Nidhi Razdan's Harvard stint

[Cricketics]

Associate professor at top universities don't make much. Being an associate professor at top universitie4s like Georgetown, Harvard, MIT won't really help you much especially in these uncertain times where lot of full time professors are actually losing jobs, so associate professor's are even in bigger trouble. A career in an already popular news channel in any country helps you make a lot more money as a journalist and she has been one for a long time if I am right. i wonder if this person is lying or if she is really dumb to take up such offer. FInancially it  doesn't  make sense at all. 

[Clarke]

^^ Some jobs are about prestige, contacts and a bit of vacation time. Holding such a job can then act as a gateway to many other opportunities such as those well paid speeches. 

 

That's assuming there was an actually fake offer made. 

[diga]

 

Apparently the Phishing complaint is said to have been filed in Srinagar, Kashmir and not Delhi.

[coffee_rules]

7 minutes ago, diga said:

 

Apparently the Phishing complaint is said to have been filed in Srinagar, Kashmir and not Delhi.

Omar might be responsible

[diga]

2 minutes ago, coffee_rules said:

Omar might be responsible

Its not a joke...She filed the complaint in Srinagar even though she was based in Delhi at the time of duping 

[Jimmy Cliff]

A bit too hilarious to be true. I smell a diversion tactic.

[Cricketics]

49 minutes ago, Clarke said:

^^ Some jobs are about prestige, contacts and a bit of vacation time. Holding such a job can then act as a gateway to many other opportunities such as those well paid speeches. 

 

That's assuming there was an actually fake offer made. 

 

I understand people going for prestige, but if someone is an established person, they generally do not care about such prestige. It is natural, be it a right wing journalist or left wing. May be show off is still among Indian journalists or among many beings who even though at top post want to show off their prestigious degrees or companies they work for.

 

We surely have reached a stage where no one cares if someone is working in Apple, Google etc. While they are the top companies still, the cuthroat work experience within those places doesn't please anyone if they have worked there. It is funny to read this whole Harvard story honestly. 

[BacktoCricaddict]

@Cricketics @Clarke

 

As a professor myself, I would like to clarify some points:

(1) All Associate Professors are Tenured.  Unless an entire department or a college is disbanded, their jobs are just as secure as "Full" Professors.  

(2) Assistant Professors are not tenured.  They may be on a tenure-track and must meet certain rigorous criteria to become tenured and be promoted to Associate Professor.  

(3) Salaries for any of these positions varies widely by area of study.  Computer science, Business and Engineering faculty members are paid very well.  The reason is that there are enough jobs in the industry for them and colleges must compete in that market.  Not so much in the arts and basic sciences.

(4) Faculty members are paid a 9-month salary.  They can (and many do) make additional money by teaching or doing research in the summer.  So, if a faculty member cries to you that they are only making X salary, remember that is only 0.75x the actual X.

(5) Faculty at research intensive institutions make additional money from grant funding (sometimes doubling the salary that the university pays them).

 

(6)  There is a wide variety of reasons why someone may want to work as a faculty member even in the basic sciences, where the salaries are low.  I myself chose this path 16 years ago instead of a job offer from industry which was paying me 2x what I was offered for my faculty job:

(a) Enjoy the freedom to explore research areas that interest me rather than be told what to do.

(b) Train and mentor students:  this is a huge draw.  There is nothing more gratifying than getting the younger generation ready for the workforce.  We have many faculty members who have worked as businesspeople, journalists, engineers for many years and felt that they can give back.  It's not prestige.  It's the urge to mentor and influence young people positively.

(c) Not super-talented in the research lab:  It takes a heck of a lot of talent, brainpower and patience to succeed as a researcher.  But someone who is not at the very top in this can be a good coach - which is how I see myself. 

 

(7) In the sciences as well as business, IT etc, life is not a cakewalk for faculty members (contrary to popular opinion.)  I work as hard as any engineer and am as accountable to my customers (students) and bosses (dean) as the corporate workers are.  We don't "generate revenue" per se, so the direct stakes are not as high.  But we put in the hours!

 

(8) Contrary to popular opinion, I don't have more vacation flexibility than the corporate-workers.  If anything, I have less.  Between Aug 10 and Dec 15, and then from Jan 10 - May 15, I am stuck.  My engineer friends can take 2 weeks off and go to India whenever they want.  I must be here teaching classes.  Now, I can choose to take the entire summer off, but guess what, my salary is only for 9 months, so I teach summer courses to compensate.  

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 15, 2021 by BacktoCricaddict

[BacktoCricaddict]

It is a joke that Nidhi Razdan called herself an Associate professor - that would mean she worked at Harvard (or another institution of the same caliber) for 5-6 years, wrote a book, published profusely in peer-reviewed journals, mentored MA and PhD students, gave invited conference lectures at international conferences etc. etc. 

 

If she was going to try and fool the world, at least make it believable that she was an Assistant Professor (non-tenured) or Visiting Professor (temporary 1-yr appointment for people like her who have some prominence) or Adjunct Professor (part-time) ... but Associate?  

[maniac]

lieutenant  of Godi media Amish bhai

 

[coffee_rules]

 

[Cricketics]

8 minutes ago, BacktoCricaddict said:

@Cricketics @Clarke

 

As a professor myself, I would like to clarify some points:

(1) All Associate Professors are Tenured.  Unless an entire department or a college is disbanded, their jobs are just as secure as "Full" Professors.  

 

(4) Faculty members are paid a 9-month salary.  They can (and many do) make additional money by teaching or doing research in the summer.  So, if a faculty member cries to you that they are only making X salary, remember that is only 0.75x the actual X.

(5) Faculty at research intensive institutions make additional money from grant funding (sometimes doubling the salary that the university pays them).

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the clarity. I am part of higher education as well as research too. And I know how hard the Higher Education  has been hit  all over the world, in particular here in States. While  top universities haven't done any layoffs, it has been tough for  them to hire new professors. A lot of them were also looking to hire just adjunct professors at this time. International students drop in registration is hurting all the top universities and hence it boggles me when I hear someone would leave their prestigious position  for an associate professor position at Harvard, which would likely yield them just 140k and that is also not permanent.  Now 140k is a decent amount to start in U.S but considering the person joining has had over 15 years of journalism experience, that person must be easily  making over 200k in any country. We  don't know how the fall 2021 and 2022 will look like in Higher Ed. The situation is very unprecedented. 

 

That is why the whole thing looks quiet fake to me. The story doesn't add up well for me. 

 

 

[maniac]

Also even if this was some genius con job oceans 11 style, what about the discussions about Visa etc, Also doesn’t she have to send personal info for back ground verifications etc for entry into an organization like Harvard?

 

So is she saying she sent her passport copies etc to some anonymous person over an anonymous  email ?

 

In that case identify theft should be a bigger case here instead of fake job offer.

[coffee_rules]

Happiest person on earth today

 

 

[Gollum]

 

[coffee_rules]

They don’t even offer journalism courses. Any person on reading e-mail will first go check the university website. 
 

 

[BacktoCricaddict]

4 minutes ago, Cricketics said:

 

Thanks for the clarity. I am part of higher education as well as research too. And I know how hard the Higher Education  has been hit  all over the world, in particular here in States. While  top universities haven't done any layoffs, it has been tough for  them to hire new professors. A lot of them were also looking to hire just adjunct professors at this time. International students drop in registration is hurting all the top universities and hence it boggles me when I hear someone would leave their prestigious position  for an associate professor position at Harvard, which would likely yield them just 140k and that is also not permanent.  Now 140k is a decent amount to start in U.S but considering the person joining has had over 15 years of journalism experience, that person must be easily  making over 200k in any country. We  don't know how the fall 2021 and 2022 will look like in Higher Ed. The situation is very unprecedented. 

 

That is why the whole thing looks quiet fake to me. The story doesn't add up well for me. 

 

 

 

Bottom line for me is - no one, absolutely no one - would give her an Associate professor job.  Adjunct, Visiting, maybe Assistant. 

 

If she was going to lie, she could at least have done a better job by just saying something like "teaching position" or "lecturer" or visiting professor.  Her BS is so clear and infuriating.  

Edited January 15, 2021 by BacktoCricaddict

[maniac]

Just now, BacktoCricaddict said:

 

Bottom line for me is - no one, absolutely no one - would give her an Associate professor job.  Adjunct, Visiting, maybe Assistant. 

 

If she was going to lie, she could at least have done a better job. 

A simple google search or  browsing through Harvard website might have been a great start. 

[Yoda-esque]

So much for being a journalist

[Yoda-esque]

.