Professor Michael Froomkin on Teaching at University of Miami

ABOVE: Professor Michael Froomkin is just one of the more than 9,400 full-time faculty and staff at University of Miami, but he’s the only person I know who blogs about it.

If you are considering a teaching position at University of Miami, but are unsure whether or not to accept, Professor Michale Froomkin, just made your decision a little easier. He updated his blog post titled, “Ten Reasons Why You Should Teach Here — And Three Why You Shouldn’t.” The Professor’s #1 reason why you will like teaching at U.M., the Faculty:

1. Faculty

The best reason to come to U.M. is the faculty. At its best (which is to say, “outside of faculty meetings”), this is a faculty that believes ideas are serious things, but also is willing to play with them. You will see this most vividly at faculty seminars, especially those with external speakers. The faculty reads the paper in advance of the talk. It thinks about it. We don’t let the presenter speak a long time — we want to have a discussion. There may be an element of performance in the questions and comments, but that usually just adds to the fun. Unlike some faculties I’ve heard about, we are not worshipers at the temple of sub-disciplinarity: faculty members feel comfortable commenting on papers far outside their own specialties, and they are usually right to do so as the distant perspective sometimes proves at least as valuable as the insider’s.

What I like is, Professor Froomkin keeps it real by also including some reasons why you might not like teaching in Miami:

2. Language

Many people in South Florida speak Spanish as their first (and often only) language. The campus is Anglo — although some of the bilingual staff and students will speak Spanish to each other — so this is not a work issue. But it is a life issue: you will hear lots of Spanish in the stores and on AM radio. If you are the sort of person who can’t cope with foreign languages around you, there’s a strong chance you will not be happy here. I don’t speak Spanish, and I only found it a noticeable handicap for my first few weeks here, when I would get lost driving around and stop at a store for directions, then wait impatiently while they went to find the English-speaker. It’s a non-issue today unless I happen to go bargain shopping for some exotic household good, and indeed contributes to Miami’s cosmopolitan vibe.

His other two reason why you shouldn’t teach here are the weather and geography, which are coincidently things I’ve complained about.

In addition to being a Professor at University of Miami School of Law and the Director of Faculty Development, Michael Froomkin is also the Co-founding Editor of ICANN Watch and on the Advisory Board for the Wireless Miami-Dade Executive Committee. I trust what he has to say.

What Are Your Thoughts?

Do you work at University of Miami? Are you considering a teaching position here?

Scroll down and leave a comment.

Related Links: • Just accepted a job at University of Miami • The Largest Employers in Miami • Miami Colleges and Universities Related Categories: Jobs Miami: Local News, Gus Moore heads up Miami Beach 411 as site administrator. You can reach him at 1-305-754-2206. See more articles by Gus. See more articles by Gus Was This Post Helpful? Please Share It With Others! Tweet

3 Comments on

"Professor Michael Froomkin on Teaching at University of Miami"

Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.

Discuss the surrounding area in our hugely popular Miami forum.