Today we cover the offer itself. First, the usual caveat that the below is a description of the generalized process and is not specific to George Mason University.
Eventually, the search committee reaches consensus on a candidate to offer the tenure-line position to. Even at this point however, there is usually a back and forth up the academic chain of command on three key items: salary, space and set-up dollars. At times there is another component to be resolved: the fraction of the 9 month salary that the new faculty member is expected to support from grants. At some institutions, this last point even morphs into the fraction of the salary guaranteed by tenure.
When all of the above points are agreed to, a letter is composed that includes institutional legal boiler plate and that letter then constitutes the offer. It is typically time-limited and requires a written affirmation of acceptance from the putative new faculty scientist.
After receiving the letter, the individual who was previously a candidate, is now in a new position: negotiator. Very often the initial offer letter precipitates a back-and-forth process of negotiations (usually on the above key points of salary, space and set-up).
It is fascinating that many candidates actually forgo participating in this negotiating process and thus may give up obtaining key components of a package all in the passion of “closing the deal”. In my opinion, it’s during these negotiations that the candidate has the most power to affect the architecture of the eventual deal since a failed search is the bane of all search committees.
My final posting on academic searches will deal with ideas on how to improve the process.
Jim
Discoverers and Discoveries 