Two job interviews attended

Today I have attended two job interview sessions, as Vice-Dean of Research, for a temporary advisor position we are about to fill. 

Another employment contract accepted

Today I have confirmed in writing that I accept the offer of another contract with University of Stavanger's Department of Social Studies (50% position August 2015 - July 2016 as Associate professor of philosophy). By the end of this contract I will have been temporarily employed at University of Stavanger, on various overlapping contracts (and for three different departments), for 4 1/2 years.

See also:

Performance appraisal 2015 - and plans for next academic year

To be employed by UiS Business School this autumn

Yesterday, after a week´s negotiations, I agreed to make an employment contract with the University of Stavanger Business School for this autumn. I will be employed in 40% position August to December 2015, as Associate professor in philosophy, responsible for teaching in Examen Philosophicum.

This will be the third department at UiS that I have been affiliated with. Altogether I have made arrangements for 100% work (plus responsibility for UiS EVU, cf. yesterday´s post) in the academic year 2015-2016.

Joining the UiS´ PRE-FRIPRO pre-application program

I have been admitted to the University of Stavanger´s PRE-FRIPRO pre-application program, a program offered by the UiS Research and Innovation Department and designed to prepare "Young research talent" applicants for research applications within the Research Council of Norway´s FRIPRO program (independent projects).

See also:

Meeting on FRIPRO

Election to UiS board lost

This year's election to the board of the University of Stavanger representing temporarily employed education and research staff was conducted April 11th-17th. I was one of three candidates, along with those who have served as my deputy representatives since last autumn. Information on the candidates was published on the webpages of UiS. Unlike last year the electoral program I submitted was this time included, along with biographical info.

But to no avail. As the election results show, I got only 9 votes, while Clemens Furnes got 14 and Kristian Thorsen 28. There were 5 blank votes. This means I got only 16-18% of the total vote, while Furnes got 25-27% and Thorsen a wopping 51-55%. I will thus be the 2nd deputy member to the board of UiS in 2013-2014.

My last board meeting will find place in mid-June, in Copenhagen.

See also:

Running for position as member of the board of UiS (March 2012)

Now permanent member of the board of UiS; by-election to be held in November (October 2012)

Election to the UiS board: Electoral program (April 2013)

Election to the UiS board: Electoral program

Now in April I am running for reelection as the representative for temporarily employed education and research staff in the board of the University of Stavanger (which I have been since the autumn of 2012). Here is my electoral program:

a) Morten Tønnessen

b) 37 years old

c) Associate Professor in philosophy at Department of Health Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences

d) Background: Tønnessen has been the representative for temporarily employed education and research staff in the UiS board since the autumn of 2012. He defended his doctoral degree in semiotics/philosophy – with a case study on Norwegian wolf management – in 2011 at the University of Tartu (Estonia). Tønnessen has held several NGO positions (he is currently Chair of Minding Animals Norway (http://mindinganimals.no/), secretary of Nordic Association for Semiotic Studies (http://nordicsemiotics.org/) and board member of International Society of Code Biology (http://www.codebiology.org/)), and he works interdisciplinarily. In capacity of being a philosopher/semiotician who has been doing research on biological/ecological phenomena for some ten years, he has connections to the humanities as well as to social science and natural science. Academic blog: http://UtopianRealism.blogspot.com.

e) Morten Tønnessen will keep working for:

• Increased internationalisation (enhanced research mobility included)
• Higher aspirations for research (publication points, citations, participation at international conferences etc.)
• Good conditions for interdisciplinary research and educational activities
• A green university

See also Norwegian text.

Why I applied for one job, but not another (the sad state of philosophy of language and mind)

Given that I am 36 and only have a temporary position as Associate professor (at University of Stavanger's Department of Health Studies, where I enjoy working), I am looking for a more long-term position. About a week ago I applied for the job as rector at Nansenskolen (a 4-year appointment), a Norwegian folk high school with some 16 staff and 70 students. 

I considered, but did not apply for, a permanent philosophy position at University of Bergen, since this specific position presupposed specialized research competence in philosophy of language and philosophy of mind, which are both predominantly areas of Analytical philosophy and typically carried out in a way I cannot identify with in the mainstream (as a sidecurrent participant, however, I gladly confess that both of these areas are of course of crucial importance to me as they should be carried out).

Deputy member of the board of University of Stavanger

Since August 1st I've been a deputy member of the board of the University of Stavanger, representing temporary staff (here is a list in Norwegian of all board members - English page has not been updated). I will be in this position until July 31st 2013.