"I suspect we'll be experiencing some adjustments with our worklives, now," Noah replied diplomatically. He finished the last of his water. "My wife was a professor of mathematics, but she taught over at Seattle University, so I'm not acquainted with the staff of the mathematics department here. I wish I could be of more help--I could tell you who to avoid at SU, but that's not particularly helpful here, is it? I stay mostly over on the soft sciences side of the campus." He half-turned to toss the bottle into the recycling can.
"But most universities tend to be the same; it's just a change of names. My experiences here have been on the whole, good. But I don't dabble much in interdepartmental politics if I can help it. I teach and write my papers and try to avoid arrests at environmental rallies and protests. The dean frowns on that. The turnover rate amongst faculty is fairly low, so that should give you some indication that it's a decent place to work."
He clasped his hands loosely, and idly spun the broad gold band on his finger, stopping when he realized he did it. "I assume that you've not been long in Seattle. Have you found a good place to live? I can recommend a place, if you're looking for something."