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Is this question acceptable?: how-common-is-it-for-universities-to-create-new-positions-fo

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    http://mathoverflow.net/questions/38784/how-common-is-it-for-universities-to-create-new-positions-for-dual-hires

    1. Not actually to do with mathematics
    2. Yes, mathematicians may be interested, but why should answers for mathematicians differ from those for historians?
    3. Joe Mathematician can't give a reliable answer. Someone with special knowledge could do so (but would probably not want to, as I can imagine that this sort of thing works best if there aren't too many such situations), but that won't stop others answering so identifying exactly who has that special knowledge in the reams of anecdotes that will ensue will be difficult.
    • CommentAuthorDougy
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2010 edited
     
    Please leave this open (for now)... I'm interested to hear about how much of a role nepotism can play in academia.
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    I'm not, particularly as most answers will be in the form of anecdotes and so will be highly skewed. Also, the question isn't about nepotism as I read it. That you read it as being so is more evidence as to why it should be closed since the point of the question isn't, therefore, clear.

    • CommentAuthorDougy
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2010
     
    Hmm... maybe I've changed my mind about this. This seems to be a disguised version of "what are some tactics that I can use to get my spouse employed at my university?" which is pretty close to nepotism, and I'm thinking MO probably shouldn't go down (or anywhere near) this road. Perhaps there's a reason the post is made anonymously. An analogous question with nepotism replaced by e.g. sexism would probably be closed (and possibly deleted) very quickly.

    On the other hand, double-academic relationships can give rise to numerous difficulties... particularly if you can only find jobs in different cities. So I sympathise. Maybe it's better to ask something like: What are some employment options for double-academic relationships?
    • CommentAuthorStorkle
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2010
     

    @Dougy: "Accommodation hires" for spouses are entirely standard at many universities (and are a good thing for grown-ups with families). Does this really offend you? I have no idea who you are, but if you plan on working/staying in academia you'll have to get used to it. Questions like this one are the least of MO's problems.

    • CommentAuthorDougy
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2010
     
    I would prefer for there to be equal opportunity.
    • CommentAuthorMariano
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2010
     

    Equal opportinity? What do you mean?

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    @Dougy : I do too. In particular, I want married people to have the same opportunities as single people. Academia is different from other industries in that there are rarely more than 1-2 choices of employer in each town.

    However, I don't think that political arguments here on meta are a good idea, so I won't post any further. If you want the last word, take it.
    • CommentAuthorRyan Budney
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2010 edited
     
    Mariano, I suppose he means each individual hired on individual merit, not on concerns for people's families and such.

    I think spousal hires are fairly common but the extent to which a university will attempt these things depends on fairly peculiar things. Usually there has to be some amount of interest in the spouse -- if they're world-killers in their subject it's frequently no problem. If they're close to "dead weight" then it depends on how much the department wants the other person and what they're willing to negotiate, perhaps with other departments, perhaps just with their dean.

    IMO there's no real answer to this question as there's no industry standards. There will only be anecdotes and no coherent message.
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    Does IMO now mean "in Math Overflow"? :)

    • CommentAuthorjbl
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2010
     

    Assuming that was a serious question, it means "In my opinion."

    • CommentAuthorDougy
    • CommentTimeSep 15th 2010
     
    I'm probably a bit sensitive about this topic right now since I'm actively seeking employment and it's quite difficult out there (unfortunately, my spouse does not have a job in academia). But... as you say, there are probably better places to have this discussion.

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