21st Century Scholar

Kurt Vonnegut once said to a group of eager writing students, “Probably all of you are good enough to make it as writers. But it’s likely that only one of you has what it takes to endure the constant rejection.” I’m not sure I would reduce academic life to such a straightforward statement, but he’s [...]

Because newly-minted Ph.D. graduates far outweigh the number of tenure-track positions [read about the sobering statistics here], many will have to travel if they want a job in academia. From my own experiences with friends and colleagues, graduate students deal with the possibility in different ways. Some have families and friends and roots. Travel is [...]

As May approaches, Ph.D. candidates are scrambling to submit dissertation chapters to their committee chairs. At the same time, many have heard or are eagerly waiting to hear from search committees regarding potential jobs. Some even have job offers. During a hectic time, the negotiation process only adds to the hubbub. Here’s some advice: Take [...]

On the first day of school, two students started fighting. One student tried to escape. The two ran from the first to third floor. A crowd followed them. Just before the fight stopped, a security guard’s head slammed through a window in my classroom’s door. She never returned to school. A few days later, someone [...]

As a newly minted Ph.D., the process of tenure and promotion is now an imminent reality rather than a “far away land” I once thought it to be as a doctoral student. As a Ph.D. student/candidate, I learned, among other things, how to think critically, how to scrutinize my own writing, how to write publishable [...]

I began this Ph.D. journey, so that I could never be told I lacked credentials. In this fourth year of my journey, I can’t recall how often professors cajoled, encouraged, and demanded that I choose the faculty. Initially, I turned a deaf ear, because as director of university relations, my salary before graduate school was [...]

There are so many secrets that occur during the tenure process. Even if you have a stellar record, the key here is not to “piss” any one off. The idea is to stay in the middle where no one has had any negative experiences and you weren’t too brilliant. Overachievers are the first to get the [...]

I always have trouble remembering if assistant or associate professors have tenure. I understand the tenure process. I understand that one follows the other. However, the distinction is something I have to think about longer than I should, like what time zone Wisconsin is in or how to spell “restaurant.” The son of a high [...]

Like a majority of Americans, I have grown tired of the political maneuvering and self-righteous “chest thumping” of which all political parties engage—Democrats, Republicans, tea partiers, and the like. Washington, DC is dysfunctional and has been for many years. One can say the same thing about the tenure process. As a newly-minted associate professor, I [...]

This week’s 21st Century Scholar blog posts focus on the postsecondary tenure process. Five higher education scholars—both faculty and students—debunk the often clandestine proceedings and give some personal advice. Enjoy!