The Philosophy Smoker

We at POP can see trying for a “better deal,” but this candidate’s terms seem unrealistic for a liberal arts college, in particular, and most colleges, in general. We were astonished by her request for a $65,000 starting salary, which another poster on the Philosophy Blog pointed out is the salary for an associate professor, and, in the case of many professors in the humanities (and admitting they are underpaid), this was the salary after working for over ten years and having received tenure.  Still, there is no harm in asking for what she did; however, it is understandable why the college did not accept. It is also not clear that she presented her terms as negotiating points that could be altered. She would have better luck negotiating terms for a job in the private (business) sector, not in academia where it is a buyer’s market and many other candidates would be more than happy to accept the college’s offer, whether it is a decent offer or not. This is just the reality of the academic/humanities marketplace.