An Introductory Letter
I recently wrote an introductory letter for a faculty position. Introductory letters are odd because in the end they're a sales piece, selling your own ability to aid the people and organization that you're introducing yourself to, and therefore you need to demonstrate that you can benefit them, and how you do that is a bit of bragging, which is an odd activity.
Introductory Letter Concerning a Faculty Position
I’m in my final week teaching Introduction to Humanities for Muskegon Community College in Michigan. It’s been a good experience. Two classes in different towns, four days a week, mostly early college students, with a couple of older students, 35 in total. It’s been a fun experience and a successful experiment.
It was an experiment because over the last four years my primary work has been as a local elected official. I’m finishing my term as the Dalton Township Supervisor in a couple of weeks. The township has just under 10,000 residents in a 36 square mile area that contains one village, one census taking area, and three voting precincts. We have a 3 million dollar per year budget, 11 full-time staff, and technically over 70 employees. The township runs four parks, two cemeteries, a bike trail, a horse trail, and a fire department. I’ve been a voting member of the Water Policy Board, the Wastewater Management Committee, and the Berry Junction Trail Commission, all in combination with other local municipalities.
As the head elected official I’ve done hiring and firing. As the legal agent of the township I’ve dealt with police, lawyers, and judges. I’ve had attempts at bribery, blackmail, and death threats. I’ve appointed and removed people from the Planning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Board of Review. I created the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. I’ve worked closely with Muskegon County Commissioners to approve contracts for real estate sales, business expansion, and resolutions to increase food access. I ran for office on a platform of ordinance reform to allow more business and to protect farming rights. During my term we changed dozens of laws to do this, including ordinance reform to allow more development of residential housing. I was also able to get a millage passed to add full-time firefighters for the first time in township history, do almost 2 million dollars worth of work on local roads, and fix a 2 million dollar deficit in the sewer fund. This practical and applied experience is useful in teaching and instruction.
I have a BA in philosophy, which gives me foundational grounding for a wide range of concepts. I have a MSc in public policy and management which combines my practical experience with research and theory. My MSc dissertation is on employee turnover in a local municipality. I also have an immense interest in history and am known for bringing up key historical points in discussions and meetings.
Having successfully concluded my elected term and my trial semester of teaching for a community college, I’m ready for my next life step. I keep being drawn back into teaching. I taught English online for a number of years. I taught homeschool groups in creative writing and philosophy discussion. I’ve taught adults public speaking. For two years during my term I talked with hundreds of eighth graders at a local middle school about how local government works for a class event that the teachers brought me in for, which is different than the state and national structures and systems they learn about as part of their curriculum.
I’ve considered going for a PhD focused on the evaluation of memoirs and autobiographies. Depending on the qualitative thematic analysis used this could be in the subject areas of psychology, philosophy, history, or political science. I’ve also thought about getting my teaching license in social studies and history to work at a high school. If offered the position at your college I would still consider doing one or both of these things, depending on what would be most useful to you.
From my perspective, it would be a wonderful opportunity to be a full-time professor at your college. It would also mesh well with my pursuit of a PhD, to which I’ve been drawn and could coordinate with the role. From your perspective, I can contribute well to your mission and success. I’ve taught younger and older students, I’ve taught online and in-person, I’ve taught at a community college, I have a broad knowledge of philosophy, history, and political science combined with the experience of application in the field. I would like to have a conversation to see if we would be a good fit.
Jeff Martin
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