This column holds a special place in my heart, and it is good to be involved with it again. I originally started it when we took the newsletter online, when I was a relatively new assistant professor with questions I needed answered. If you submitted a question that is not answered in this issue, watch for future columns!
Thanks to Nicole Carr, Christina DeJong, Jeanne Flavin, Ron Hinch and Kristin Winokur for taking time out from their busy schedules to answer these questions.
Regards,
Susan Sharp
Please send questions to be considered in future “Ask a Tenured Professor” columns to: ssharp@ou.edu.
1) What have members experienced when deciding (or not) to pause the tenure clock for family reasons (particularly childbearing). In particular, do members believe that pausing the tenure clock helps or hurts the tenure candidate?
ANSWER 1
I did not have the opportunity to delay tenure–I became pregnant just prior before going up for tenure (I found out I was pregnant in September and my materials were due in November/December. However, if my pregnancy had occurred earlier, I certainly would have taken the opportunity to wait an extra year. Since there is no minimum time to wait before going up for full professor, I wouldn't view the delay as putting off future decisions.
My husband and I discussed waiting to have children until after the decision was made, but we ended up concluding that it was the right time for us to have children. In the worst case scenario (if I was denied tenure), I'd be on the job market in the fall with a small child at home. Luckily, I received tenure and didn't have to worry about the job search.As for my perceptions about those who do pause the clock, I haven't seen any negative opinion about that at my institution. Rather, the personnel committee seems very supportive of such decisions, as it allows extra time for a candidate to strengthen his/her CV even more. In my view, it helps candidates although I would guess my experience at this institution may differ from others.
ANSWER 2
I did not stop my clock when I was pregnant with my second child, who was born two weeks before my second year at my current university. We all read the same sorts of articles in the Chronicle and hear the same lore from colleagues- stopping the clock can hurt because 1) people may resent the choice, 2) people may expect more given the extra year, and 3) if you do more, people may be annoyed with what they see as an extra opportunity to progress. We often hear negative stories, however I think that is because we don't talk much about the successes. Both department level and individual level factors should shape this decision, and unfortunately (?) there is not a universal solution.
The decision to stop the clock should depend on the context in your department. If others in your department have stopped the clock or have chosen not to, talk with them about their experiences. Watch others for hints about their reaction to pregnancy and tenure clocks. When you tell the department chair or head that you are pregnant- which you will need to do for course scheduling purposes- consider their reaction. Do they immediately discuss your options and devote roughly equal time to your choices, or do they quickly say "well, you know you are entitled (extra emphasis here) to stop your clock, but….(here insert: we haven't done that before, so I don't know how it works; the last person that did that decided that an academic career wasn't what she was interested in; some faculty might question that decision). Your chair's reaction is an important barometer. If you feel comfortable talking with some of the senior faculty, have a conversation with them about pregnancy and tenure, and try to assess their reaction. This is a bit of a fishing expedition, but it could provide important data for consideration.
Another factor to consider is how you work as a faculty member and how you structure your time outside of academia. If you have a wide support network and lots of resources for both childcare and additional help, you will be more productive. If you have these resources but are not focused and have trouble maintaining productivity pre-pregnancy, think about how stopping might delay your progress even more. By being aware of your own work habits and personal challenges, then you have additional information which should shape your decision.
Considering my department at the time and being a new junior faculty member, I decided to stay on my tenure clock and forgo maternity leave. While the next year was definitely not the easiest, it was a good decision for me. I was tenured on time and promoted two years later. Delayed promotion was due to a combination of factors, including, I am sure pregnancy and single parenthood. I opted to wait until post promotion to become pregnant again- a whole new set of challenges. Consider your department environment and your personal work style and try to come to a decision that works best for you.
2) What general advice do members have for a faculty member in the process of putting together her tenure packet? In particular, do members believe that pausing the tenure clock helps or hurts the tenure candidate?
ANSWER 1
The most important thing you can do is write strong narratives. It is important to demonstrate how you work, and different aspects of your work, tie together. When I went up for tenure, I needed to tie two somewhat different lines of research together for the reader of my dossier. This meant that my research essay became one of the more important parts of the packet. You want to make yourself look good. And, keep in mind, most of the time your department is very invested in your success and will help you.
ANSWER 2
There are a number of key points that need to be stressed when preparing a tenure package.
First: Make sure to read and have a comfortable knowledge about what your university tenure policy says. Know what the policy says with respect to the types of documents that are to be submitted. when they are to be submitted and to whom. If in doubt, asks questions. Never assume that you understand what is required. Get it clarified/explained before you make your submissions.
Second: It is also important to know what types of information are required to be submitted and also what types of information can not be submitted. For example, almost all universities require the basic information:
A] updated CV. Does your university require this to be in a particular format? If so, redo your CV to make it conform to the required format. If the form used at your university does not clearly include a subheading under which you can include some information that you think should be included, ask your chair or whomever, where you might include that information.
B] a research dossier that includes:
1) copies of all published work
2) a statement outlining your past and future research objectives, (this usually means a two or three page statement that outlines what you have done and what you plan to do, and an indication of how it all connects. How does you published work to date fit into the overall research plan?)
3) a list of all grants awarded and applied for (you might want to check with others who have been through this process previously and ask if it is necessary (whether helpful or not) to include unsuccessful grant applications. Always include reference to successful grant applications even if you are not the principal researcher. Some universities may require submission of the grant applications themselves. Check to be sure what your university policy is on this.
4) With regard to joint authored work, some universities want to know what your contribution is to each joint authored project. Be sure to know what your university requires and provide that information. Some journals publish all authors in alphabetical order regardless of the contributions made by each author. Many people assume that that first named author is the lead author, so do not assume that the decision makers will know what your role has been in production of that piece of work. Where such issues arise, make sure that the decision makers have the correct information about your role in the production of that piece of scholarly work.
5) In some instances, decision makers will give credit for "op ed" or other work in the public domain that has not been peer reviewed. Make sure you clearly specify which publications are peer reviewed and which publications are not.
6) Be sure to also include any and all conference presentations, and participation in workshops, invited lectures and the like. On their own these do not usually get much credit, but they do show someone who is active in the research community and that is important.
C] A teaching dossier that includes the following:
1) a statement of your teaching philosophy and the methods you use in your courses to achieve the objectives specified in your statement
2) a list of all courses you have taught (at your present university and at any other university if you have also taught elsewhere)
3) copies of all formal teaching assessments/reviews that have been conducted in accordance with university policies and procedures. At some universities teaching assessments may also be done by other bodies. If this is the case at your university, find out who does them and ask about their status as part of the tenure process. Ask if it is worth while to submit these evaluations, especially if they are favorable. If you have taught elsewhere, you might ask if it is necessary to submit those assessments, and provide where possible some guidance on how to interpret them.
4) some universities may require while others explicitly prohibit the inclusion of any unsigned student comments other than those gathered as part of formal course evaluations. At some universities, even unsigned comments that are part of the formal course evaluations are not permitted and can not be submitted by anyone including the candidate. So ask some questions of your chair or whomever so that you know exactly what is or is not permitted. You may also be able to submit unsolicited but sighed letters submitted by former students. At one university where I taught, letters from former students were required to be submitted, but these had to be solicited by the department chair and not the candidate. So be sure to ask what is or is not permitted at your university.
5) copies of all course materials for all courses you have taught. Include the basic syllabus, as well as details of any and all assignments and copies of any material given to students as handouts or course materials of any kind.
3) You have written an article, how do you know where to send it? (Yes, I know it is a learned process…but it's one we all struggle with at some point in our careers).
ANSWER 1
First, I recommend having a sense of where you plan to submit the paper before writing it. That permits you to organize and format the paper according to the past articles the journal has published. If the paper is already written (or perhaps it was rejected by your first choice), I recommend a couple other strategies:
Look at similar papers (either in terms of general topic or approach) and see where they have been published.
Browse a couple issues of journals that you are considering as outlets. See if you could imagine your paper "fitting" in the journal.
Ask! Ask people who have published widely if they would be willing to at least skim your paper and recommend publication venues. Or, ask them if they think your paper would be an appropriate fit for Journal A or B. And while I have never done it, don't rule out contacting a past or present editor or editorial board member and saying, "I've written a paper that blah blah blah . . . do you think it would be an appropriate fit for your journal?"
4) I'm currently on the job market with a choice of going to a primarily teaching university. I am torn because I love my research, but it's a great department. Here is my question: Is it really possible to do research in a university with a high teaching load? If so, how do you do it?
ANSWER 1
It is possible but much harder, for several reasons. First, more time is involved with a heavy teaching load. Additionally, you may find that the teaching load comes with a number of time-consuming service obligations such as sponsoring student clubs, advising, etc. That means that in order to do research, you either have less time or end up working overtime. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, teaching universities have fewer resources available for research. If you really like this department, you would want to ask them some pointed questions about a number of things. First, what kinds of resources are available to you. In addition to a computer, what kinds of statistical software packages might you need. Draw up a list of the resources you think are essentially to continuing your research and find out whether or not those are available to you at this university. Is there funding avialable for travel to professional conferences? How about time off to travel? Is course release a possibility there to conduct a research project? Other things to consider: Does your research agenda lend itself to student involvement? Could you conduct a study as a class project?
Finding the perfect fit between a job and yourself is never easy. It always requires juggling a number of different things, such as whether you click with the faculty, whether you want to live in that area, and the research-teaching tension. Keep in mind, though, that faculty are always on their best behavior when you interview there. I have found it useful to ask them what they like least.