Interview Questions from Keith Maull 10/25/07 Background - This interview is for the CSCI7000 class and my summary of the interview is due Tuesday Oct. 30 @ 9am. Since we know each other fairly well, I'll make this fairly easy and put my statements/reactions to the questions and you can either answer them directly or respond to my statements. The primary questions of the assignment were to ask what you think about being a student in CS at CU and what expectations you have of me, so I'll start there. 1) What DO you think about being a student at CU in CS? What do you think are the exciting things going on in the department for students to participate in and take advantage of? [sidebar questions] YOU yourself were a student here and, of course, got YOUR dissertation from CU. a) What was exciting then that you think is still exciting now in the department ( besides the fact that you're a tenured faculty )? b) Why did YOU choose to come to CU to get your PhD? c) What was your experience going through the program? d) In what ways did the program/experience exceed your expectations? Fall short? e) What has changed since you've been here (I'm definitely interested in a history lesson here)? f) Of those changes, what have been the most positive/favorable for students? Faculty? g) What changes would you like to see put in place that have not yet been implemented? 2) What are three things you'd like to see happen in the next 5 years? For students? Faculty? 3) What are the most exciting things you think are enabled by obtaining a PhD? Clout? Access to funding? The tenure process? Grant competing/writing? Influencing others? 4) What is your opinion of the non-academic/teaching PhD? For example, I am at the age and position in my career that it would be unlikely for me to actually pursue a tenure track unless that position was local ( I like living in Colorado and so does my family ), so my PhD will likely be put to greatest use outside teaching. 5) What are you basic expectations of me? I know we have a fairly close relationship, and you know that I am in a somewhat non-traditional position, working in industry (out of necessity, financial requirements, for the fun of it) while trying to pursue this. I should hope that we both agree that for me “fast-tracking” my research would be most advantageous, not only because the contemporaneousness of the research, but also to minimize overall pain. 6) Given that I am one class short of required courses for the PhD breadth, do you think it is realistic for me to be able to get my research underway in the 2nd year (2008) and finish it by the third year (2009)? If not, what do you feel is a more realistic timeline? a. What kinds of things would be necessary to actually achieve such a timeline? 7) What three pieces of advice would you impart upon me starting this process? 8) You may already know that one of the reasons why I am endeavoring this, is that I am interested in a career transformation that would include research, perhaps consulting based on my research (along with even some university “contract” teaching) and a general interest in doing fun and meaningful things that are shielding from the ups and downs of “just another corporate” job. Having been inspired by my exposure to industry research in places like HP Labs, but also wanting to express my entrepreneurial tendencies and having “teaching” tendencies in my blood, do you think this is a career path that a PhD can accelerate or enable? If not, why? 9) What are the three most important things you did right while a PhD student (conferences, lots of papers, met so-and-so, forged relationship with such-and-such, etc.)? a. What did you do wrong? Or what would you have done differently that has come back to haunt you? If anything. 10) Was it worth it? If so, why?