Thread by @RAKarl

It’s that time of year for tenure/job/fellowship announcement tweets. I have my own professional news to share, but it’s not like most of what’s out there

I wasn’t awarded tenure + will be leaving Princeton this time next year

It's been as seismic a development as one might expect. And tenure’s an inhumane process regardless of outcome. So there have been no shortage of difficult moments since the decision came down in the fall

But you know what? I’ve never once thought about it in terms of failure

I’m terribly proud of #ForgottenPeace. The translation just came out in Colombia, a year after original edition. Last month's launch was as fulfilling a professional accomplishment as I could ever hope for. 13 years after my 1st trip, my work is receiving an incredible reception

I don’t regret a minute of the time I’ve dedicated to teaching/advising. By the fall, I’ll have advised 64 1st-semester junior independent projects. The equivalent of an entire (if small) graduating class of Princeton history majors will have passed thru my methods seminar

I’ve had the chance to work w/ a remarkable group of graduate students. I could cry talking about how much they mean to me. I’m also particularly proud that all 9 of the students whose dissertation committees I've been part of at this university are women/people of color

Most important of all is that I’ve raised two awesome girls alongside the awesome @BethRabbitt, who’s been able to build an important, influential career for herself at the same time

Why share this news here? I’ll admit, part of the reason is self-serving. W/o knowledge of one’s tenure situation, applications from an early mid-career scholar can appear to be just an attempt to get leverage on one’s home institution

(Last year’s applications didn’t pan out, but I got a grace year here + will be applying to the job market again this coming cycle)

But I’m more interested in letting people in similar positions know that they’re not alone. Reading about other people’s accomplishments on social media can be immensely isolating. We need to normalize talking about the hard stuff

I’m in better position than many to find another job, though in this market I’m not taking anything for granted. Good news is that I started early in this line of work. I’ll have been 10 yrs at Princeton + have another 3+ decades in my career

1 bright spot of the past months has been being reminded of the kindness + generosity of so many people in my academic network. If you haven’t recently sent a supportive note to a junior colleague or a word of thanks to a mentor, consider doing so

Entonces, #twitterstorians, pa’ adelante como el elefante