Many thanks to Helen Eigenberg, Venessa Garcia. Sharon Love and Susan Miller for taking the time to provide the insightful answers below.
-Susan Sharp
Please send questions to be considered in future “Ask a Tenured Professor” columns to: ssharp@ou.edu.
1) 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
If the department is truly great, that is difficult to ignore since so much of one's quality of life at the university is dependent on the work environment. That said, I still find it challenging to put in the time and energy I want to into my two classes a semester, plus continue with a very active research agenda, and spend quality time with my child.
If your research includes data collection or any kind of travel, I think it will be hard to balance because with often with high teaching loads come high faculty-student interaction expectations and advising (and writing letters of recommendation, course prep, etc.). Does the department give you a TA to help with grading? Are you given any day off for purely research, when you are not expected or required to be in the department? How does the department evaluate research productivity and teaching at review time (and later, for promotion and tenure)?
Looking ahead, if you ever wanted to go back on the job market to a more research-oriented university, your excellence in teaching will not make you as attractive a candidate compared to someone who has been able to spend more time with research and getting things published. It is a difficult decision since there are so many short-and long-term factors to weigh. I would recommend asking newly out professors at institutions with high teaching loads to see what kind of time they "really" have for research activities. GOOD LUCK!
ANSWER 2
Great question! Teaching departments are just that, they focus on teaching and the demands that come with teaching four or five classes per semester. Research becomes very secondary to the overarching goals of a teaching department. It is possible to have it all but balancing the teaching demands with a steady research agenda is quite challenging, meaning your personal life is likely what will suffer. Remember also that finding a departmental fit is very important and the make up of the department will change over time.
I suggest you look back at what you have focused on in the last five years, has it been teaching or research (assuming you have been out in the workplace). What was the most fulfilling for you? With the job market being what it is today, a buyer’s market, you have options that may not have come to you yet. If you accept the position and find that you want to relocate to a more research focused department you will likely face professional obstacles coming from a teaching university. Similarly if you were at a research institution and wanted to go to a teaching institution you may find them hesitant to hire a research oriented faculty member. It becomes a tangled guessing game as to what to do, so do some sincere soul searching and follow your passion(s) because it is your passion that will feed your soul over the long haul. Simply put, know thyself.
2) What 3 things do you know now that you wish you knew when you were just getting started in a tenure track position?
ANSWER 1
a) There will never be enough time and always too much work to do. I initially thought that I would just put my life on hold until I got through graduate school and then there would be more time, especially after I finished my dissertation. Then I thought it would get better once I got tenure, and then promoted. I think that there are always too many demands on our time and that it doesn’t get better as time goes on. I do not mean to demean the pressure that many of us (most of us) feel during the tenure process or the benefits of tenure and promotion, but I wish I had come to terms with my life and career priorities earlier. I used to joke around that when I died, I hope it would not say “I could have written one more article” on my tombstone. Then 10 years ago, I was diagnosed with a particularly aggressive breast cancer which caused me to re-examine my priorities and the fallacy that there is always more time down the road. I am better at setting limits, saying no and taking time off regardless of the next stack of work sitting on my desk. I know there are people who work much harder than me, but I had to come to grips with my limits and place them in the context of my life goals, not just my career goals. This process is different for each of us in terms of the outcome, but I wish I had seriously grappled with it sooner in my career.
b) Finding a good fit in a job is everything. I used to buy into the idea that if I just worked hard enough and did a good job, that I would get my “just desserts”. After a particularly bad job experience and a subsequent (successful) lawsuit, I had to come to terms with the notion that sometimes your best efforts don’t ensure success. You can do everything “right” and still not succeed in a hostile environment. I knew this intellectually but it took me a long time to feel it and not just preach it. I do not know how I would have coped if I was not mobile – if I could not have moved because of a partner, children, or family. Too often I think that it is tempting to tell people if you just do X or Y, then things will be ok. We all know intellectually that anyone can be victim of a horrible environment and/or people, but to come to grips with the idea that sometimes you cannot “fix” it, for me, was difficult. It is why I find it hard to talk about tips for success in a generic way.
c) Having prioritized points one and two, I wish I had known better that I needed to always be a good sociologist and understand the structure of my institution. Too often, I think new scholars are so busy working and trying to master their art, they forget to understand their work environment. Who has power and in what ways? What are the structural arrangements of your department, the people in it, and their interactions with other university-wide officials/administrators? What are the “rules” of your institution, formally as laid out in your handbook, and informally in terms of custom and practice? Answering these questions requires study and time, but is every bit as important as mastering your teaching skills or publishing articles. How often do we chastise students for failing to read a syllabus or the student handbook? How often are we ignorant of the rules and regulations that apply to us? Building a good relationship with your department head is an excellent way to find some of these answers, but you also need input from others outside your department and college, especially if your department head is unable/unwilling to be a good mentor.
ANSWER 2
a) Retention Portfolio: During my first full-time teaching position I was not expected to submit a detailed retention portfolio. At my second full-time teaching position I was informed on the same date of its due (along with another colleague who started the same time I did) about the retention portfolio requirement. At my current position, I have offered my time to help new faculty put together the very large retention portfolio required of faculty. Putting together the portfolio requires a lot of time and organization. It also requires, if one wants to minimize the work put into the project, that you keep a folder to each area of expertise that the portfolio covers (i.e., teaching, scholarship, service, and personal growth). As you accomplish various projects/tasks in each of these areas you should place the proof of your work (e.g. course development, letter of receipt for a manuscript submission or a contract to publish, minutes or email communication of committee work, a certificate of attendance at a workshop or conference, etc…). Also, buy three-hole punched paper and always make a copy of your portfolio for your own records (sometimes the complete portfolio does not get returned).
b) Time Management: This is something that I have not yet mastered. However, you should know that you will NEVER have time to do it all – even if single with no children. At my current position, I went as far as attending a workshop in my first year on time management. The workshop consisted of people sitting around and stating that they haven’t figured it out, yet. My current job has always required a lot with a 4-4 teaching load and an unwritten publication expectation that varies every year. As a result, I had determined when I first started my job that I had to “just say no” to various requests for service (both within and without my institution) and I have learned to collaborate with my research – this saves a lot of time if you collaborate with the right person (a learning process).
c) Personal Time: I had to learn the hard way to ensure that I take time for myself and my family. My workload became so great that I had to schedule personal time. I live by a daily saying: Work to live, do not live to work. I remind myself of this and do not feel guilty if I take the night off to play with my kids or read a book.