Hello everyone. I have enjoyed the blessing and good fortune of being able to attend the University of Michigan for my graduate studies over the past 6 years. During my studenthood/training, I have had the benefit of working under and alongside some outstanding mentors and fellow students, and have developed many strong friendships (a major contingent of the W&H Page readers!). As fun as it is to be a college student, the goal is to ultimately finish the degree and be employable, so as I will finish my degree this summer(-ish), I am happy to announce I have accepted a job. In January, 2011, I will begin a tenure-track position as assistant professor in the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department at Texas A&M University. This position offers a unique opportunity which I am very excited to undertake: to help shape and grow the human factors/cognitive systems engineering areas of their program. Since accepting the offer, I have been humbled by how welcoming my future colleagues in the department have been, and I think it will be a good match for me professionally as well as personally.
Texas A&M is in College Station, Texas (duh). In my limited experience with the city (one 2-day interview visit plus internet searches), it seems to be a "college town" in every positive meaning of the phrase - much like Iowa City, where Erin and I attended the U of Iowa (and fell in looove). I think this is a polite phrase that means it's a self-sustaining and cultured community due to the University structure, but is somewhat in the "middle of nowhere". This actually fits my style moreso than a metropolitan area, but makes it a bit harder to travel to/from. However, for those of you who will come to visit us (yes, please do!), it is just an hour and a half from Houston, which is an easy drive for an interesting day trip and has a major airport. We'll also be just a few hours South of Dallas, where some of our family and friends live.
To Erin and I, Ann Arbor is as much a home to us as the distant locations where we grew up, and of course, it is the only home our children have known. So it will be very difficulty for us to have to leave. But we knew the time would come eventually when a job would take us elsewhere, and we are confident that this is the right move for our family.
So what are we in for? Well, we're trading our cold, snowy winters with their snowball fights and sledding...
For brutally hot summers (add about 20 degrees to the thermometer below) and swimming pools!
Also, Texas has more cows...
Also, Texas has more cows...
Will we still be able to do all the fun stuff we love to do? You bet. I already checked, there are several disc golf courses in the area, including one right across from the airport, less than 10 minutes from campus.
I'm looking forward to being close to my uncle and his family, who live in Dallas. He's a big fisherman, and I'm hoping he can show us all the hotspots. Since we'll be in the South where the waters are warmer year-round, the fish will be bigger.
We already checked and they do have a Chuck E. Cheese in College Station.
On my visit, I was treated to some really excellent food. The steak and seafood is amazing, given that it's Texas (steak) and close to the ocean (seafood). Also, (authentic) Mexican and Tex-Mex food are some of my favorites. But my #1 favorite is barbecue, and they don't mess around with their barbecue down there. I think it would probably be socially acceptable if I set up my little hibachi grill in my office on campus.
Finally, I'm happy that we're heading to another community that so highly values our family's (well, mine at least) favorite fall activities: tailgating, and college football. While the Aggies have fallen on some tough times of late, historically their football program is top caliber, and the traditions associated with gameday are some of the best anywhere. I figure it's ok if their team takes a few years to turn things around - we have so many football loyalties that it might be very confusing for our children if we got too into Aggie football, too soon anyway. Also I figure we'll have to get Grandpa and Grandma Ferris to visit when the Huskers come to town, and then we'll of course be wearing our Husker red.
So keep checking in with us on the blog - since I've completed the job search process and have time to wrap up my dissertation work, we'll be relatively relaxed (as in, won't be working all...the...time.), and we plan to enjoy our last year in Ann Arbor.
For now, we're enjoying the last days of our last snowy Michigan winter.
1 comment:
Congrats Tom (and Erin and family)!!! Really excited for you.
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