Today, I went to the open house at National Hispanic University (NHU). I did not know what to expect, but everything far surpassed what I had envisioned. The staff is dedicated, motivated and passionate. The students are held to a high standard and are encouraged every step of the way. The class sizes are small, personal, and everyone is treated like family. The facilities are new, up to date (technology-wise), and absolutely spotless. It’s a pretty exciting place! Even before the first session started, I had several staff/faculty people approach me, shake my hand, and talk to me. It made a powerful first impression! One guy in particular seemed interested in my desire to teach at this institution. He gave me the name of the HR manager, and asked me to call her on Monday. Later on, I discovered that the man I was talking to was Dr. Lopez, the President of NHU. The guy was so personable! The only downside (to me anyway) is that there is no opportunity to get a teaching credential in under a year, and 100% of all credential classes are offered in the evening. In other words, I cannot go to class in the daytime, which would be my preference, and I can’t choose more than two classes every six weeks, because there aren’t more than two available every six weeks. It will take me 1.4 years to graduate. This is still faster (and cheaper) than SJSU by 2x, but it doesn’t help me achieve my goal of getting my credential by next summer. Looks like I won’t be credentialed to take over that 7th grade class at my wife’s school next year. No doubt, God wants me somewhere else. I will trust Him and move forward with assurance.
The presentations were pretty good today, as was the catered food. Instead of attending the last session, I asked for a tour. That tour turned out to be a gold mine! Alex, the young I.T. guy who guided me around, is a recent grad of NHU. He and I went through the three floors of the campus, and he was able to answer all my questions. On the final floor, I met Prof. Mooney (English) who had spoken in the general session. He’s a real positive and likeable guy. I mentioned that I was going into the credential program, to make myself more “hirable” as a teacher, but that my actual desire was to teach at the college level, and that I had applied at NHU. It turned out that he is on the interview and hiring committee for the Art Appreciation position I had applied for. He asked if I had online/computer skills and I answered in the affirmative. He said that there is a pretty long vetting cycle that happens before my resume hits his desk, but if I get phoned or interviewed by anyone along the way, I was to make sure I mentioned that I was computer savvy. From what I can tell, there is only one other “Art” teacher on campus, and I’m not even sure he’s still here. I might be applying as his replacement (a guy who attended and graduated from SJSU in Art History after I had). Prof Mooney said that NHU had every intention of quickly adding Art History classes to its schedule, so if I got hired now, I could be in an area of expansion. He didn’t say this, but I felt he was hinting at a possible full professorship for those who stuck around. Right now, Art History is strictly Adjunct (part-time, no benefits). In other words, if I get hired, and if I don’t go broke as an Adjunct Professor after 5 years (the typical period before anyone is considered for a tenured position), I could land a rare full-time, tenured position. Now that would be cool! Alas, he also mentioned that because NHU is now a part of Laureate International Universities, they would likely be looking for PhD degrees for their full-time staff. I have no desire to get one of those degrees right now, so I might have to look elsewhere… or get that degree. With an MA, and five years as an Adjunct Professor, I could seek full-time positions in community colleges elsewhere, but I would most certainly have to move. The kids would be out of the house by then, so moving is a possibility.