University of Utah

[Big Fudge]

Megan Reynolds (Duke ABD)

[nice]

congrats!!

[shocked]

utah hired a quantitative scholar? what a surprise.

[trolls!]

yes, a quantitative scholar. the other hire TBA will be a qualitative scholar.

[powerhouse]

Wow. Utah is (becoming?) a powerhouse program. Yet another solid hire. Bunch of really solid, relatively young scholars in that place. What is it about Salt Lake City? That place wasn't even on the radar a few years ago.

[response to powerhouse]

Yes, Utah Sociology is really on the rise. It has been under the radar for a while now. There are some terrific folks there who are incredibly productive and do high quality research. They just hosted the annual sociology of development conference (I attended). It was by far one of the best conferences I've attended, and the Utah folks deserve all the credit. If they keep things up I see them as a top 20 department within the next 5 years.

[yeah but]

Dec 18, 2013 12:56:24 GMT -5 response to powerhouse said:

 If they keep things up I see them as a top 20 department within the next 5 years.

Although much credit is due to departments like this that are on the rise, the unfortunate reality that is that Top 20 status is still mostly defined by long term recognition as a Top 20.  As such, Utah can blow the roof off of ASR & AJS for the next 5 years, but it is still going to be hard to be seen as on par with a long time prestigious department, even if said department isn't that productive.  It is no knock on Utah, and by all means, high praise to them, their faculty and their new hires, but stodgy old "Ivy League U" is going to stay in the Top 20 for years to come even if the only thing they have going for them is that they had that famous sociologist that one time that wrote the book that was a really big deal in Sociology of Roller Derby.

That is, it would seem the biggest challenge to moving up is waiting for any program to move down in the rankings. 

Sorry for hijacking the thread. I'll go away now.


Congrats Megan!

[truebut]

Probably true. And probably an indictment of a messed up discipline.

[records speak for themselves]

yep, the discipline is messed up. nonetheless, the rather strong records of the faculty at utah speak for themselves.

[forsure]

the records there speak for themselves. what is messed up is how a bunch of so-called 'liberals' and 'progressives' are actually so conservative about academic pedigree, titling, names, lineages, descent and kinship systems (that is really what they are).

[NoYouAreNoYouAreNoYouAre...]

Please let this thread die. Utah is fine. Sociology is fine. Elitism exists. These candidates got jobs. That is a good thing. Let them enjoy it.