On 8/19/2011 11:07 PM, Aaron T. Dossey wrote:
Was it about unethical hiring practices like spousal hirings, nepotism, etc.? These are RAMPANT in Academia.
I have no serious problem with spousal fires, because it means that the hire committee/dean/chair/.... has basically concluded that hiring the two of them is the best choice for the university, even if the spouse is maybe not of the same level of what they otherwise could get. Sometimes, like I have seen here where I work, the money for the hire would not have been freed at all, and the spousal hire effectively resulted in a extra hire. Offering spousal hires often is part of the hiring negotiations because split families means that your candidate is at far larger risk to keep looking for a job elsewhere after you hire them so s/he can be with his partner again.
It is easy to rail against spousal hires if you are single, or have a partner who has a career that is portable so you can just go where you want to go, or when you don't care to live at the other side of the country. It is a different story of you have a family and like to be with you family. And universities understand the two-body problem and spousal hires are just one way to ensure you can hire the best candidates.
Kim
