Today we had PhD orientation. I was sitting along a row with Elizabeth Currid (star), David Suarez (star), Jenny Schuetz (star) and Nicole Esparza (star). With me,* that makes the whole collection of junior faculty in my school, save one. Martin Krieger burst out: “It’s so nice seeing you all together! It’s like I’m looking at the future of my department! And it looks…just wonderful!”

You have to use a lot of exclamation points with Martin quotes because he’s from Brooklyn. In addition to being one of my favorite colleagues, he’s right: my fellow junior faculty are pretty darned awesome.

*I’m past my sell-by date as junior faculty.