CIRTL Forum Creates Conversation about Academic Careers

Katherine Friedrich

The CIRTL Forum 2008, which convened on June 16-17 at the Concourse Hotel in Madison, Wisconsin, gave participants new ideas about how graduate students can prepare for the diverse and changing academic job market.

No two institutions of higher education are exactly alike. These differences are even more pronounced when a conference highlights strategies for success in academic careers at community colleges, research universities, comprehensive universities and liberal arts colleges.

What is an academic career? Is it the same as what students expect? Adam Fagen, a senior program officer at the National Research Council, said that 90% of graduate students responding to the National Doctoral Program Survey reported feeling prepared for an academic career. However, less than 60% said they felt prepared for a teaching career.

At many institutions, especially smaller colleges, an academic career is a teaching career. Many colleges look for “faculty that love teaching,” said Barb Hacker, an associate dean at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona. 

Teaching proficiency was a central theme of the Forum. CIRTL’s work supports combining teaching with research.

High pressure is a reality of faculty life, said George Walker, vice president for research at Florida International University. Any conversation about an increased focus on teaching must take into account that faculty are under pressure to produce research and to obtain external funding.

Many speakers recommended that students investigate institutions in which they are interested and find out their missions. Then, the candidates should figure out how their interests and goals mesh with those of the department and the institution. If teaching experience and a teaching philosophy are important to the application, candidates should make sure that they have met those requirements.

Since, the speakers said, only 25% of new faculty work at research universities, 35% work at comprehensive universities, 10% work at liberal arts colleges, and 30% work at two-year colleges, awareness of the variety of academic jobs available is very important for graduate students and post-docs. Also, close to 10% of academic employers are minority-serving institutions. 

Many graduate students at the conference presented posters on their research projects; the poster session led to lively discussions about science and education.

Several graduate students said they were uncertain of what they wanted to do in their future careers. The presentations on academic employment raised many useful points and may provide keys to success for them.

July 24, 2008

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