Q. I have just applied for an IHUM postdoctoral fellowship and would like to know if it is possible to be considered for an SLE Lectureship as well. Also, would I have to resend all of my materials in the mail?
A. IHUM strongly encourages those applicants who feel that the SLE Lectureship would be a good fit for their professional skills to apply also to the SLE program. Please fill out the online application specific to the SLE Lectureship position, being sure to include a new cover letter describing your preparation for teaching in a "great books" curriculum and your experience with writing instruction. If you would like to have additional letters of reference that address the SLE curriculum specifically, please have them addressed to the same address previously used. We will make copies of your already submitted materials to add to your new file.
Q. I have completed, defended, and filed my dissertation but not yet received the official degree from the University because anyone filing between April and September can only receive the degree in October. Am I eligible to apply?
A. Yes. Please mention these details in your letter, and ask at least one of your recommenders to verify the degree conferral information.
Q. I sent in my application a few weeks ago. I wonder if you could tell me what happens next. When will you be scheduling interviews?
A. Your file will be reviewed in a three-stage process, which should be complete by early May when campus visits will be arranged for finalists.
Q. Does this position include benefits?
A. Yes. For information on Stanford benefits, see http://benefitsu.stanford.edu/.
Q. Do you accept applications from outside the U.S.?
A. Yes. We welcome all qualified applicants.
Q. After I applied for the position, I received a job offer from another source. Should I inform you?
A. We invite you to contact us with this updated information as soon as possible. Stanford is on the quarter system and spring quarter ends in mid-June, which is much later than most other schools. We understand that decisions about other offers may need to be made before the IHUM search is complete and would appreciate learning about your situation in time to give you full consideration.
Q. Your job posting indicates February 28 as the deadline. Should my documents arrive by the deadline or be postmarked by that date?
A. Your materials may be postmarked by February 28. If you are sending materials from overseas, please take into account any delay in mailing time. We will start our review process on schedule.
Q. I applied last year and was notified that my materials were being kept on file in case an opening developed as a replacement. I'd like to apply again this year. Should I resubmit all my materials?
A. Yes, please submit a new application. Applications kept on file are only for positions in the academic year applied for. The curriculum in IHUM changes each year. We would also appreciate updated recommendations.
Q. What kinds of teaching evaluation information do you want – student comments? a faculty supervisor’s review of my classes? copies of evaluation forms?
A. We prefer that you send summaries of student evaluations, including representative comments if available. Faculty reviews of your classroom teaching, especially with reference to being part of a teaching team, are also helpful.
Q. My student evaluations take up many, many pages of completed forms, with both numerical rankings and qualitative comments. What kind of summaries are appropriate? Do you want to see the actual student writing?
A. If your institution does not compile numerical summary rankings from course evaluations, please create a numerical summary for all your courses and include a photocopy of a sample completed form from each course. Representative student comments can be submitted as photocopies of students' writing, but please make a careful selection that reflects the entire range of responses and limit the number to no more than 15. You may also type up students' comments and group them by headings to help the review committee identify aspects of your teaching that would best qualify you for leading SLE discussions.
Q. The online form requests the names and positions of three references but also allows for additional references. Do you welcome additional written letters of reference, or would you prefer to receive only three such letters?
A. Additional recommendations can be submitted provided that they speak directly to the candidate's qualifications as a teacher and scholar.
Q. I can't find any information regarding how recent a PhD one must be. I received my PhD in Spring of 2003. May I still apply for one of these postdoctoral positions?
A. We do not have a firm cut-off date for the conferral of the Ph.D. but rather consider each application on its own merit. We encourage you to apply if your background and experience match both the qualifications for the fellowship and the courses offered in the curriculum next year.
Q. I'm uncertain whether a scholar coming from outside the US system is likely to be successful in an application to Stanford's IHUM program, particularly given the fact that higher education in many other countries does not systematically conduct teaching evaluations. What should I do in my application in the absence of these evaluations?
A. We have had many fellows from international backgrounds teach with great success in the program. In the absence of student evaluations, some candidates submit a supplemental letter of reference from someone who knows well their teaching skills and abilities and can attest to the quality and range of the candidates' teaching experiences. This can be a suitable substitute for direct comments from students or summary reports of scores.
Q. Are all SLE lecturers required to live in the dorm, since it is a "residence-based" program?
A. No, SLE lecturers have no obligations to live on capmus.