Survival in the Academy

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• Survival in the Academy
• A Guide for Beginning Academics

By Aaron Elkins and David Zimbra
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The Authors
Dennis S. Gouran Professor and Department
Head, Pennsylvania State University
Gerald M. Phillips Professor Emeritus, Pennsylvani
a State University
Julia T. Wood Distinguished Professor,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Scott Kuehn Assistant Professor, Clarion
University of Pennsylvania
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The Nature of the University

• Bleak Career Future
• Money Problems
• Political Battles
• Employment Considerations
• Match interests and skills
• No job description
• Tenure
• Academic Freedom

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Responses

• Tenure is not a goal or entitlement
  
• Multiculturalism
• Assess the campus climate
• Tight budgets will lead to consumerism

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Issues Facing All Beginning Academics

• Politics, politics and politics
• Understand the power structure
• Make allies, take sides
• Develop a research and publication plan
• Cultivate teaching skills
• Prepare to deal with moral and political issues

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Responses

• Politics are about collaboration
• Politics lead to multiple perspectives
• Academics is apolitical too, perception shapes
  opinion
• Set priorities, new professors can be encumbered
  with service

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Issues Facing Nontraditional Members of Academe

• Blatant, Individual Bias
• Linguistic Exclusion
• Spotlighting
• Benefits packages
• Mainstream scholarship and teaching
• Inequitable service
• Promotion and Tenure

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Responses

• Self-monitoring
• Blind Refereeing
• Prejudice or Personal Preference
• There are few qualified minority candidates

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Securing a Position

• Determine career priorities
• Gather your materials
• Interview preparation
• Prepare sample lecture
• Examine job market
• Network through advisors
• Interview
• Accept offer and sign contract

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Responses

• Research campus and faculty composition
• Talk to current students
• Be honest dont misrepresent
• Have an authentic vita
• Beware of gossipers and malcontents

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Starting Out

• Frantic tenure cycle
• Know the rules
• Know the people
• Know what to do
• Manage relationships
• Deal with administration
• Make allies
• Is tenure worth it?

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Responses

• The tenure process is not about hazing
• Tenure represents an enormous financial
  investment
• Tenure recognizes traditional research
• Life is not always fair

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Professionalism

• Learn the chain of command
• Cultural literacy
• Content sophistication
• Publish or perish
• Serve the academic community
• Be true to yourself
• Obligation to the community

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Responses

• Collegiality is not about appearances
• You may have to look to different disciplines for
  cultural literacy
• Power is not finite

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Teaching in the University

• Teaching is
• An active process
• The guidance of learning activity
• The direction of performance behavior
• The uncomplicated presentation of info
• Provocation of ideas and creativity
• Setting a worthy role model
• Developing relationships with students
• Understanding a teachers responsibilities

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Responses

• Teaching well is demanding of both teachers and
  students
• Role requires high degree of professionalism
• Encourage critical thinking and give fair
  treatment to opposing views
• Avoid glorifying your own ideas

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Research and Publication

• Research ! Publication
• Considerations in doing research
• Motivation, Attitude, Resources, Qualifications,
  Focus, Execution
• Considerations in publication
• Deciding whether to publish, Where to publish,
  Manuscript preparation, The publication process

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Responses

• There is no point to writing unless you have
  something worth saying
• Network and exchange ideas with colleagues
• Scholarship vs. productivity
• Refocus on fundamental mission of gaining and
  sharing knowledge

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Criticism and the Academic Profession

• Resistance to criticism
• Denial, Suspicion, Rationalization, Transference
  onto critic, Refusal to participate,
  Self-fulfilling prophecy of failure, Continuing
  criticized behavior, Preempt criticism by
  criticizing, Narcissism, Beg for mercy
• Use criticism and practical suggestions from
  qualified critics to modify behavior

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Responses

• Being reflective (self-critical) equally
  important in intellectual and professional
  development
• Avoid labeling oneself thereby sheltering from
  criticism
• Criticism is constructive, positive activity to
  be sought and valued

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The Future

• Corporatization
• University as business students as customers
• Professionalization
• Desire of students to be attractive to employers
  restricts value of education to occupational
  significance
• Politicization
• Internal and external

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Responses

• Business model for academic enterprise
  inappropriate
• Academics hold the future of academia
• Technology is not a panacea for the limits of
  teaching