Tomorrow's Professor: Preparing for Academic Careers in Science and Engineering

415 Pages·1993·13.1 MB·English

by  Richard M. Reis(auth.)

TOMORROW'S PROFESSOR
IEEE Press
445 Hoes Lane, P.O. Box 1331
Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331
Editorial Board
Roger F. Hoyt, Editor in Chief
J. B. Anderson A. H. Haddad R. S. Müller
P. M. Anderson R. Herrick W. D. Reeve
M. Eden G. F. Hoffnagle D. J. Wells
M. E. El-Hawary S. Kartalopoulos
S. Furui P. Laplante
Kenneth Moore, Director of IEEE Press
Karen Hawkins, Senior Editor
Lisa Dayne, Assistant Editor
Linda Matarazzo, Assistant Editor
Savoula Amanatidis, Production Editor
IEEE Education Society, Sponsor
ED-S Liaison to IEEE Press, Robert Herrick
Technical Reviewers
Professor Pierre Belanger, McGill University
Dr. Albert Henning, Redwood Microsystems
Professor Michael Lightner, University of Colorado
Professor Robert Herrick, Purdue University
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TOMORROW'S PROFESSOR
Preparing for Academic Careers
in Science and Engineering
Richard M. Reis
Stanford University
IEEE Education Society, Sponsor
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., New York
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13
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Reis, Richard M. (date)
Tomorrow's professor: preparing for academic careers in science
and engineering / Richard M. Reis; IEEE Education Society, sponsor,
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 13: 978-0-7803-1136-7
1. Scientists—Vocational guidance—United States—Handbooks, manuals.
etc. 2. Scientists—Vocational guidance—Canada—-Handbooks, manuals,
etc. 3. Engineers—Vocational guidance—United States—Handbooks,
manuals, etc. 4. Engineers—Vocational guidance—Canada—Handbooks,
manuals, etc. 5. College teachers—Vocational guidance—Handbooks,
manuals, etc. 6. College teaching—Vocational guidance—Handbooks,
manuals, etc. I. IEEE Education Society.
II. Title.
Q149.U5R45 1997 96-37355
507M'l—dc21 CIP
To Nancy
who more than any one else brings out the teacher in me
Contents
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction xvii
PART I Setting the Stage 1
Chapter l The Academic Enterprise 3
Unlike Any Other Institution 4
Key Characteristics 6
Governance and Decision Making 13
Institutional Issues 18
A New Look at Scholarship 20
Seven Sample Schools 22
Vignette #1 : A Place for Scholarship in Undergraduate Education 27
Summary 29
Appendix: Doctorate-Granting Institutions 30
References 32
Chapter 2 Science and Engineering in Higher Education
Comparisons Across the Institution 38
Departments of Science 47
Departments of Engineering 48
Interdisciplinary Collaboration 51
Scholarship Across the Disciplines 53
Vignette #2: Science at a Metropolitan University 54
Summary 56
References 57
VIII Contents
Chapter 3 New Challenges for the Professoriate 59
Forces for Change in Teaching and Research 60
Implications for Faculty Scholarship 71
Vignette #3: The Laboratory Without Walls 76
Summary 78
References 79
PART II Preparing for an Academic Career 81
Chapter 4 Your Professional Preparation Strategy 83
The Decision to Pursue an Academic Career 85
Supply and Demand—What is Going on Here? 90
The Three-Pronged Preparation Strategy 95
Vignette #4: A Ph.D. Career in Industry 102
Summary 104
References 104
Chapter 5 Research as a Graduate Student and Postdoc 107
Choosing a Graduate School or Postdoc Institution 108
Choosing a Research Topic 111
Choosing a Dissertation Advisor/Postdoc Supervisor 118
Writing Your Own Research Proposals 1 23
Carrying Out Your Research—An Example 1 25
Publishing 126
Attending Conferences and Other Professional Meetings 129
Presentations 131
Supervising Other Researchers 1 33
Managing Research Projects and Programs 1 35
Networking 137
Vignette #5: The Research Continuum 137
Summary 140
References 141
Chapter 6 Teaching Experiences Prior to Becoming
a Professor 143
Why Teach as a Graduate Student or Postdoc? 144
Types of Teaching Experiences 148
How to Find the Right Teaching Opportunities 155
Preparing for a Successful Experience 156
Your Teaching Portfolio 157
Vignette #6: Teaching as a Postdoc 160
Summary 162
References 163
Contents
PART III Finding and Getting the Best
Possible Academic Position 165
Chapter 7 Identifying the Possibilities 167
Explore Now, Search Later 168
Deciding What You Want 170
Researching What Is Out There 173
Preparing for the Search 176
Vignette #7: From Industry to Academia 177
Summary 180
References 180
Chapter 8 Applying for Positions 183
Setting the Stage 185
Preparing Your Application Materials 192
The Application Process 206
Positions Outside Academia 214
Vignette #8: Diversity Issues in the Hiring of Science
and Engineering Faculty—An Illustration from Astronomy 216
Summary 217
References 218
Chapter 9 Getting the Results You Want 221
Your Negotiating Approach 222
General Principles for Responding to Academic Job Offers 224
Dual-Career Couples 232
What to Do if You Do Not Get the Offer You Want 233
Vignette #9: The Dual-Career Job Search 237
Summary 239
References 240
PART IV Looking Ahead to Your First Years
on the Job - Advice from the Field 241
Changing Gears 243
Chapter 10 Insights on Time Management 245
Setting the Stage 245
Vignette #10: Establish Your Absence 246
Vignette #11 : Set Long-Term Goals 248
Vignette #12: Keep Something on the Burner 250
Vignette #13: How to Help New Faculty Find the Time—
One Department Chair's Approach 252
X Contents
In Addition: Sources of Faculty Stress, Faculty
Efficiency, the Urgency Addiction, and Achieving
Balance in Our Lives 253
Conclusions 259
References 260
Chapter 11 Insights on Teaching and Learning 261
Setting the Stage 261
Vignette #14: Five Elements of Effective Teaching 266
Vignette #15: Developing Engaged and Responsive Learners 268
Vignette #16: Team Teaching in an Interdisciplinary Program 271
Vignette #17: The Upside-Down Curriculum 272
In Addition: Characteristics of Successful Teachers, Course
Planning, Teaching, and Learning with Technology, and
Developing a Teaching Portfolio 275
Conclusions 286
References 286
Chapter 12 Insights on Research 289
Setting the Stage 289
Vignette #18: Keeping Your Research Alive 294
Vignette #19: A High-Leverage Approach to Industry-
University Collaboration 296
Vignette #20: MulHdisciplinary Research and the
Untenured Professor 298
Vignette #21 : Cross-University Collaborations 300
In Addition: Writing Research Papers 302
Conclusions 305
References 307
Chapter 13 Insights on Professional Responsibility 309
Setting the Stage 309
Vignette #22: Service to Your Department and Your Profession 313
Vignette #23: Consulting and Other Industry Relationships 315
Vignette #24: Teaching and Learning Standards 318
Vignette #25: Professional Responsibility and Academic Duty 320
In Addition: Appropriating the Ideas of Others,
Conflict of Interest, and Freedom of Information? 322
Conclusions 325
References 325
Chapter 14 Insights on Tenure 327
Setting the Stage 327
Vignette #26: Leveraging Wherever Possible 333
Contents xi
Vignette #27: Understanding the Priorities 335
Vignette #28: A Second Chance at Tenure 337
Vignette #29: Taking Another Direction 340
Vignette #30: Lessons Learned 342
In Addition: The Ten Commandments of Tenure Success,
Tenure as a Political Process, and Getting Help Along the Way 344
Conclusions 350
References 350
Chapter 15 Insights on Academia: Needed Changes 351
Helping Graduate Students and Postdocs Prepare
for Academic Careers 351
Helping Graduate Students and Postdocs Find
Academic Positions 354
Helping Beginning Faculty Succeed 353
Conclusions 361
References 362
PART V Appendixes 363
Appendix A Possible Items for Inclusion in a Teaching Portfolio 363
Appendix B Statement of Personal Philosophy Regarding
Teaching and Learning 367
Appendix C Professional Associations for Academic Job
Seekers in Science and Engineering 369
Appendix D Questions to Ask Before Accepting a
Faculty Position 373
Appendix E Sample Offer Letters 381
Appendix F Elements Found in Most Successful Proposals 387
Appendix G Common Shortcomings of Grant Proposals 391
Index 393
About the Author 415