It's the first thing I changed when I started running faculty searches for my program

I haven't encountered an HR practice that does not allow for ANY applicants to be rejected at ANY point of the search. It's more often that once you reject someone you can't go back to them if your narrowed pool doesn't work out, but that shouldn't stop you from rejecting someone who has no shot.

Nothing makes me more sad for our profession than receiving an email from an unsuccessful candidate complimenting us on our efficient notification. You might as well be complimenting me for not robbing a bank.

Academia, have some humanity and be better

#AcademicSky

Yep I'm going! First time back in St Andrews since I defended my PhD.

They didn't do it for money.
They didn't do it for resources.
They didn't do it for conquest.
They didn't do it for thanks.

That's why they are the Greatest Generation, and why they would be ashamed that those qualities are so lacking in the United States today. Their victory has been squandered.

They did it through relentless determination, shared sacrifice, and unending optimism. They did it because it had to be done. They did it because they knew that authoritarianism anywhere undermines freedom everywhere.

For classroom policies, I tend to think of three categories

1) Benefits the students
2) Benefits me
3) Benefits no one/arbitrary

Good course design balances #1 and #2, because policy is an important way to practice self care.

The 'real world' argument falls under #3 and should be discontinued

Taking points off on a sliding scale for late work, so students can learn about consequences while not ruining their chance at a good overall grade in the course, seems like an obvious middle ground for teaching personal responsibility in a way that benefits students without being Draconian.

A student turning in a paper at 12:05 am when the deadline is midnight has no meaningful impact on anything the professor, who isn't going to start reading until the next morning anyway, needs to do.

So because the stakes are so low, why not take the opportunity to actually ease students into it?

Third, hard deadlines absolutely exist in the professional world, but when they do there might be a good reason behind them because whatever you are working on is just part of a larger whole that needs to work in unison to function.

That simply does not exist in the postsecondary classroom.

First, most of the professors I have encountered with this policy have never worked outside academia or if they have, haven't done so in the last twenty years.

Second, it's hypocritical because I have never encountered an academic who has never asked for an extension on something.

It's important to note that there are some very good reasons that you might have this policy, like how teaching students self-discipline and planning can help them build the skills to accomplish whatever personal or professional goals they set in life.

My problem is with this specific rationale.