Valdosta State University

I received word a little after noon today that I have a one-year temporary teaching position at Valdosta State University. Located on I-75 in Valdosta, a city of over 40,000 people, the university serves the southernmost parts of the state of Georgia. The university's profile in the Chronicle of Higher Education highlights its "168 acre campus serving an area stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Alabama state line, containing 31% of the land area of the state." Valdosta State is actually outgrowing its urban campus, with an enrollment of 10,888 in the fall of 2006, including 1399 graduate students. This represents a substantial increase from the enrollment of 9,300 reported in the Chronicle profile. Forty-eight states and 50 countries were represented in the student body, and small class sizes are mentioned as a priority.

Although I will be carrying a heavy teaching load at relatively low pay, the department has promised to open a tenure-track position for 2008-2009 and give my application priority as long as I manage to publish and obtain external funding. Those things are indeed happening for me, so look for some of that news here in coming weeks as well. I will have to move down to Valdosta from Athens between now and August 1st.