For Faculty

 

A link to several scholarly and professional career guides for academics.

 

 

The first year (s)

 

- getting started with teaching


Information that may be helpful in designing your courses, dealing with students, and improving student success.

 

"How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School" - this publication from the National Academies Press should have many helpful ideas for successful teaching.

 

- finding your feet as an independent researcher

 

A resource with helpful tips things you need to know during your first year in a tenure-track faculty position, including setting up and staffing your lab, balancing the demands of teaching and research, and obtaining funding.

 

- writing proposals

 

The University of Michigan has an online guide to writing grant proposals that covers the elements necessary to improve the chances of having your proposals accepted.

 

 

The Culture of Academics

 

- Dealing with Colleagues, Staff and Students

 

A resource on dealing with students from CIDR at UW.

 

- Responsibilities, Expectations and Rewards

 

Mentoring of graduate and undergraduate students is an important role of a faculty member. For information and helpful tips on successful mentoring relationships, see the University of Michigan's handbook on this topic.

 

The publication "Mentoring for Academic Careers in Engineering: Proceedings of the PAESMEM/Stanford School of Engineering Workshop" has advice for mentoring students wishing to pursue careers in academia.

 

Information on providing mentorship to students interested in careers in industry; the National Academies Press publication "Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering" may be a useful resource.

 

- Life/Work Balance

 

A special issue of Academe, which contains a host of information and suggestions for balancing an academic career with family life.

 

 

The Tenure Cycle

 

- The Process

 

A guide on "Surviving and Thriving in Academia," with particular attention to tenure.

 

How to Survive the Tenure-Track, a guide and checklist of things to keep in mind.

 

- History/expectations (research record, teaching, funding ..)

 

A list of expectations from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

 

- How to schedule/prepare your record, etc.

 

Good practices regarding tenure preparation and evaluation.

 

 

Life after Tenure: Next Steps

 

- Mid-career changes/corrections

 

This publication from PAESMEM on "Finding mentors and setting priorities, maintaining momentum after tenure" near the end of the publication offers advice for those who have just received tenure.

 

- Adapting to changes (scholarly and in funding)

 

Fostering Flexibility in the Engineering Work Force (1990) from the National Academies Press gives suggestions for adapting to changes and the importance of maintaining a flexible outlook in engineering.

 

- Expectations for next promotion step

 

Expectations for promotion to department chair – deciding if the position is right for you, determining the necessary requirements, and learning the roles and responsibilities of the position, from the American Council on Education.

 

 

Academic Leadership

 

- Developing as a leader in Academia

 

The Academic Leadership Online Journal has a host of information pertaining to leadership development in academia, including what makes a good leader, how to prepare for a leadership position, and how to deal with opposing opinions.

 

"The Joys of Leading an Academic Department" by Mos Kaveh. This paper looks at the benefits of holding a position of leadership in an engineering department.

 

- Books on developing leadership skills, especially for academic positions:

 

Academic Leadership: A Practical Guide to Chairing the Department

By Deryl R. Leaming

 

College Deans: Leading from Within

By Mimi Wolverton and Walter H. Gmelch

 

Connecting Leadership to the Brain

By Michael H. Dickmann and Nancy Stanford-Blair

 

Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It

By Kouzes and Posner

 

Field Guide to Academic Leadership: A Publication of the National Academy for Academy Leadership

edited by Robert M. Diamond

 

 

Life as a Professor

 

- The Plateau and need for renewal


Post-Tenure Review: Evaluating Teaching.

 

- Global trends (education/research)

 

A paper on "Breaking into the Guild Masters Club: What We Know About Women

Department Chairs at AAU Universities," by Debbie A. Neimeier, Cristina Gonzales.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mentoring Resources