7bec3b03_s_to_fear___Academic_Jobs_Wiki___Department
[School] Hendrix College [Issue and Date] Beware! Toxic department that does not operate in a cooperative way. Faculty across campus describe this department as "crazy" and "backstabbing." Highly territorial, with no fostering of mutual success - very much the "I've got mine and screw you" mentality. Several hateful tenured members have willfully torpedoed the efforts of more than one junior colleague. The dominant language can sway the vote on any issue - including tenure decisions. Conflicts arise out of the competing interests between the modern and classical languages, which are housed together in this department. Very heavy reliance on adjunct and NTT instructors for such an expensive private school. Good school academically, but terrible department. Stay away! As a junior member of another department, I understand where this perspective is coming from; I think it does accurately portray the history of this department. There may partly be a structural issue to overcome, in that a department of "Foreign Languages" does not necessary create a sense of unity (i.e., faculty generally won't be sharing students or majors across different languages, reading the same literature, contributing to the same study abroad programs, etc.) And there have been some very strong personalities in place, some of whom became fairly embittered and harbored grudges for one reason or another over many years. Fortunately, I am seeing some improvement in the current climate. One important retirement has just been announced, another is imminent, and there are definitely some moderate voices amidst the current cadre, beginning with the current chair. While people naturally have their passions and priorities, I think the department is navicable, and there are other collegial folks around campus to socialize with. A number of searches are ongoing and I think there's a good opportunity for a cultural change to occur if good people take these positions.------------op sounds like a disgruntled faculty member who left or got let go! i am a tenured faculty member in another department, and i can tell you that faculty members in a department have no say over other faculty members' tenure, so i don't know what that's about. is there a cohesion issue in this department? yes. is it the result of competing interests? no, it's the natural result of divergent interests in a department that really ought to be three or four departments. the chair is not so much a moderate voice as a genuinely, sadly, clueless and confused one. new leadership, some new hires, and the important retirements to come will all be helpful. [Department] 
Foreign Languages
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