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Thursday, September 6, 2012

Academic Voices: September 2012 Newsletter




Academic Voices
September 6, 2012  

 

Academic Voices
 
Academic Voicesaims to build the ACW community by sharing the experiences of academic writers.

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The Tenure Trek

Congratulations to the ACW community members who recently earned tenure. Bravo! With the beginning of a new academic year, a number of you are preparing to submit your tenure portfolios, and many of our newly minted PhDs are in the process of moving to new institutions and setting out on their first tenure track positions at universities across the U.S. and Canada.
ACW is excited to roll out our new Tenure Trek graphic with “tools” to help you succeed on your trek. If you click on the image below, you’ll be directed to our website and can find out more about what to expect as you prepare for your tenure review.
Tenure Trek
Here are some essential pointers if you are beginning your tenure trek:
Make a plan. Don’t allow teaching responsibilities to derail you. Revisit the research statement you prepared for your job search, and establish a timeline that fits with your tenure review process. Share your timeline with a mentor in your department and adjust it to fit the expectations of your department.
Brand yourself. Identify your unique contribution as a scholar and consciously construct your message to be consistent with your scholarly identity or “brand.”
Get help. Build relationships early and continue to grow your support network. Your journey along the path to tenure will become easier if you identify mentors, peer supporters, and impartial coaches to support you.
Contact drsally@academiccoachingandwriting.org for help designing your tenure plan, meeting your research and writing goals, and constructing your tenure portfolio. Our academic coaches will support you as you grow as a scholar, take charge of your career, balance competing demands, and provide accountability to help you achieve your goals.

 

Upcoming Events and Blogs

NINE STEPS TO BECOMING A HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE ACADEMIC WRITER

Sally Jensen, PhD, ACW Founder
In this blog series you will learn to nurture a daily writing habit, challenge common assumptions, overcome procrastination, eliminate distractions, use a timer, set SMART goals, chunk your project into small tasks, track progress, and establish accountability.
learn more

VIRTUAL WRITING ROOM

Friday, September 14, 2012 - Friday, December 14, 2012
ACW is offering a 12-week virtual daily Writing Room, and we are offering it free to those who sign up to work with a dissertation or faculty coach for three months. To be eligible for this offer, you must sign up to work with a coach by September 7, 2012, and begin your coaching by September 14, 2012. Those of you who are currently working with an ACW coach also are eligible for this offer.
learn more

SETTING OUT ON YOUR DISSERTATION JOURNEY: FINDING YOUR TOPIC

Kat Malinsky, EdD, ACW Dissertation Coach
Thursday, September 20, 2012
In this teleseminar you will take inventory of your vision in preparation for your dissertation journey, choose a preliminary research focus, evaluate your topic's "goodness," and begin to narrow your research topic.
learn more

FINDING YOUR TRIBE: DEVELOPING A WOMEN'S ACADEMIC SUPPORT NETWORK

Moira Killoran, PhD, ACW Director of Coaching
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Have you found an academic tribe that will support you on your academic journey? This teleseminar will help you understand the role of mentors, sponsors, and peer supporters. You will learn how to deepen your relationships with colleagues to find the support you need.
learn more
 
Carina Vocisano, PhD

Carina Vocisano, PhD
ACW Consultant and Coach

I am a new coach and consultant at Academic Coaching and Writing. I also am a salsa dancer, a painter, and a recovering chocoholic! I have taught courses in counseling and mental health at several universities and colleges in the New York area, and I became a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Southern Connecticut State University in 2002. My research program focuses on the working alliance between client and counselor, and my research involves understanding the characteristics of counselors that predict change in therapy, including clients’ achievement of goals and symptom reduction.
For this newsletter I want to share two tips I learned on my tenure trek:
Ask faculty at your college or university about their tenure stories. This may help you understand the decisions made by the tenure and promotion committee. I recall being upset by a decision made by the tenure and promotion committee to deny tenure to a colleague. A discussion with this faculty member about his teaching provided me with some hints about the committee’s decision. The faculty member spoke with a sense of superiority when discussing students and blamed them for his poor teaching evaluations. He said, in effect, that the students were not very bright and, therefore, they couldn’t understand the content of his lectures. I have learned that this tendency to blame one’s students is often a sign of poor teacher training and a lack of willingness to reach out for help with teaching.
Stay fully engaged and inspired as a person and a faculty member! Mark Twain said: “Don’t let your schooling interfere with your education!” This applies to being a faculty member as well. While academia can be exciting and life affirming, it also can be a bureaucratic and life-draining experience. As a result, build connections to help yourself feel engaged and inspired. Many of your interests outside your discipline can be meaningfully connected to your research and teaching. For example, I love yoga, and so I looked for ways to connect yoga with psychology. The field of mindfulness connects these two disciplines, and when I began integrating mindfulness into my teaching, I learned that students are fascinated with meditation and its benefits for people suffering from depression and anxiety.
 
Nyasha Junior, PhD

Nyasha Junior, PhD
Assistant Professor, Howard University School of Divinity

Nyasha (www.nyashajunior.com) is in her fourth year of the tenure trek at Howard University. ACW applauds Nyasha for being awarded the prestigious Association of Theological Schools Faculty Fellowinsip. She will be on leave for the academic year to to work on her book. We asked Nyasha to share a few tips on navigating the tenure trek.
Tenure Trek: Mentoring
Luke had Yoda. Plato had Socrates. Annelle had Truvy. Who is there for you?
My advice: First, figure out what you need. Then find a mentor.
Identify specific information needs. Think about nitty-gritty information that you cannot get from a guide book written for new faculty. How are student evaluations used (officially and unofficially) in your department? What are some tips for writing a successful grant application for MoneyBags Foundation?
Seek out a particular person. Who might possess the information that you need? Do not expect one person to have the answers for everything. For example, if you are new to teaching large lecture courses, you may ask a colleague who is famous for teaching such courses. Figure out the best way to contact her and make a specific request. Hello Dr. Hot Shot, your Yarn Rolling course is legendary on campus. I am teaching Hamster Running 101 this year for the first time, and I would like to talk to you about strategies that you use in teaching a large lecture class.
Keep in touch. If someone helps you, follow up. Hi Dr. Big Wig! Our conversation on the skinny jeans phenomenon was quite helpful. My paper has been accepted for this year’s Association of Hipster Studies Annual Meeting. I will let you know how the presentation goes. Also, publicly acknowledge how helpful Dr. Big Wig was. Win-win!
Take it slow. If you want a mentor, you need to have many  brief conversations. If the first conversation goes well, have another. Most people like to be asked for their expertise. See where things go. Don’t push it. Something may evolve organically. Use the force, Young Skywalker!

 

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