From: Joe
Sent: Tuesday
To: Lowery Jr, Lee L <lowery@civil.tamu.edu>
Subject: Meeting with you
Would it be possible to meet with you this Thursday at 1:30 PM?
I am one of your former students.
Joe
From: lowery@civil.tamu.edu
To: Joe
Subject: RE: Meeting with you
Sure Joe. Concerning?
Lee
From: Joe
Sent: Wednesday, July 20
My area of expertise is structural engineering. What I would ideally like is to have a job as a lecturer teaching building design and energy conservation. I look forward to meeting you.
Joe
Joe:
Sorry, but I’ll have to pass on that. Meeting with me would be just about like meeting with the janitor. I have nothing at all to do with getting anyone a job in such a position. I would suggest that you contact
http://www.tamu.edu/about/employment.html
There you find “If you are seeking a faculty or research position, please contact the Dean of Faculties Office directly by emailing dof@tamu.edu or calling 979-845-4274.”
If you want to come in and talk old times, count me in, but otherwise …
I wish you luck,
Lee
From: Joe
Sent: Thursday, July 21
My question would have been if not the Civil Engineering Department, then who should I contact.
Thank you for your message.
Joe
From: lowery@civil.tamu.edu
Subject: RE: Meeting with you
Joe:
I think Civil Engineering (environmental) would indeed be a perfect match, as well as several other departments. However, I have talked with many people about employment here, and have helped no one. Nary a one. It is usually one of my former students who I taught back in 1992, who graduated with a Master’s and got a PhD at Illinois. They went into business, later started their own engineering company, and recently sold it for $90 million.
Now they end up in my office saying they are retiring and want to “give back” by teaching the new generation what they have learned in the past 25 years. Very nice. Absolutely great. What a deal. Most of them already have so much money they don’t know what to do with it and don’t even want to be paid. They’ll teach for free.
The problem is they are sitting in the wrong office, because all employment is centralized through the Dean of Facilities Office, without exception. If our department decides we need a CO2 expert, (as I understand it, since I have nothing to do with it) we have to write up a request and send it to Facilities. They then check it for political correctness, available funding, approval from the Dean of Engineering, and I have no idea what all else, and publish it publicly.
Still, the bottom line is my student goes away mad because I didn’t hire them, or give them the personal cell phone number of the Department Head (which I don’t know), or write them a letter requesting that they be hired.
I hope that they ARE hired. We need all the help we can get.
Still, sorry guys, I’m a prof. I teach. I have nothing to do with hiring in any shape, form, or fashion. Once you get hired you and I will probably become best friends and have lunch regularly. But as for now, the most valuable thing I can do for you is not waste your time pretending that I can increase your chances of getting a job at A&M in any way. Not by meeting with you, nor by giving you inside information, or tips on how to go about it, or who to see, or …
To the best of my knowledge, your ONLY way to success is to contact
http://www.tamu.edu/about/employment.html
There you will find “If you are seeking a faculty or research position, please contact the Dean of Faculties Office directly by emailing dof@tamu.edu or calling 979-845-4274.”
I really do wish you luck,
L^3