Institutional Fit and the Faculty
Application Letter
Morris A. Grubbs, Ph.D.
Director, Graduate Student Professional
Development
The Graduate School, University of Kentucky
“As a teacher you will make a good
living, but you will not become wealthy
in financial terms. Beyond getting and
spending, you will amass glittering
moments. These will more than
compensate for a modest income.”
--Sam Pickering
Letters to a Teacher (2005)
Seeking Faculty Positions: Institutional
Type, the Application Letter, and the
Teaching Philosophy Statement
Morris A. Grubbs, Ph.D.
Director, Graduate Student Professional Development
The Graduate School
103 Gillis Building
859-257-9725; morris.grubbs@uky.edu
Review of Institutional Types
•
•
•
•
•
Research university
Regional comprehensive university
Private liberal arts college/university
Associate’s college (community college)
Various kinds of for-profit colleges and
universities (such as Strayer University)
Review of course loads for faculty
at different types of institutions
(traditional semester system)
• Research universities: average of 4
courses per year
• Regional universities: average of 7
courses per year
• Small liberal arts college: average of 8
courses per year
• Community college: average of 9 courses
per year
Consider Institutional Mission Statements
http://web.centre.edu/regist/catalog/purpose.html
http://www.transy.edu/about/mission.htm
http://www.berea.edu/about/mission.asp
http://www.lindsey.edu/about-lwc/mission.aspx
http://www.uky.edu/ucapp/plan.htm
http://louisville.edu/about/mission.html
http://www.eku.edu/about/
Why is a careful consideration
of institutional type important?
First, the fit . . .
Insofar as possible and practical, when searching
and applying for a faculty position, you should
match your interests and values to the
institutional type.
http://www.research.uky.edu/gs/GS650/Spring200
9/Institutional_Fit_Rubric.pdf
Second reason for carefully considering
institutional type . . .
The more you know about the type,
the better you can customize your
C.V. and application letter (as well
as your teaching and research
statements).
The Application Letter
• Also called “cover letter”
• Best to think of it as a persuasive
argument (i.e., assertions supported with
reasons and evidence) or a marketing
essay
• Should not exceed two pages
• Should be carefully customized to match
the institutional type, the character of the
specific institution, and the character of the
department.
Tips for Writing Effective Letters of
Application
• Tailor your letter very carefully and
specifically to the position as described in
the job announcement
• Avoid sending out generic letters. Search
committees can spot these immediately,
putting your application in jeopardy.
• Keep your audience at the center of your
writing. Tailor your letter very specifically
to the institution and to the department.
Use your research skills to research the
place and its people, the mission and the
culture (insofar as this is possible from
afar). The letters that will stand out
positively in the pile are usually the letters
with a clear and interesting attention to the
character of the place.
• Foreground your experience suiting the type of
institution. For example, when applying to a
teaching institution, foreground (that is, position
this information early) your teaching experience,
while backgrounding or burying (in later
paragraphs) your dissertation and research
interests.
• When applying to a research institution,
foreground your research experience and
research potential.
• The same advice applies to the curriculum vitae,
which may also be tailored to the type of
institution.
Mention that you have completed
U.K.’s Preparing Future Faculty
course and briefly describe how it
has prepared you for the position
you are seeking.
• Include a separate Teaching Philosophy
Statement or Research Statement only if it is
required by the job announcement.
• Avoid rehashing your C.V. in your letter. Okay
to draw attention to highlights, but let C.V. do its
job.
• Limit your letter to no more than two pages.
Your readers will appreciate directness and
concision, as well as language grounded in
detail and examples. Avoid jargon and
theoretical and abstract language.
• Limit the use of the pronoun “I,” especially at
the beginnings of sentences, to avoid giving the
impression of self-absorption or egocentricity.
• Dont underestimat they impotance of editing
and proofing (including making sure you have
spelled the recipient’s name correctly, you have
referred to the institution and department
appropriately, you have avoided gender-biased
language, etc.). Screening committees may be
looking for reasons to eliminate your application;
don’t give them an easy reason.
Online advice on writing application letters
“The Basics of Cover Letter Writing” by Richard Reis. Chronicle of
Higher Education, 3 March 2000.
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2000/03/2000030302c.htm
“How to Write Appealing Cover Letters” by Mary Morris Heiberger and
Julie Miller Vick. Chronicle of Higher Education, 21 April 2000.
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2000/04/2000042101c.htm
Also:
http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/weinstein.agrawal/urbp213assig
nment_jobletter_Tips.pdf
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/639/01/
http://serc.carleton.edu/files/NAGTWorkshops/careerprep/j
obsearch/vita_handout.pdf
The Teaching Philosophy
Statement
• Usually ranges from a page to two pages (single
spaced or spaced-and-a-half, but not double
spaced)
• Should be a mixture of your abstract beliefs
about teaching and learning and specific
examples of how you enact your beliefs in the
classroom. In other words, make general
assertions and then back them up with some
anecdotal evidence.
Advice from Dr. Peter Fosl, professor of philosophy at
Transylvania University (which he shared in my GS 650
course in fall 2007):
TPS should feature . . . .
• A sense of voice (dynamism, personality)
• A student-centered focus (an interest in the
needs of students, rather than your own needs)
• Evidence that you are not just interested in
conveying a body of knowledge or doctrine, but,
rather, that you want to cultivate an enduring
appreciation for the value of the subject or
discipline.
More general tips . . .
• Write in first-person, but don’t overuse “I.” You
don’t want to seem egocentric.
• Use paragraphing effectively; that is, use
paragraphs as units of thought. The convention
of announcing the paragraph’s topic in the first
sentence or two will be appreciated (and
noticed) by most readers.
• Be mindful of the importance of your opening
and your closing. Find a way to pull in your
reader and to take the reader back out
gracefully.
• Readers will want to know that you value active
learning (as opposed to the more passive
learning gained through lecturing). Remember,
though, that saying that you value and employ
active-learning techniques is not enough: you
must also provide examples of an instance or
two when you have used such strategies
effectively.
• Find a way to let your readers know that you are
a student of the scholarship of teaching in your
discipline (are you?) and that you know the
importance of keeping up with new theories and
innovations (do you?).
Online resources on writing TPSs
• “How to Write a Statement of Teaching Philosophy” by Gabriela Montell.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 27 March 2003.
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2003/03/2003032702c.htm
• “Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement,” prepared by Lee Haugen,
Center for Teaching Excellence, Iowa State University.
http://ctl.stanford.edu/Tomprof/postings/193.html
Other useful resources:
http://ftad.osu.edu/portfolio/philosophy/Philosophy.html
http://ftad.osu.edu/portfolio/philosophy/Phil_guidance.html
http://www.oic.id.ucsb.edu/TA/port-FAQ.html
More On-Campus Resources
(beyond your department)
Mr. Bill Burke, Teaching and Academic Support
Center (TASC), located on the 6th floor of the
Nursing Building. burke@uky.edu
Dr. David Sacks, Teaching and Academic Support
Center (TASC), located on the 6th floor of the
Nursing Building. dsack2@uky.edu
Dr. Linda Worley, Professor of German and
Faculty Director of PFF. lworley@email.uky.edu
(on sabbatical this year)