It’s really hard to get a tenure-track job. Part of this has to do with the economy, but it also stems from an odd
overabundance of PhDs in the job market.
Well just give up on an academic job, seems to be the message of the American Council of Learned Societies, a federation of seventy scholarly organizations that funds humanities research.
ACLS has just announced a new fellowship program that will place recent humanities PhD graduates in jobs in jobs outside of academia, at nonprofits and in government organizations. Eight PhDs chosen by ACLS will “participate in the substantive work… and receive professional mentoring” at places like the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the Association of American Universities.
According to ACLS:
This program, made possible by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, aims to demonstrate that the capacities developed in the advanced study of the humanities have wide application, both within and beyond the academy.
Perhaps more importantly, the chosen fellows will get health care. Sure beats being an adjunct.
