Committee Work

There is exciting news for my department--we have been approved to search for a new faculty member in my specialty area. As we are already the largest department in the college, I am sure there will be some moans and groans, but this will really help to meet student demands in specialty area. Now that I am teaching this new course this semester, more and more students approach me/email me asking when it will be taught again. So it is exciting to know that this will become a part of our regular course offerings.

But this news brings up two issues. This will be the second of potentially three searches we are conducting this year. My department is constantly searching and not even because we keep losing people--we just don't seem to ever stop growing. Of the three searches, only one is to replace a member who relocated--the other two are new lines. It just seems crazy to be searching all of the time to me--and I just got here. I wonder how the more senior faculty feel....

Oh and I've just been informed that I am on the search committee. I honestly don't know if I'm looking for a colleague or a replacement. I may or may not be around next year so it feels weird to be invited to participate in this process. Chair knows that my situation is still developing so I assume s/he is okay with this since s/he designed the search committee. But I just don't know how to feel about this yet.