PRESENTED BY: VICTOR BENJAMIN 11/27/2012 Beyond Survival in the Academy 1

Consider these problems: Doctoral preparation often occurs at Research 1 universities such as our own  However, most academic positions that are made available exist in more teaching-oriented institutions You will graduate as a poor student  But there are many costs associated with job hunting and moving to a new position Your new university will be completely foreign to you  You won’t understand the systems they use, where everything is located, and even how to use the new department copy machine How can you cope with all of these things? This book will tell you, and more. Problems: The Current vs The Future 2

What is this book about? Discusses various aspects of life as a new academic  Important challenges of transitioning from student to faculty  Significant changes to lifestyle not immediately considered Extends the book “Survival in the Academy”  Updated to reflect changes in academic institutions since “Survival in the Academy” was first published  Focus on transitioning from a Research 1 university to a more teaching-oriented program Tells you what the near future of your life may be like  Avoid unexpected surprises  Prepare for foreseeable obstacles 3

Surviving the Transition Your first year will be the most challenging  Things will work differently at your new institution  You will have new times of problems that you have not encountered Find a mentor within your department  Tacit knowledge  Can guide you and direct you to surviving your first year Start planning for “hidden” costs  Travel costs, moving costs, new place costs, new attire, student loans, parking, insurance, money for socializing, 10-month salary, etc. Also budget time for commitments such as new faculty orientations 4

5 Making the Transition to Educator Initial challenges  Little to no teaching training during PhD  You probably forgot what undergraduates are like  Different student demographic Get advice from your faculty mentor and others within your department  Viewing past syllabi can be helpful Promote active learning in your classroom  Many universities sponsor faculty teaching seminars  Also learning communities Get familiar with classroom technology resources available to you

As a new faculty member, you will still be expected to do research and publish Develop a research plan that coincides with your professional goals  Where to publish?  What to publish on?  What type of literature to publish? Keep in mind institutional and personal goals as well Research as a New Academic 6

Service and the Academy Service activities are also a good idea, and sometimes required for tenure  Dr. Lin organizes the speaker series here  Some faculty involved with the Zipperman Scholars program Also keep in mind service institution and community  Maybe you can attend university events and help build ties with faculty or graduate students of other departments?  Service to the community can help build industry ties to invite into your classroom or to place your students in jobs Keep in mind service is just one aspect of life in academia, but it can be very rewarding 7

Many of us are just focused on classwork and lab activities  Redefine scholarship to be more when you are a faculty member The suggested Carnegie Model has four areas of scholarship  Discovery  Search for knowledge, not just more publications  Integration  Making research more than just about publications, adopt it  Teaching  Put as much effort in teaching as you do research, hone teaching skills  Application  Put knowledge and skills to service or use outside of academia “Rome wasn’t built in a day” – the Carnegie Model is a long-term goal, not something you can completely achieve in your first year Developing the Whole Scholar 8

Becoming other students’ advisor can be a strange and challenging experience for a new faculty member  Consider the following four aspects of advising to guide you Time  Set office hours for all students  Schedule regular meetings with your main advisees  Avoiding making yourself available 24 hours a day Knowledge  Know the focus of other faculty so you can direct students  Learn about resources the university has to offer students Goals  Develop connections with professionals in area to help your students  Incorporate other faculty members into your advising when they can help  Know when to stretch for your advisee’s or recommend them to a different advisor Relationships  Know your working-style and time management skills  Let these aspects help shape the relationships you have with advisees Moving from Advisee to Advisor 9

Why bother networking?  Share research ideas, get advice, know who has what expertise  Research, teaching, and advising collaboration Where to network?  Current and former insitutions  Conferences  Seminars  Extra-curricular events You can fit networking easily into your weekly routine  Ex: Show up 15 minutes early to a meeting and have some small-talk with others who showed up early Networking & the Professional 10

Know what your institution needs  Hopefully you followed your research plan  Make sure you have fulfilled teaching, service, and other requirements Organize and update a portfolio throughout your career  Research  Journal and conference presentations, book chapters, non-published work  Scholarly activities  Invited talks, discussion panels, paper reviews, editorial boards  Teaching  Student evaluation forms, example syllabi and course activities\course work  Service  Documentation department, institution and public service, (activity logs) Preparing for Tenure 11

Be knowledgeable of different hiring processes  For example, some institutions have faculty unions  Know which institutions like your style of research  Understand the history and direction of various departments  Seek guidance from your department when applying Adjunct positions are more common  More flexible than tenure track, but less institutional support  No voice in department, less freedom concerning courses  Research freedom not protected Affirmative action is practiced by some universities  May affect minorities depending on institution and policies  Helps institution maintain balance of diversity and gain new ideas Other Emerging Issues 12