT). Having the stability of a teaching-based position at an R1 that I'm very familiar with is a great intermediate step.

Incidentally, I have no interest in working at an Ivy. My research is strong, and I'm glad to continue with that, but my real love is teaching. I'll apply broadly to TT positions again in the next cycle, and will happily take any shoe that fits, but in my heart of hearts I'd love to end up at a SLAC.

Edited to add: there were a lot of tangential posts talking about higher ed more generally, so I've split them off to a new one here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by F.F. Teague (Post 475399)

The current occupiers of the house Brother Adrian purchased in November have found a bungalow to buy, at last. He should be able to move in during late February or early March. He's looking forward to owning a shed :)

For the sake of completeness, I report that Bro. A. moved into his new house last month and is very much enjoying life in Pittville, just 10 minutes' stroll from his silly sister. Delays occurred because the previous owners had a bit of bad luck with their property search, but all is well now. He's currently engaged in several construction projects, including a ramp into the garden from his garage and an extension to his shed :D

Best wishes,
Fliss

Good news Fliss! That is always a welcome moment.

Cheers,
John