Time-Tested
Survival Skills for a Publish or Perish Environment, by W. M.
Reichert, T. Daniel-Race, and E. H. Dowell, Journal of Engineering
Education, ASEE, Vol. 91, No. 1, January 2002, pp. 133-137.
Summarized by J. T. P. Yao, 1/28/02
"… Interviewing for, and then accepting,
an academic position are the first steps that can lead to a tenure
decision four to seven years later, depending on the institution.
… Implicit in this decision is estimating your scholarly
trajectory and, the yardstick by which this judgement is made,
the impact your work published in the peer-reviewed literature."
"… When tenure cases are evaluated,
letters are solicited from members of the candidate's professional
community asking for a detailed assessment of the quality, significance,
and impact of the candidate's contribution. If you do not publish
regularly… and do not frequently present your work at the
appropriate national meetings, then the community will not know
you and you are less likely to receive tenure."
"… We present some time-tested 'survival
skills' that can aid young academics in this process. First, we
discuss some elements to consider when choosing an institution.
Second, we present features of the institution that a new faculty
member should expect, and should be wary of, once a position is
accepted. Third, we provide some strategies for preparing grant
applications and publishing the results of research."
"CHOOSING
AN INSTITUTION
A.
Know What You Want…
B.
Consider a Postdoctoral Experience…
C.
Interview the Institution…"
"WHAT
TO EXPECT (AND AVOID)
A.
Department Chair as Mentor and Advocate…
B.
Explaining the Tenure Process…
C.
Introduce Yourself…
D.
Teaching Responsibilities… Teaching smaller graduate courses
and advanced undergraduate courses in the individual's area of
expertise are usually desirable. … Overall, do a good job
in teaching, but be careful to not spend inordinate amounts of
time on something the university may not value at the time of
your tenure review.
E.
Establish a Mentoring Network…
F.
Minimize Committee Work…
G.
Avoid the Mushroom Treatment… If not addressed early on,
new faculty who are unaware of such vital procedures, or who miss
out on important interactions, can become labeled as 'out of the
loop,' 'disaffected' or 'not up to the task.' … Thus, it
is important for new faculty to assess the level of openness and
inclusiveness in the departmental Gestalt. …"
"SCHOLARLY
WRITING IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
…
A.
Learning to Write…
B.
Writing Grant Proposals…
C.
Writing Scholarly Papers…
D.
Dealing with Criticism…"
"We encourage you to choose an institution
whose expectations in terms of teaching, research, and publications
are well matched to your own abilities and goals. … As a
Ph.D. student, and as a postdoc, you have important opportunities
to learn to write well in the variety of contexts… Take advantage
of them, even at risk of doing fewer computer runs, taking fewer
data points, or missing a few hours at the movies. … We suggest
you learn by doing, carefully assessing the best practices of
others. To write well you must read well-written articles and
proposals from those that have published and succeeded. Finally,
remember that a constructive critic of your writing and research…
can be your best friend. Learn from criticism. … Writing
well is a source of pride for you and a pleasure for your readers.
Take the time to master this all-important, career enhancing skill."
[Readers who are interested in this article are
encouraged to read the original paper in its entirety. Other summary
notes on faculty reward systems are available on the Internet
at http://lohman.tamu.edu
under the heading "Summaries of Papers ..."]
