Interview with Thomas A. Tombrello - Caltech Oral Histories
Interview with Thomas A. Tombrello - Caltech Oral Histories
Interview with Thomas A. Tombrello - Caltech Oral Histories
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<strong>Tombrello</strong>–105<br />
necessary—that was sent to me. Then I bring the person in, give them a copy of the report, and<br />
we talk about how they’re doing. The tracking committee is composed of the executive officer<br />
for that option in the division—physics, math, or astronomy. There’s a person in this person’s<br />
field; there’s a person in a related, not exactly the same, field. The idea is that they’re supposed<br />
to give advice. They’re supposed to give feedback to the chair. And they’re supposed to not let<br />
this person get lost. I think it’s been a help. I don’t know that it will change the success ratio,<br />
but I think it also means that you should have fewer recriminations at the end about whether this<br />
person has been evaluated carefully. Then, when tenure comes, if they get to tenure—or<br />
reappointment and then tenure—the tracking committee forms a kind of a nucleus of the<br />
reappointment or tenure committee. There are at least several people on the final committee who<br />
have been <strong>with</strong> this person the whole time they’ve been at <strong>Caltech</strong>. They’re supposed to be a fan<br />
club, but also a critical fan club. I try very hard not to get a group that’s just out there to try to<br />
get rid of the candidates.<br />
It’s interesting which questions come up, because they’re not always questions about<br />
research. In fact the most obvious thing that comes up <strong>with</strong> research is that the person is trying<br />
to do too much, and they’re told to cut back., focus on a few things and get them done. But<br />
many of the questions that come up have to do <strong>with</strong> mortgages and <strong>Caltech</strong>’s assistance <strong>with</strong><br />
mortgage subsidies.<br />
ASPATURIAN: How about child care?<br />
TOMBRELLO: Oh, child care! My wife, Stephanie, is one of the founding mothers of the child<br />
development center here. I don’t know if they still call it child development.<br />
ASPATURIAN: The Children’s Center at <strong>Caltech</strong>.<br />
TOMBRELLO: Children’s Center. You realize it was not popular when it started, in the early<br />
1970s.<br />
ASPATURIAN: That doesn’t surprise me at all.<br />
http://resolver.caltech.edu/<strong>Caltech</strong>OH:OH_<strong>Tombrello</strong>_T
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