how will family responsibilities be balanced with your career(s)?
• what is your back up plan if tenure is not obtained?
4. Are you and your partner in a agreement about the area of the country, size of city/town, and type of community you are comfortable living in? Have you considered the availability of day care and the quality of the school system?
5. At some point in your career, you may be approached by another institution or actively seek an outside offer. You may want to consider:
• Will your current department look at the offer in a positive or negative light?
• Will an outside offer hinder or help your tenure case?
• Are you really willing to leave your current institution?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
TOUGH QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY YOU ARE HERE
M.N. Bushey, D.E. Lycon, P.E. Videtich, How To Get A Tenure-Track Position At A Predominantly Undergraduate Institution, Council on Undergraduate Research, Washington, DC, 2001.
“The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education,” The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/index.php (Accessed 11/11/09).
A. B. Ginorio, Warming the Climate for Women in Academic Science, Association of American Colleges and Universities, Program on the Status and Education of Women, Washington, D.C., 1995
“Jobs,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, http://chronicle.com/jobs (Accessed 11/11/09).
J.M. Lang, Life on the Tenure Track: Lessons from the First Year, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, 2005.
J. D. Spector, Guide to Improving the Campus Climate for Women Commission on Women, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 1993.
___________
1 “The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education,” The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/index.php (Accessed 11/11/09).
When I first embarked on the endeavor of being a faculty member I discovered that, although I had spend a good many years of my life in the academy, the number of things I did not know about my academic appointment far outnumbered the things I did know. So I took this on as another research project, a puzzle to solve, a mystery to investigate. The other crucial bit of information I realized along the way was that, although answers to many questions were forthcoming, much of my research would be long-term. It takes time to acquire the needed information, determine the rules (written and unwritten), and find those key people who have the answers.
CHAPTER 2
Joining Your Department and Discipline
The first steps to achieving tenure can occur well before you take up residence at your new institution. Much of this part of the process will put you in fact finding mode - starting when you begin looking at ads for positions, and continuing through the untenured years.
To be successful in your new position, you will need the right tools. If you are very lucky, someone will tell you what these tools are and they will help you to obtain them. Unfortunately, most young faculty I have talked with did not have this experience. Often, it is not for lack of good intentions on the part of senior colleagues and mentors. The rules change over the years and the emphasis within the tenure committee may change as the committee members change. So the onus is on the junior folks. You must ask questions, search for information, and negotiate for what you need. Some of us feel more comfortable with some of these tasks than with others, but you must persist with them all!
Now that you have made the decision to join the academy in your particular discipline and profession, you will want to consider the following questions.
2.1 NEGOTIATING THE TERMS OF YOUR APPOINTMENT
2.1.1 OVERARCHING QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
• Have you sought out advice or guidance that would help you enter into a successful negotiation?
• What aspects of your position and duties are negotiable?
• Can you do background research that will support your request?
2.1.2 MENTORING CONVERSATION: ON NEGOTIATING AN OFFER
Several years ago, one of the post docs in my group was offered an academic position. I encouraged her to negotiate the terms of the offer. This was not something she had intended to do. As a rule, I encourage everyone to negotiate, even if just a little, so that they can start to learn the art of negotiation and, hopefully, obtain the most optimal situation possible in the position they have been offered. I also believe the opportunity for negotiation can also help to set the tone in your new position, showing that you are a professional who knows what you need to be successful. The other point to remember is that you will very seldom have something given to you that you did not ask for. So, you must ask!
However, I should caution that you must ask for things that are reasonable, and you must ask in a professional and collegial way. There are a number of items that are negotiable, but two common topics are salary and teaching load. For both, a little research on the topic can go a long way. You can use your network to find out an amazing amount of information. This gives you information about the bounds and a strong foundation for negotiation. The post doc I mentioned earlier found out information about similar positions and had very good grounds for negotiation on several points. Although she was not able to directly negotiate her salary, the process was valuable because she found out that she was able to negotiate the amount of prior teaching experience counted towards her seniority, which ultimately set her pay rate. The process also helped her to decide if this was the right place for her.
Sometimes negotiation can get you more than what was initially offered, helping you to obtain things that will make you happier and more effective in your position. There are some choices you have concerning who to approach about negotiation. I usually suggest that one begin with the chair of the search committee or the chair of the department. Choose someone who can act as an advocate for you with the people who actually control the decisions (and the purse strings). The committee and/or department decided that you were the best person for the job, they want you to come to their institution, and they want you to succeed in the position.
2.1.3 DETAILED QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. What approach to negotiation will achieve the best outcome? How will your approach depend on the situation? Consider the strategies of approaching negotiation as:
• one event in a long term relationship that you want to foster.
• an opportunity for relationship building.
• a collaborative undertaking.
• an opportunity to promote and open. discussion that maximizes information flow in both
