In April 2004, I needed to decide whether I would submit a tenure packet promotion request at the University of Oklahoma. I was finishing my sixth year at Oklahoma which marked the end of my "probationary" period as a tenure-track faculty member at the Price College of Business.
After carefully considering the decision and consulting with my division chair, I informed the division chair and the dean that I would not submit a tenure packet but use the next academic year to seek a position at a different university.
I began my job search at the 2004 Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) one of two major academic conferences in my field of study. In August 2004, I attended the conference and met with several universities that had open positions for first-round interviews including Brigham Young University, the University of Alabama, the University of Deleware, and Texas A&M University.
In November 2004, I was invited by Texas A&M University to progress in the interview process and make a campus visit. I asked if I could make the visit over a weekend to allow me to attend church in College Station.
I landed at Easterwood Airport in College Station during the halftime of the Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma football game on November 6, 2004. The Aggies were leading the game 28 - 21.
I attended the College Station 2nd Ward for church. Lyn and Barbara Rees picked me up for church and hosted me at their house for Sunday dinner. I made my official visit to the university on Monday (Nov 8) and returned home on Tuesday (Nov 9). Overall, I was impressed with my visit.
I received a job offer from Dean Wichern (Interim Department Head of the Department of Information and Operations Management) just after Thanksgiving. Annette and I considered the offer and the impact moving to Texas would have on our family. We decided to take the offer.
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| Offer Letter from Dean Wichern December 3, 2024 |
We did not tell the kids until Christmas Day as we were sitting at the dinner table eating Christmas turkey. I told the kids that I had taken a job at Texas A&M University and we would be moving to Texas. Tanner (age 10) immediately reacted by saying, "You mean we have to root for the Longhorns!" The OU vs Texas rivalry was alive and well in our house!
I reassured him that we would not have to root for the Longhorns because the Texas Aggies are not fans of the Texas Longhorns either.
Be sure to read an interesting side story in my Moving Mixup post.
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