Tomorrow’s Professor

December 1, 2004

Section I

Setting the Stage

The Academic Enterprise Unlike any other institution Carnegie Classification– Changed in

2000! Doctoral/Research Universities– Extensive Doctoral/Research Universities– Intensive Masters I & II Baccalaureate Colleges-- Liberal Arts Baccalaureate Colleges– General Baccalaureate/Associate’s Colleges

The Academic Enterprise Institutional Governance

Bottom-up governance structure The institution of tenure The “multiuniversity”

Challenges Facing Academia Budget cuts Demands for increased productivity Implications of University-Industry

collaboration

Key Points The academic institution is different

than other business institutions There are many different types of

academic institutions– the important thing is to know what kind of institution you are dealing with

Academia is currently going through a period of transition

Sci. and Eng. in Higher Education

Faculty are more loyal to their discipline than their department, and more loyal to their department than their university

There are many differences between departments, even in one institution

Interdisciplinary collaboration Scholarship across the disciplines

Key Points Many factors that academics are

affected by vary across departments and schools within a university

While most faculty are most loyal to their own discipline, interdisciplinary collaboration and scholarship continues to increase in importance

New Challenges to the Professoriate

Forces for change in teaching and research Increasing use of communications tools Increasing use of computational tools Increasing focus on interdisciplinary programs Prospects of decreased government funding Increasing costs of doing research Changing role of industry in academic

research

New Challenges to the Professoriate

Implications for Faculty Scholarship Balance between cooperation and

competition Balance between basic and applied

research Balance between high-risk and low-

risk behaviors

Key Points As mentioned before, academia is

facing plenty of new challenges This means that, as new faculty,

we must balance ourselves between extremes in several ways

Section II

Preparing for an Academic Career

Chapter 4 Your Professional Preparation

Strategy

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions…

Follow your passion Understand what you are getting into

Make a calculated decision. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Do not try to forecast supply and demand “Well, I’m going to get my PhD in so-and-

so cause that field is really ‘hot’ right now…”

Supply and Demand “The Myth”

Got PhD’s? 675,000 jobs!!! Where do I sign?

Reality Bites Somebody call William Sherden. Graduate Student Birth Control.

Three-Pronged Preparation Strategy

Breadth-on-Top-of-Depth Capital “T” approach. Drilling for oil.

Next-Stage Look Ahead.

Research, Proposal Writing, Publishing Multiple-Option

Concurrently prepare for academic and industry careers.

Chapter 5 Research as a Graduate

Student and Postdoc

Summary Choosing a Research Topic Choosing an Advisor Writing Research Proposals Publishing

Choosing a Research Topic

1. Can it be enthusiastically pursued?2. Can interest be sustained by it?3. Is the problem solvable?4. Is it worth doing?5. Will it lead to other research problems?6. Is it manageable in size?7. Can you make an original contribution to the literature?8. Will the results be reviewed well by scholars in the field?9. Are you, or will you become, competent to solve it?10. Will you have demonstrated independent skills in the

discipline?11. Will the research prepare you in an area of future demand or

promise?

Choosing an Advisor Considerations

Accomplishments in teaching and research Enthusiasm for advising students Experience in advising students Management and organization of his/her research group Reputation for setting high standards in a congenial atmosphere Compatible Personality

Types of Advisors (Smith’s classification) Collaborator Hands-Off Senior Scientist

Types of Advisors (Martin’s classification) Authoritarian Coach Laissez Faire

Writing Research Proposals

Next stage activity Begin by reviewing other’s proposals

and by contributing drafts of sections of other’s proposals

Show drafts to others Academics in your specialty area Academics outside your specialty area (but

in your field) Academics at other institutions

Publishing For co-authored papers, be able to give

a talk and answer questions at conferences on any paper for which you are listed as an author

Author checklist (abbreviated) Is the article complete? Is the article authoritative? Is the article singular (does it make a

contribution)?

Key Points

Get involved in research early Choose research topics that are “narrowly

focused and carefully defined, but are important parts of a broad-ranging, complex problem”

Choose your advisor carefully Be involved in as many “next-stage” activities

as possible Writing research proposals Attending conferences Supervising other researchers Managing research projects and programs

Chapter 6 Teaching Experiences Prior to

Becoming a Professor

Why is it important to teach as a Graduate Student?

Confirm teaching is what one wants to do.

Help prepare for one’s first teaching assignment as a professor.

Makes one more marketable.

What can I do? Look and volunteer for teaching

experiences Remember that the time spent

teaching will generally be 3x the amount you expect

Create a teaching portfolio

What can I do NOW? (key points)

Stay aware of teaching opportunities around you

Start compiling your teaching portfolio now

Make it a habit to file samples of your work

Section III

Finding and Getting the Best Possible Academic Position

Chapter 7 Identifying the Possibilities

Deciding what you want Your type of institution

Research, Doctoral, Master’s & Baccalaureate Different Institution characteristics

Your type of appointment Full-time, Tenure-track Temporary, Part-time, Consulting , Adjunct etc.

Your setting Physical and cultural environment Personal preferences and family considerations Relationship between the institutions you are

considering and other local colleges and universities

Research what is out there Background reading

Guidebooks Program description College catalog Internet

Talking to others Using the contact database you constructed Do not make information querying into

position applying Visiting other institutions

Preparing for the search Consolidate the information

together and focus on a plan of the specific schools you want to apply

Nonacademic positions?

Chapter 8

Applying for Positions

Setting the Stage How New Positions are Established

Vice president for academic affairs Dean Department

What Departments Look for in New Faculty Teach Specialty Funding

Finding out What is available Advertisement Known to a few faculty Internet

Drawing on your Network

Preparing your Application Materials

The Cover letterThe Curriculum Vitae Letters of Recommendation

The Application Process Conferences

Talk about research / teaching Keep in touch with your faculty and students Follow-up

The Campus Visit Know the institution Seek info from the people you known in that institute Know more about the schedule Interview Other considerations

The Academic Job Talk What do they want to see Customization Practice

Chapter 9 Getting the Results You Want

Principles for responding to an offer

Make sure you have an offer Know what you want ,And what you don’t want Clearly communicate what you want – but only to

the right people Use your work quality/productivity to negotiate Make requests informally Negotiate hard on things that are ”out of bound” Learn about the Tenure process Start as High as you can in institutional prestige Be realistic about salary – but go as high as you

can Keep options open – don’t say yes right away Combine logic and emotion when deciding

Did not get the offer you want?

The Decision to Try Again Try again? Find out what you did wrong

Multiple-Option Staying Moving on to are temporary position Moving on to are permanent position

Section III

1. Deciding what you want2. Researching what is out here3. Setting the stage4. Preparing your application materials5. Applying for positions6. Negations7. If you do not get the job you want

Develop CVObtain letters of referenceObtain Employment packet

Talk to your advisorAttend conferencesApply for positions

Continue to apply for positionsPractice interviewsPrepare job talk

Continue to apply for positionsConsider interests and needsConsider negotiations strategiesConsider Multiple-Option

approach

August-October

September-December

November-February

March-August

!! Explore earlier !!

Section IV

Looking Ahead to your First Years on the Job – Advice from the field

Chapter 10 Insights on Time Management

Manage your time efficiently. Do the things right and do the right things

Doctoral

Student

If I can just find

a good problem

Assistant

Professor

If I can just find the

time

The Problem

The solution

Set Long-Term Goal

Establish Your Absence

Keep things on the burner

Key advices Be a “Quick Starter”, achieve balance.

Set limits on lecture preparation Find time to do scholarly writing very week Social networking

Involve in the campus community early on.

Manage tasks to take time for the long term important things.

Chapter 11 Insights on Teaching and

Learning

Teaching and Learning Styles

Teaching Styles

Concrete or

Conceptual

Visual or Verbal

Inductive or Deductive

Active or Passive

Step by Step or Global

Learning Styles

Sensory or Intuitive

Visual or Auditory

Inductive or

Deductive

Active or Reflective

Sequential or Global

Key Advice Motivate Learning

Provide a balance of concrete information and abstract

concepts

Provide explicit illustrations of intuitive patterns and sensing

patterns, and encourage all students to exercise both patterns.

Use pictures, schematics in verbal presentation. Show films.

Provide demonstrations, hands-on, if possible.

Use computer technologies in teaching.

Provide opportunities for students to do something active, like

brain storming.

Develop a teaching portfolio

The Teaching Portfolio: Capturing the Scholarship of

Teaching, by Russell Edgerton.

The process of preparing teaching portfolios may be

more valuable because: (1) someone was very

interested and concerned about their teaching, (2)the

portfolio captured evidence that looked like their

teaching, and (3) selecting evidence and writing

captions and reflections had impelled their to clarify

their intentions and beliefs about teaching and

students.

Chapter 12 Insights on Research

New Priorities

Doctoral Student

Problem solving

Conduct research

Find projects

w/funding

Assistant

Professor

Problem finding

Direct research

Obtain funding

Sources of Funding Gift or grant in aid - $10-50k, no

oversight Grant – substantial but you are accountable Coop agreement – with government

agencies (e.g., USDA, EPA) that are hands on Contract – timelines and deliverables Fellowships and Scholarships–

provide support for graduate students IRIS (Illinois Research Information System)

provides info on sponsors, programs and deadlines

Preparing Research Proposal

Do your homework before making contact. Build long term relationship with the funding

agency. Or you can start your research with under the

tutelage of an experienced faculty member who has funding.

Try to find help on searching funding from colleagues or universities.

Elements of Found in Most Successful Proposals. See Appendix F.

Key Advice

Connect with experts in adjacent areas Seek out colleagues within institution Attend and present at conferences Publishing “gains acceptance for your

ideas while telling world the results of your hard work”

Peer reviewed journals are best

Chapter 13 Insights on Professional

Responsibility

Areas of Professional Responsibility

Service to department and profession

Ethics in teaching and research

Authorship and scholarly reviews

Consulting and other industry

relationships

Ethically Problematic Behaviors1) Falsifying data2) Fabricating experiments3) Misrepresenting funding requests4) Giving undue or no authorship credit5) Misleading research competitors6) Failure to secure informed consent7) Failure to ensure fair play in lab8) Plagiarism9) Demeaning competitors work10) Using findings in harmful way11) Publishing in Least Publishable Units12) Failure to “blow the whistle”13) Failure to carefully review paper when referee14) Biased reviews of funding requests15) Gaining financial advantage by biasing others research

Key Advice Do not over commit, especially in your

pre-tenure period. Focus on departmental committees.

Review papers for journals Develop working relations with industry Be aware of impact of behavior on

reputation of self, school, and field Ask older colleagues for advice in ethical

gray areas

Conclusion

Engage in activities having value in themselves, but that also contribute to your primary mission of teaching and other forms of scholarship.

Chapter 14 Insights on Tenure

Paths toward-and away from-tenure

1. The traditional path2. The accelerated path3. The delayed entry path4. The late practitioner path5. The late career child-bearing path6. The from-one-school-to-another-school

path7. The fail to get tenure – try again path8. The fail to get tenure – other career path9. The walk-away-from-tenure path10. The never-try-for-tenure path

Key Advice

It is important to understand the tenure process and requirements for your university.

Establish a strategy to meet the requirements.

Consulting your tenured colleagues. ASK HELP!

Contribute to departmental service but avoid university-wide commitments until after attaining tenure

Chapter 15 Insights on Academia: Needed

Changes

Conclusion: Help Us!

Help graduate students and postdocs prepare for academic careers

Help graduate students and postdocs find academic positions

Help beginning faculty succeed

Tomorrow's professor!It is your turn!