reappointment

So it was my reappointment meeting today, where the school of Cognitive Science got together, looked at the file I've been assembling, and voted on whether or not to recommend me for reappointment to a four-year contract at Hampshire.

There's a bit of falsity in that last sentence. I basically was done with the file in July, and it was up to everyone else to write letters to the file for the past few months. So I wasn't doing much of anything except crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.

I was shocked by the letters I received, both in number and in content. I'm indebetted to all who contributed.

The funny thing about today was that I was so much more interested in being back in the lab, working with the team on the CS334 film, than I was in dealing with the reappointment. So when I was excused from the room so the school members could deliberate I was pleased, and I was a little sad when they came to retrieve me after only a few minutes of discussion. We're at a critical point in the production (animation dailies began in earnest today) and there was much to discuss. It's a pretty exciting time in that classroom.

Anyway, I was happy that they voted in support of my continuing at Hampshire, and also happy for the process to be over (at least for now). I'm extremely lucky to be in an environment that supports my work and approach to teaching, and I'm glad that it wasn't a huge disruption to get through the whole thing. Again, though, without the comments from students, alums, and colleagues all over, I would have had a very different experience today. So I head to bed thinking about how I might thank everyone for going out of their way to put in a good word for me.