Exceedingly delighted to…

Exceedingly delighted to note that my promotion has been approved, and I am now Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of English and in the Program in Asian American Studies. It's been a long process, and special thanks to everyone who helped along the way, especially those internal and external people who wrote letters of recommendation on my behalf.

(Clinical is a weird title, I know -- it originated in UIC's medical school, I believe, and is an intermediate position somewhere between a typical adjunct position and tenure-track, is the best way I can think of to describe it. It was intended, I think, for doctors, psychiatrists, etc. who had separate careers, but also came and taught classes. It's a good position for an artist, who may also have a separate career, and it offers some potential flexibility in how many classes I teach, should I have a book contract, for example. I wish more universities offered this kind of position commonly, as it's far more stable (a multi-year renewable contract, benefits, an office) than most adjunct positions. And, as you can see, it has a promotion ladder -- after six years as clinical assistant, I was eligible to apply for clinical associate, which comes with a small pay bump, and in theory, could eventually apply for clinical full. Although I think I'd probably have to publish some impressive books first. :-)