Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career: Achieving Career Excellence as a Faculty Member (Springer Texts in Education) 3031501608, 9783031501609

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Springer Texts in Education

Robert S. Fleming

Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career Achieving Career Excellence as a Faculty Member

Springer Texts in Education

Springer Texts in Education delivers high-quality instructional content for graduates and advanced graduates in all areas of Education and Educational Research. The textbook series is comprised of self-contained books with a broad and comprehensive coverage that are suitable for class as well as for individual self-study. All texts are authored by established experts in their fields and offer a solid methodological background, accompanied by pedagogical materials to serve students such as practical examples, exercises, case studies etc. Textbooks published in the Springer Texts in Education series are addressed to graduate and advanced graduate students, but also to researchers as important resources for their education, knowledge and teaching. Please contact Yoka Janssen at Yoka.Janssen@ springer.com or your regular editorial contact person for queries or to submit your book proposal.

Robert S. Fleming

Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career Achieving Career Excellence as a Faculty Member

Robert S. Fleming Rohrer College of Business Rowan University Glassboro, NJ, USA

ISSN 2366-7672 ISSN 2366-7680 (electronic) Springer Texts in Education ISBN 978-3-031-50160-9 ISBN 978-3-031-50161-6 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland Paper in this product is recyclable.

Preface

This book is designed to prepare aspiring individuals for career success as college or university faculty members. It incorporates the author’s extensive experience as a faculty member and college/university administrator and in preparing and mentoring faculty members for successful faculty careers. The guidance provided throughout the sequential chapters considers the various stages of a successful faculty career, including what you need to know with respect to each lesson and the role of each topic in contributing to career success. Each lesson also provides useful guidance regarding things that faculty members should do as well as avoid doing during each stage of a faculty career. The purpose of this book is similar to that of our earlier Survival Skills for Thesis and Dissertation Candidates (Fleming & Kowalsky/Springer) book and is expected to become a valuable companion book that will further contribute to the continued career success of aspiring college and university faculty members. It incorporates chapters (lessons) that address the challenges that faculty members need to understand and address throughout a successful faculty career. While most master’s and doctoral programs prepare graduates to engage in and successfully complete the required research associated with meeting the thesis or dissertation requirements of their academic program, most academic programs do not provide similar career guidance regarding the roles and responsibilities of becoming a faculty member and succeeding in that position. The reality is that even those graduates who have experienced doctoral training are often unprepared to understand and address the roles, responsibilities, and challenges of serving as a faculty member. The phrase “hidden curriculum” has been used to describe this unfortunate reality. New faculty members discover that they are expected to magically know so many essential things once they become a faculty member. Many new faculty members have discovered the various challenges of not knowing these essential things in advance of assuming their first faculty position. The 57 concise lessons in this book address ten essential aspects of becoming and remaining a successful faculty member, including: contemporary colleges, universities, and faculty; stakeholder expectations; faculty roles and responsibilities—teaching; faculty roles and responsibilities—creative activities; faculty roles and responsibilities—research; faculty roles and responsibilities—scholarship; faculty roles and responsibilities—service; navigating faculty career stages; career v

vi

Preface

advancement as a faculty member; and achieving a meaningful and rewarding faculty career. While this book will serve as an important learning tool in related preparation courses, its didactic approach and format similarly serve as a valuable self-study resource for aspiring faculty members whose academic preparation does not include embedded related professional coursework. The format of this book, like our earlier Survival Skills for Thesis and Dissertation Candidates book, will prove useful as a valuable reference throughout one’s career as a faculty member. The mission of this current book is therefore to contribute to the success of readers throughout their careers as faculty members, while making serving as a faculty member a more meaningful and pleasurable experience. Glassboro, USA

Robert S. Fleming

Contents

Part I Contemporary Colleges, Universities, and Faculty 1

Contemporary Higher Education Landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3 3 4 4 5

2

International Faculty Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7 7 9 10 11

3

Institutional Mission and Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

13 13 14 15 15

4

Institutional Goodness of Fit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

17 17 18 19 19

5

Strategic Role of Faculty Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

21 21 22 23 23

Part II Stakeholder Expectations 6

Expectations of Faculty Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

27 27 vii

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6.2 6.3 6.4

Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

28 29 29

7

Expectations of Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

31 31 32 32 33

8

Expectations of an Institution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

35 35 36 36 37

9

Expectations of a Profession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

39 39 40 40 41

10 Expectations of Other Stakeholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

43 43 43 44 45

Part III Faculty Roles and Responsibilities—Teaching 11 Subject Matter Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

51 51 52 52 53

12 Effective Teaching Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

55 55 56 57 57

13 Student Engagement, Motivation, and Empowerment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

59 59 60 60 61

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14 Classroom Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

63 63 64 65 65

15 Course Content and Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

67 67 68 69 69

16 Learning Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

71 71 72 72 73

17 Traditional, Online, and Blended Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

75 75 76 77 77

18 Teaching/Learning Improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

79 79 80 80 81

Part IV Faculty Roles and Responsibilities—Creative Activities 19 Teaching Methods and Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

85 85 86 86 87

20 Innovative Teaching/Learning Approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

89 89 90 90 91

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21 Curriculum Development and Revision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

93 93 94 95 95

Part V Faculty Roles and Responsibilities—Research 22 Conceptualizing Research Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 22.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 22.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 22.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 22.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 23 Conducting Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

103 103 104 104 105

24 Sharing Research Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

107 107 108 109 109

Part VI Faculty Roles and Responsibilities—Scholarship 25 Contribution to Body of Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

113 113 114 115 115

26 Academic Journals and Professional Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

117 117 118 118 119

27 Conferences and Professional Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

121 121 122 123 123

Contents

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Part VII Faculty Roles and Responsibilities—Service 28 Student Interaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

129 129 130 131 131

29 Research Committees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

133 133 134 135 135

30 Collaborating with Colleagues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

137 137 138 139 139

31 Departmental and Institutional Committees and Meetings . . . . . . . . . 31.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.4 Things Not to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

141 141 142 143 143

32 Pursuing Grant Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.4 Things Not to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

145 145 146 146 147

33 Leadership Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

149 149 150 151 151

34 Community Resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

153 153 154 155 155

35 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

157 157 158 159 159

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Part VIII Navigating Faculty Career Stages 36 Preparing for Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

165 165 166 167 167

37 Securing a Faculty Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

169 169 170 171 172

38 Tenure and Promotion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

173 173 174 175 175

39 Professional Development Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

177 177 178 179 179

40 Early Career Challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

181 181 182 183 183

41 Mid-Career Challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

185 185 186 187 188

42 Later-Career Challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

189 189 191 191 192

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Part IX Career Advancement as a Faculty Member 43 Professional Growth and Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

197 197 198 198 199

44 Learning Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

201 201 202 202 203

45 Intellectual and Research Interests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

205 205 206 207 207

46 Future Professional Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

209 209 210 211 211

47 Pursuing Manageable Professional Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

213 213 214 215 215

48 Collaborative Initiatives and Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

217 217 218 219 219

49 Technological Knowledge and Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

221 221 222 223 223

50 Institutional Personnel Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

225 225 226 227 227

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Part X Achieving a Meaningful and Rewarding Faculty Career 51 Hard Work, Commitment, Dedication, and Passion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

233 233 234 235 235

52 Appropriate Life/Work Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

237 237 238 239 239

53 Knowing One’s Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

241 241 242 243 244

54 Agility, Currency, Relevance, and Resilience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

245 245 246 247 247

55 Collaborative Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

249 249 250 251 251

56 Professional and Institutional Visibility, Respect, and Impact . . . . . . 56.1 What You Need to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56.2 Role in Career Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56.3 Things to DO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56.4 Things NOT to Do . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

253 253 254 255 255

57 Final Thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257

About the Author

Dr. Robert S. Fleming holds a joint appointment at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, as a professor of management in the Rohrer College of Business where he previously served as dean and as a professor of crisis and emergency management. The primary focus of his research, teaching, and consulting has been on enhancing organizational effectiveness and resilience, with an emphasis on contemporary businesses, non-profits, colleges and universities, public safety, and governmental entities. In addition to a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Temple University, he has five earned master’s degrees, including a Master of Governmental Administration from the Fels Center of Government of the University of Pennsylvania. His extensive professional preparation includes completion of the Senior Executives in National and International Security Program at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Prof. Fleming is a prolific author, having published numerous books and articles. He is a recognized authority and media source for various business, emergency management, and crisis management topics. He previously coauthored Survival Skills for Thesis and Dissertation Candidates, a companion book in the Springer Texts in Education Series. Throughout his more than 40 years as a faculty member and academic administrator, he has assisted many students and colleagues in their preparation for successful careers as faculty members. This book incorporates the various lessons that he has learned and shared with aspiring faculty members as a willing and respected mentor.

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Part I Contemporary Colleges, Universities, and Faculty

The first part of this book provides an understanding of the context in which aspiring faculty members prepare for and pursue successful and meaningful careers in higher education. The five chapters (lessons) provide readers with an understanding of contemporary colleges and universities and the role that faculty members play in contributing to their success. This understanding is essential as those who contemplate faculty careers make prudent, informed decisions with respect to pursuing a career as a college or university faculty member. An essential starting point in considering a career as a college or university faculty member is to fully understand the contemporary world of higher education and the role that higher education and faculty members play in preparing their graduates for future personal and professional success. As one contemplates pursuing an academic career, it is important to carefully consider how higher education has evolved in recent years and its future trajectory and how that aligns with one’s professional interests and aspirations as a faculty member. Chapter 1 considers the contemporary higher education landscape. While many faculty members will pursue opportunities within their own country of origin, others will seek to avail themselves to the many faculty opportunities that exist internationally. International opportunities for aspiring and established faculty members often contribute to meaningful and fulfilling faculty careers. In considering these potential opportunities, it is always important to carefully consider any unique aspects of an international employment opportunity and associated challenges that may differ from those in one’s home country. Chapter 2 discusses international opportunities that faculty may want to consider. While the programmatic offerings of contemporary colleges and universities are certainly an essential factor in determining an appropriate institution with which to affiliate as a faculty member, it is just as important to consider an institution’s present mission and likely future vision, given the impact that the strategic direction of a college or university can play in determining a faculty member’s future success and satisfaction at an institution. Both an institution’s mission statement, which summarizes its present purpose, and its accompanying vision statement, which articulates its future aspirations, are important considerations as one makes an informed, mission-critical decision regarding joining the faculty of a particular institution. The role of an institution’s mission and vision is considered in Chap. 3. While there are certainly times when an individual will accept an initial faculty appointment at an institution other than one at which they had aspired to begin

2

Part I: Contemporary Colleges, Universities, and Faculty

their faculty career, ideally they will be afforded the opportunity to commence their career pilgrimage at an institution that properly aligns with their present and future career aspirations and affords them the opportunity to fully realize their personal and professional aspirations while advancing that institution’s mission and vision. Devoting time to identify an institution where they will become a recognized and respected contributor to that organization’s programs, mission, and vision is essential in choosing an organization that will provide a goodness of fit and the opportunity to achieve a meaningful and rewarding professional career. The importance of selecting such an institution is discussed in Chap. 4. While there are various resources that are instrumental in achieving an organization’s mission and ultimately its vision, its human resources are without question the most important resource of any contemporary organization. Attracting, motivating, empowering, and retaining committed faculty members thus play an instrumental strategic role in the success of every contemporary institution of higher education and their ability to successfully fulfill their mission and vision, while meeting and ideally exceeding the expectations of stakeholders. Chapter 5 discusses the strategic role that faculty members play in an institution’s success.

1

Contemporary Higher Education Landscape

1.1

What You Need to Know

Educational institutions serve many purposes, including preparing individuals for personal and professional success. This preparation similarly enables graduates to make meaningful contributions to society based on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that they have acquired through their academic preparation. While most individuals have traditionally completed basic education through K-12 programs, over the years a growing number of these individuals have recognized the value of engaging in the numerous higher education academic programs offered by colleges and universities. While there has been a recent reconsideration of the value of pursuing post-secondary programs designed to prepare graduates for careers in various essential trades, enrollment in traditional college and university academic programs continues to grow. Numerous higher education institutions currently exist throughout the United States and around the world. The success and survival of these institutions is based on offering quality educational opportunities that correspond with societal needs and the interests of prospective students. The importance of fully understanding and being responsive to these expectations is essential in determining the present and future success and survival of these institutions. The environment in which institutions of higher education now compete for students and the support of other stakeholders has become extremely competitive. The enrollments and programmatic offerings of some institutions continue to increase, while other institutions struggle from a standpoint of enrollments and finances. Some traditionally successful colleges and universities have faced significant challenges that have impacted their ability to continue to serve their students and fulfill their intended mission. Successful colleges and universities have recognized the importance of understanding the changing landscape of higher education and the mission-critical importance of understanding and being responsive to the changing expectations of various organizational stakeholders. Both present and aspiring faculty members © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_1

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have a vested interest in understanding the changes and challenges that have and continue to take place in higher education in general, as well as those related to institutions in which they presently work or with which they are considering affiliating as a faculty member. Only through a proactive commitment to understanding the changing higher education landscape and its present and likely future impact on institutions can one make prudent and informed career decisions regarding the desirability of serving as a faculty member at a particular higher education institution.

1.2

Role in Career Success

Understanding the contemporary world of higher education is essential as you contemplate pursuing a career as a faculty member. The evolutionary changes that have and continue to transpire in higher education in general as well as those impacting particular institutions should be of particular interest to both current faculty members and those considering pursuing employment opportunities as faculty members. The same diligence that you should apply in contemplating and making informed career choices is particularly important when considering committing your career to service as a college or university faculty member. In addition to having an informed understanding of potential institutions that you are considering, which will be discussed in several chapters that follow, it is essential that you, as an aspiring faculty member, fully understand and appreciate the changing dynamics or landscape of higher education in general and the impact that evolutionary changes may have on the general attractiveness of a faculty career, as well as that of a particular discipline. It is important to consider the current demand and likely future employment opportunities in higher education in general, as well as in particular fields and disciplines. An essential aspect of service as a faculty member is preparing one’s students for successful and meaningful careers. Just as a robust career preparation program should be an essential component of preparing one’s students to make informed decisions that have long-term career implications and consequences, the same type of due diligence is mission-critical as one contemplates a faculty career in higher education. Throughout the chapters (lessons) that follow you will develop an appreciation of the essential role that higher education institutions will play in enabling you to ascertain whether a faculty career is the right career aspiration for you and how to make the various informed decisions that will determine your success as a faculty member.

1.3

Things to DO

• Recognize that higher education has and will continue to evolve over time. • Devote the necessary time to understand how higher education has evolved and is likely to evolve in the future.

1.4 Things NOT to Do

5

• Take the time to research and fully understand the expectations that contemporary higher educational institutions have for their faculty members. • Recognize that your success as a faculty member will be based on making various proactive career decisions based on having a thorough understanding of the evolving higher education landscape and the corresponding career opportunities that it affords to aspiring faculty members.

1.4

Things NOT to Do

• Assume that all institutions of higher education are similar in terms of their present mission and likely future vision. • Assume that the roles, responsibilities, and expectations for faculty members will be the same at every higher education institution. • Fail to consider the likely future success and survival of institutions with which you would have an interest in affiliating. • Fail to consider enrollment trends in general, as well as those of particular institutions and disciplines.

2

International Faculty Opportunities

2.1

What You Need to Know

The number of colleges and universities that exist worldwide offers a wealth of opportunities for faculty members to identify, become affiliated with, and prosper at institutions that align with their professional interests, qualifications, and reasons for pursuing a career as a faculty member. While many faculty members will be interested in serving in a position within the domestic United States, others will appropriately desire to pursue the numerous international opportunities that are available to interested and qualified individuals. The chapters in this book have been designed to prepare you for a successful faculty career regardless of the country and institution in which you seek to become affiliated and succeed as a faculty member. While the great majority of the advice offered throughout the various lessons of this book will be relevant regardless of the institution and country in which faculty members are interested, there will obviously be some situations where there will be differences in the nature of an institution’s mission, goals, programs, and/or methodologies, or the educational system, methodologies, or practices of a particular country. The expectations that international institutions have for their faculty members may likewise differ, just as they do with domestic institutions. It is imperative as you prepare for and pursue international opportunities, to fully research the expectations that every institution that you are considering will have with respect to teaching, research, scholarship, and service, regardless of the country in which it is domiciled. International faculty opportunities may involve pursuing faculty positions that exist outside one’s current country of domicile such as those outside of the domestic United States, or pursuing opportunities in one’s home country outside the United States. Regardless of the geographic nature of the opportunities that faculty members choose to pursue, it is always imperative to seek only those opportunities

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that fully align with an individual’s professional and personal interests and aspirations and thus will contribute to a meaningful and rewarding career during which they will have the opportunity to enhance the learning and preparation of their students. Selecting the right opportunities to embrace and pursue therefore represents a mission-critical career decision, that will ideally expand a faculty member’s knowledge, skills, expertise, and horizons. The pursuit of international faculty opportunities may involve seeking and securing long-term affiliations within a given country and institution. It is also possible that aspiring or current faculty members may seek short-term or temporary opportunities at foreign institutions outside a faculty member’s current institution and country through visiting appointments or international faculty exchange opportunities, often during a sabbatical leave from their home institution. There are numerous international opportunities that, regardless of duration, afford faculty members meaningful opportunities to enhance their knowledge, skills, and experiences while serving at an institution outside their home country. The importance of conducting thorough research on potential countries, institutions, and employment opportunities cannot be overstated as faculty members consider pursuing international opportunities. While this research will likely reveal many similarities in academic norms across the world, it may also reveal certain often-significant, differences. As with domestic institutions, institutional characteristics may also vary between institutions, including differences in an institution’s mission, goals, programs, and curriculum. Thorough research may reveal cultural differences, as well as differences in lifestyles and work ethics and expectations. Understanding these and other potential differences should be an instrumental consideration in making informed decisions regarding pursuing and accepting international opportunities as a faculty member. The reality that academic systems may also differ between countries should be understood and embraced, as should be the importance of language fluency and proficiency on the part of faculty members. There may also be differences in nomenclature and/or in educational practices. The titles of various academic positions and their associated ranks, roles, and responsibilities will frequently differ between countries and institutions. It is therefore essential to fully understand all of an institution’s expectations with respect to teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles and responsibilities before seriously considering and accepting an employment offer from any institution, including international ones. These expectations will obviously differ based on whether a faculty member is being offered and accepting a temporary or long-term position. An important consideration should be the expectations that an institution will have with respect to teaching loads, assignments, and schedules. It is also important to fully understand the teaching methodologies that an institution will expect faculty members to employ in the interest of ensuring the effectiveness of their teaching/learning processes. Understanding an institution’s expectations with respect to conducting research and publishing is also an important consideration in making an informed decision regarding affiliating with a particular institution.

2.2 Role in Career Success

9

Faculty members who choose to affiliate with international institutions discover that these affiliations typically provide invaluable opportunities to engage in and be the recipient of the various benefits of collaborative learning as they interact with both their faculty colleagues and students. This will often include having the opportunity to experience how supervising graduate students often differs between institutions and countries. These collaborative relationships often extend beyond one’s duration of service, as in the case of visiting and faculty exchange programs. This is an illustration of how new international faculty have the opportunity to expand their horizons as well as their experience and qualifications as a faculty member. In engaging in international career moves, it is imperative to take the time to fully research and understand the differences in career/employment norms and practices as you consider and pursue meaningful career opportunities. This begins with understanding the expectations that an institution will have regarding your qualifications and preparedness to successfully enact your roles and responsibilities as a faculty member of their institution, including your academic preparation and experience as a teacher, researcher, and scholar. The reality is that the routes to achieve professional preparation and qualification often differ between not only countries, but also within institutions within those countries. Your success in being considered for a faculty position and receiving an acceptable offer will require that you fully understand an institution’s recruitment and selection processes and procedures. You may find that various activities, including conducting initial screening interviews, may be conducted virtually. It is important to realize that virtual interviews afford an institution an opportunity to observe a candidate’s teaching capabilities, including those supported through various technologies. As an interested faculty candidate, you will need to be aware of and fully understand any and all work eligibility requirements that may exist in a particular country. This information is important whether you are interested in being appointed to a temporary or long-term position. It will similarly be important that you carefully review the salary, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment with an institution. In considering these important contractual arrangements, it is likewise crucial to consider exchange rates and the cost of living in the involved country and region where you will be expected to enact your responsibilities as a faculty member. Before accepting a full-time and continuing faculty position, it is obviously important to fully understand an institution’s employee retention and promotion processes and find them acceptable.

2.2

Role in Career Success

As a faculty member, you will discover that a successful faculty career is built over many years throughout its various stages. While it is not unusual for many faculty members to accept an offer to affiliate with a given institution and spend their entire career with that institution, others find it beneficial to pursue different

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2 International Faculty Opportunities

opportunities that present themselves throughout a faculty career. Many faculty members limit their interests to serving in their home country, while others at some point during their career, often during sabbatical leaves, pursue and accept opportunities to serve as a faculty member at other institutions around the world. It is important to acknowledge that such crucial career decisions should be made only after thorough research and conscientious contemplation. It is also important to realize that those who decide to pursue international faculty opportunities do so at various points during their faculty careers and for varying durations. As a faculty member, you should always be open to considering exciting new opportunities that present themselves, including those at international institutions should these opportunities align with your professional interests, aspirations, and goals. Should you consider opportunities to affiliate with a foreign institution, it is imperative that you recognize the necessity of conducting thorough research and analysis regarding both the institution that you are considering and the country in which that institution is domiciled. Doing so will enable you to make an informed decision that will enhance your continuing career success. In considering such opportunities you should recognize that they can often be pursued for a limited period of time as in the case of temporary visiting faculty appointments or international faculty exchange programs. Your success in assuming a faculty position at an international institution will often require that you make certain necessary adjustments as you acclimate to working in both a new institution and country. The importance of taking the necessary time to fully understand what that institution will expect of you in terms of your teaching, research, scholarship, and service, as always, is crucial. Thorough research of both an institution and its home country will enable you to fully understand and feel comfortable with what you are getting yourself into by accepting a faculty appointment, regardless of duration. You will also want to learn about any and all support services that the institution is prepared to make available to facilitate your success in their institution.

2.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the crucial importance of thoroughly researching all countries and institutions in which you are considering pursuing international faculty opportunities. • Acknowledge that, while international faculty opportunities are not for everyone, they afford many meaningful opportunities for interested faculty members. • Acknowledge the role that international faculty opportunities can play in enhancing your qualifications and expertise as a faculty member, as well as in expanding your horizons. • Recognize that participating in short-term international opportunities enable faculty members to assess their long-term interests in affiliating with an international institution.

2.4 Things NOT to Do

11

• Anticipate and prepare for the cultural differences that you will encounter as a faculty member at an international institution. • Understand and expect that differences will often exist between the educational systems in different countries. • Before accepting a faculty appointment at an international institution, take the necessary time to fully understand the teaching, research, scholarship, and service expectations of that institution. • Recognize that recruitment and selection processes, as well as processes related to employee retention and advancement, can differ significantly between international institutions. • Recognize that every experience as a faculty member, including those associated with serving as a faculty member at an international institution, may provide valuable opportunities for collaborative learning and professional development. • Acknowledge that, while teaching international students can be extremely meaningful and rewarding as a faculty member, differences may exist in how to most effectively engage these students in productive learning experiences and outcomes. • Recognize that sabbatical leaves can facilitate numerous opportunities to engage in international faculty opportunities. • Take the necessary time to fully understand all terms and conditions of a contractual offer before accepting an offer that you have received.

2.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to realize that numerous international opportunities can be pursued for relatively short periods of time as visiting faculty or through faculty exchange programs. • Fail to recognize the significant differences that can exist between different countries, their cultures and educational systems, and international academic institutions. • Underestimate the potential challenges of serving as a faculty member at an international institution. • Underestimate the time required to acclimate to your roles and responsibilities as a faculty member in a different country.

3

Institutional Mission and Vision

3.1

What You Need to Know

The present and future success of any contemporary organization necessitates that organizational leaders determine and articulate an appropriate strategic direction to guide their organization in its present and future pursuits. This reality applies to all types of organizations, including contemporary colleges and universities. Through a comprehensive strategic planning process, astute organizational leaders assess their organization’s strengths and weaknesses, in light of the environmental opportunities and threats that it faces in both the present and future, and develop a proactive approach to ensuring their organization’s present and future success. A prudent strategic planning process builds on an organization’s strengths while addressing its weaknesses and takes advantage of appropriate opportunities while avoiding environmental threats. The resulting comprehensive strategic plan delineates the organizational strengths, organizational weaknesses, environmental opportunities, and environmental threats identified through a thorough environmental scanning process. Two essential guidance documents in a proactive strategic plan are a mission statement and vision statement. The mission statement should make sense based on the insights revealed through environmental scanning, and provide strategic direction for the present; whereas a vision statement articulates an organization’s aspirations for the future. As such, a mission statement provides more specific strategic guidance for the present and immediate planning period, while a vision statement provides general information regarding the likely future aspirations and direction of an organization. Goals and strategies are developed in support of the mission statement. Goals are results that an organization seeks to achieve in support of its articulated mission statement. Each goal is accomplished by one or more strategies or actions that serve as the necessary means to accomplish each goal. It is through the skillful

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development and execution of strategies that an organization’s goals and ultimately its mission is accomplished. Both the mission and vision of an organization provide necessary information regarding an organization’s present and future plans and progress. The various stakeholders of an organization, including those that will be discussed later, have an interest in understanding the strategic intent and direction of an organization as well as its success in pursuing the strategic direction that has been articulated through its mission and vision statements.

3.2

Role in Career Success

While the programmatic offerings of the many contemporary colleges and universities are certainly an essential factor in determining an appropriate institution with which to affiliate as a faculty member, it is just as important to consider an institution’s present mission and likely future vision given the impact that the strategic direction of a college or university can have in determining a faculty member’s future career success and satisfaction with an institution. It is imperative for you, as a faculty member considering employment opportunities, to pursue a proactive approach in conducting the necessary research to make prudent and informed decisions that will play a significant role in your career success and satisfaction as a faculty member. Both an institution’s mission statement, which summarizes an organization’s present purpose, and its accompanying vision statement, which articulates its future aspirations, should be considered as you make an informed mission-critical decision regarding joining the faculty of a particular institution. Conscientious review of an organization’s mission and vision statements will enable you to glean the necessary insights to ascertain whether a given institution would be a logical fit for you to pursue a successful and satisfying career as a faculty member. While it is obviously essential to consider the likelihood of career success as a faculty member at a given institution, it is likewise equally and perhaps more important to identify an institution that is likely to enhance both your professional and personal satisfaction throughout what will ideally be a fulfilling career. Your investigation of potential institutions will benefit from appropriate analysis and consideration of each institution’s current programmatic offerings and their alignment with the institution’s articulated mission and vision statements. You will always want to consider the strategic direction of an institution and how it aligns with your personal and professional interests. Review of past, present, and likely future enrollment trends in your areas of interest is essential in making an informed decision. You will also want to determine each institution’s expectations for faculty members in terms of teaching, research, scholarship, and service. Only through a proactive approach will you be able to ascertain the most appropriate career opportunities to pursue, given your professional and personal interests.

3.4 Things NOT to Do

3.3

15

Things to DO

• Recognize the role that an institution’s mission statement and vision statement play in determining its present and future direction, success, and survival. • Recognize the role that a mission statement should play in driving an institution’s programs and activities. • Take the necessary time to develop appropriate metrics for evaluating institutions with which you could affiliate as a faculty member. • Consider both the present and likely future success of each prospective institution. • Engage in the necessary research to fully understand the expectations that each institution presently has and will likely have in the future for members of its faculty, including those related to employment retention and advancement. • Crosswalk each institution’s current mission statement and vision statement with your academic and professional interests.

3.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to recognize the essential role that an institution’s mission and vision statements play in determining a college or university’s present and future success. • Assume that an institution’s articulated mission and vision are current and consistent with its programmatic offerings and activities. • Fail to read beyond the common platitudes of mission and vision statements without evaluating whether an institution appears true to its stated strategic direction. • Only evaluate each institution from the perspective of faculty members without considering the expectations of other relevant stakeholders that play a significant role in a contemporary higher education institution’s present and future success and survival, as well as its ability to provide continued employment opportunities that afford faculty members meaningful and rewarding careers.

4

Institutional Goodness of Fit

4.1

What You Need to Know

The reality is that throughout the United States and around the world there are a multitude of higher education institutions. While there are often certain similarities between these institutions, there are likewise many differences. Collectively, the uniqueness of the robust body of contemporary colleges and universities, enables each institution to offer programs that are consistent with the interests and expectations of the stakeholders that each exists to serve. An institution’s mission is designed to properly articulate the stated purpose of each institution and correspondingly the nature of the programs and other services that it provides to its stakeholders. Colleges and universities differ based on the nature and level of programs that they offer, ranging from those that offer courses and degrees at the associate’s level through doctoral levels. Many institutions offer a combination of these programs and therefore rely on appropriately trained and credentialed faculty members to engage in relevant teaching, research, scholarship, and service. Some institutions are smaller, as in the case of many liberal arts colleges, while others are larger offering many academic programs often through a number of colleges that contribute to fulfilling the overall mission of their university. While conducting appropriate research is always important in the interest of ensuring that faculty members are well prepared to deliver relevant courses to those under their tutelage, the expectation that faculty conduct ongoing research is a given for those faculty who teach at the graduate level and in institutions that currently have attained or are pursuing designation as a research institution. It is imperative that colleges and universities, with input from relevant stakeholders, develop, articulate, and pursue an appropriate organizational mission supported by their academic programs and other activities. It is mission-critical

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that an institution’s programmatic offerings fully align with and support its mission and the expectations of its relevant stakeholders. This alignment is commonly referred to as goodness of fit. An institution’s various stakeholders rightfully consider the goodness of fit between an institution and their decision to support that institution, whether as a student, donor, or in other meaningful ways. The process through which an astute prospective student decides which institution to apply to and the academic program(s) to pursue illustrates the importance of ascertaining the alignment between their expectations and the ability of an institution to furnish an education that fully meets and ideally exceeds these expectations. The process through which aspiring faculty members determine the right institution with which to affiliate should likewise ensure that a goodness of fit is likely to exist between a prospective institution and an aspiring faculty member. Only by considering both the present and likely future programs of a particular institution as well as its corresponding expectations for faculty members, can one make an informed decision that will launch a meaningful and rewarding career as a successful and satisfied faculty member.

4.2

Role in Career Success

In many ways your career success as a faculty member, as well as your satisfaction with the career path that you have chosen, will be enhanced by taking the time to carefully research and evaluate the employment opportunities that are available to you and pursuing one that properly aligns with your professional and personal aspirations and expectations. While there are certainly times when an aspiring faculty member will accept an initial faculty appointment at an institution other than the one at which they had hoped to begin their faculty career, ideally you will be afforded the opportunity to embark on your career pilgrimage at an institution that properly aligns with your present and future career aspirations and expectations. The time that you devote to narrowing down your employment search to a number of possible institutions that correspond with your career interests and aspirations will prove to be a wise investment, in that doing so can determine your future success and satisfaction as a faculty member. You will want to seek opportunities with institutions that are currently pursuing a mission that aligns with your interests and expectations, and that has articulated a vision that suggests a longterm fit as well. Fully understanding each institution’s present and likely future mission and the longer-term vision to which it aspires are crucial considerations as you contemplate your options as a faculty member. It is similarly important to understand the expectations that each institution has for its current faculty and how those expectations are likely to change in the future. Examples of potential changes in expectations may include roles and responsibilities associated with teaching, research, scholarship, and/or service. You will certainly want to seek employment opportunities at institutions that will enable you to fully realize your personal and professional aspirations while advancing the

4.4 Things NOT to Do

19

institution’s mission and vision. Devoting the necessary time to identify an institution where you will ideally become a recognized and respected contributor to that organization’s programs, mission, and vision is essential as you seek to identify an institution that will provide the necessary goodness of fit and the opportunity to achieve a meaningful and rewarding faculty career.

4.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the crucial importance of identifying and pursuing career opportunities at an institution whose mission, vision, and values align with yours as an aspiring faculty member. • Develop appropriate metrics to evaluate potential employment opportunities that align with your aspirations and expectations. • Devote the necessary time to fully research appropriate institutions that correspond with your interests, aspirations, and expectations. • Consider the role that an institution’s present mission and future vision should play in your career research and decision making. • Take the time to fully understand the present and likely future expectations of each institution for their faculty members. • Reach out to and seek counsel from others that you know who are familiar with any institution that you are considering. • Seek suggestions from others, including your research advisor or members of your research committee regarding institutions that they think might be a good fit for you.

4.4

Things NOT to Do

• Assume that all institutions are the same and thus not seek ones that would offer a good fit for you. • Procrastinate by not dedicating the necessary time to fully research and evaluate potential institutions that are searching for new faculty members. • Fail to take the time to engage in necessary and prudent introspection in understanding your genuine interests, aspirations, and expectations as a faculty member. • Rely on the guidance of others as to where you should seek a faculty position rather than conscientiously evaluating each and every opportunity in terms of its goodness of fit for you.

5

Strategic Role of Faculty Members

5.1

What You Need to Know

There are many components that contribute to the success of contemporary colleges and universities. Articulating, pursuing, and achieving an institution’s present mission and the vision to which it aspires are essential to ensuring the present and future success of any contemporary organization, including higher education institutions. Through a proactive commitment and approach to strategic planning, contemporary organizations position themselves for present success. They similarly ensure that their organization will have the sustainability to continue to succeed and survive in the future. While ensuring organizational success in the present is certainly missioncritical, it is also imperative that an organization position itself to survive in the future. This is particularly important given the highly competitive environment in which contemporary colleges and universities compete for students, resources, and continued success. Successful colleges and universities, like other contemporary organizations, engage in proactive strategic planning as they discern and document appropriate mission and vision statements. They develop and implement academic programs and other market offerings that align with and support their stated mission and move them towards the desired future articulated in their vision statement. They identify goals based on the strategic direction articulated in their mission and pursue these goals through enabling strategies. The present and future success of any contemporary organization, including those engaged in higher education, requires both appropriate resources and capabilities. Both tangible and intangible resources contribute to the ongoing success of a higher education enterprise. Tangible resources include capital (finances), land, facilities, and equipment. Essential intangible resources of a successful college or university include its recognition, reputation, and standing within the academic community. While all of these resources are mission-critical to the success and © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_5

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survival of a contemporary college or university, the most important resources of any organization are its human resources. The second element of organizational success is the capability of an organization to effectively and efficiently utilize its resources towards meeting the expectations of its stakeholders, achieving its stated mission, and pursuing the vision to which it aspires. Together, an organization’s resources and capabilities are essential to positioning an organization with the distinctive competence necessary to realize its desired present and future. While there are a number of resources that are instrumental in achieving an organization’s mission and ultimately its vision, its human resources—particularly its faculty—are without question the most important resource of every contemporary higher education institution.

5.2

Role in Career Success

The leaders of successful contemporary organizations recognize the essential role that their personnel play in contributing to the present success and continued survival of the organizations that they have been entrusted to lead. While all of an organization’s employees contribute in designated ways to an organization’s success as it proactively seeks to achieve its mission and supporting goals, the nature of an organization and the differing roles and responsibilities of various groups of employees must be understood. While all of a college or university’s employees have unique and important roles to play as their institution seeks to pursue its mission and vision by meeting and ideally exceeding the expectations of its various stakeholders, particularly its students, the mission-critical and essential role of faculty members cannot be overstated. An institution’s faculty members represent its most important resource. While the leaders of colleges and universities recognize this reality, it is also important that those who aspire to join the institution as faculty members similarly recognize the strategic role that faculty members must play in contributing to the present and future success of their institution. Attracting, motivating, empowering, and retaining committed faculty members plays an instrumental strategic role in the success of every contemporary institution of higher education and their ability to fulfill their mission and vision successfully, while meeting and ideally exceeding the expectations of stakeholders. Faculty members contribute to the present and future success of their institutions through their teaching, research, scholarship, and service. More will be said about the strategic role of faculty members and the roles of teaching, research, scholarship, and service in a number of later chapters. Understanding, appreciating, and valuing the strategic role of faculty members must therefore inform and influence your decisions and actions throughout your career as a faculty member. Recognizing the strategic role that faculty members play in successfully preparing those under their tutelage for personal and professional career success, and in the present and future success of their institution, should enable you to make prudent career decisions throughout the various stages

5.4 Things NOT to Do

23

of your career as a faculty member. It is therefore important to never forget the strategic importance of the roles and responsibilities of faculty members and the expectations that your institution and its stakeholders will have for your work and contribution.

5.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the strategic importance of contemporary colleges and universities as they proactively pursue their mission and vision within society. • Recognize that the most important resource of any college or university is its faculty. • Approach the decision to become a faculty member as one that has strategic implications to the success of the institution with which you plan to affiliate. • Enact your roles and responsibilities as a faculty member professionally and respectfully in a manner that recognizes the mission-critical strategic importance of your work. • Demonstrate your commitment to your strategic role and responsibilities as a faculty member throughout your career.

5.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to recognize the mission-critical role and importance of faculty members to the success of any college or university. • Approach your employment as a faculty member as nothing more than a job. • Fail to recognize and properly enact all of the roles, responsibilities, and expectations that your institution has for its faculty members—including teaching, research, scholarship, and service. • Only strive to meet the minimal expectations that your institution has identified for its faculty members, thus limiting the strategic contribution that you should be prepared and willing to make to the present and future success of your institution.

Part II Stakeholder Expectations

This part of the book introduces the concept of organizational stakeholders and the mission-critical role that understanding and responding to the expectations of various stakeholder groups plays in the success of higher education institutions. The five chapters (lessons) in this section provide readers with an understanding of relevant stakeholders that have expectations for the work of faculty members and that of their institutions. This instrumental understanding enables faculty members to play a strategic role as their institution strives to meet and ideally exceed the expectations of its stakeholders. Understanding the various stakeholders of a college or university and the work of faculty members provides an essential foundation for success as a faculty member. Faculty members will ideally want to not only meet but also exceed each of these expectations throughout their careers. While there are a number of stakeholders that will have an interest in the work and success of faculty members, as an aspiring faculty member, it is imperative that your personal and professional expectations serve to guide you in preparing for and achieving a successful faculty career. Chapter 6 considers the expectations that faculty members typically have with respect to their institution. The primary stakeholders of a faculty member’s work are obviously their students. It is under the faculty member’s tutelage that student expectations exist and are realized. Student expectations exist for colleges and universities and their programmatic offerings. Students expect that faculty members will engage in a range of instructional and related activities designed to support their learning and preparation for life and career success. Chapter 7 examines the expectations that students have for an institution and its faculty. It is always important to recognize the expectations that an institution will rightfully have for its faculty members and other employees. These include understanding and fully complying with all relevant policies and procedures, including those that relate to the expected roles and responsibilities of faculty members and the mission-critical role that their work and actions play in enhancing their institution’s respect and reputation, and the accomplishment of its mission. Chapter 8 examines the expectations that colleges and universities have for their faculty members. Faculty members similarly have responsibilities to conduct themselves in accordance with the expectations of their profession. These expectations are typically

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Part II: Stakeholder Expectations

delineated through professional codes of conduct with which members of a profession are expected to comply. It is important to recognize that one’s actions as a faculty member have the potential of enhancing the recognition and reputation of one’s profession, as well as harming one’s reputation and that of their profession. The expectations of a faculty member’s profession are discussed in Chap. 9. While one’s students, institution, and profession represent primary stakeholders of the work of faculty members, there are additional stakeholders of contemporary colleges and universities. The public is obviously an important stakeholder group of contemporary colleges and universities and their faculty members. In cases where institutions, whether public or private, receive funding from governmental entities, grants, or donors, these enabling entities that provide essential funding have corresponding expectations for institutions that they support. The media also relies upon appropriate faculty members to contribute to the stories and coverage that they prepare and disseminate on behalf of their readers, listeners, and viewers. Chapter 10 considers the expectations of these various other stakeholder groups.

6

Expectations of Faculty Members

6.1

What You Need to Know

In this chapter we consider the expectations that faculty members have for their employing organization. The corresponding and related expectations that an institution has for members of its faculty will be considered in later chapters. While all of an institution’s employees contribute to the success of a college or university and thus must be considered as an institution formulates and implements its strategic direction and supporting plans, goals, and strategies, faculty members represent an essential stakeholder group that colleges and universities must always consider as they plan for and orchestrate what will ideally be a mutually successful present and future. Faculty members’ various roles and responsibilities related to teaching, research, scholarship, and service are both essential and instrumental in determining their institution’s present and future success. Astute organizations and their leaders strive to understand, fully meet, and ideally exceed the expectations of each stakeholder group, including faculty members. Success as a faculty member will be enhanced by understanding the expectations of the various stakeholders of their college or university and the role that their work as faculty members plays in meeting and ideally exceeding these expectations. Throughout your career pilgrimage as a faculty member your personal and professional success as well as that of your organization will be enhanced through your understanding of both your expectations as a faculty member employed by your institution and the corresponding expectations that your institution will have with respect to your work and contribution. Ideally, both sets of expectations will align in a mutually affirming manner.

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6 Expectations of Faculty Members

Role in Career Success

Your success as a faculty member will in many ways be determined by the degree to which your expectations and those of your institution align. Given the essential role that faculty members play in the present and future success of a college or university, these institutions typically strive to articulate a set of expectations for members of their faculty that prove mutually beneficial from the standpoint of both faculty members and the institution. While the focus in this chapter is on the expectations of individuals who accept faculty positions at a given institution, a later chapter will consider the expectations that, as employers, higher education institutions will have with respect to faculty members. An essential starting point before considering accepting a faculty appointment at any institution involves understanding yourself and why you are interested in serving as a college or university faculty member. While there will certainly be a number of common interests in this regard, there are often unique factors driving an individual’s interest in serving as a faculty member. Typical interests for pursuing faculty positions include the opportunity through research and other professional activities to not only enhance but also share one’s knowledge and expertise with others. Many aspiring faculty members are interested in further contributing to the existing body of knowledge in their field(s) of interest. Some individuals have interests related to teaching at a particular institution based on the geographic area where it is located, its programs, reputation or other factors. You will benefit from identifying your specific expectations as a faculty member. This consideration should include your interests and expectations regarding teaching, research, scholarship, and service. While many aspiring faculty members are primarily interested in teaching, others will have high expectations with respect to conducting research and engaging in various types of scholarship. Only through conscientious introspection of your reasons for pursuing a career as a faculty member will you be able to properly understand your interests and expectations as a faculty member. Once you identify and acknowledge your interests and expectations as a faculty member, you will be prepared to crosswalk your professional and personal expectations with the expectations of various employers. This process has served many successful faculty members well, resulting in rewarding and meaningful careers. It is important to take the time to fully understand yourself and your expectations before considering the corresponding expectations of the institutions that you are considering in your career search. Your expectations will often include issues related to teaching assignments, loads, and schedules. You should also consider the level of courses that you are most comfortable teaching. You should be able to articulate your interests in research, scholarship, and service. More will be said about these faculty roles and responsibilities in later sections of this book. While you will want to identify your expectations as a faculty member before seriously pursuing any potential employment opportunities, you will find that taking the time to conduct a cursory

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29

review of position announcements can inform your understanding of the expectations of typical employers and thus enable you to identify and clarify the specific expectations that you will want to consider in your job search activities.

6.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the essential importance of understanding the typical roles and responsibilities of faculty positions. • Take the time to conscientiously contemplate your interests in becoming a faculty member and the resulting expectations that you will have in accepting and serving in a faculty position. • Consider both the intrinsic and extrinsic expectations that you will have as a faculty member. • Carefully consider your interests and expectations with respect not only to teaching, but also to research, scholarship, and service.

6.4

Things NOT to Do

• Underestimate the importance of understanding your interest and motivation in becoming a faculty member and translating this understanding into your expectations as a faculty member. • Procrastinate thinking about your expectations as a faculty member until the point that you are actively engaged in your career search, including during employment interviews. • Fail to recognize the mission-critical importance of identifying and articulating your expectations not only during your initial job search but also at various points throughout your faculty career.

7

Expectations of Students

7.1

What You Need to Know

The primary purpose of contemporary colleges and universities is to prepare students for personal and professional success. This responsibility should be clearly articulated in both an institution’s present mission statement and in the future aspirations that it delineates in its vision statement. While there are certainly other stakeholder groups whose expectations should be considered as an institution formulates and implements its strategic plans, the mission-critical importance of students and their expectations must drive the goals and strategies that support both the present mission and future vision of every college or university. Understanding and proactively responding to student expectations has always been an essential responsibility of higher education institutions, and this is even more crucial today given the highly competitive environment in which contemporary colleges and universities compete. Enhancements in academic offerings as well as instructional delivery methodologies present unprecedented challenges for college and university leaders and faculty. The vast array of available academic programs and offerings, coupled with the flexibility of available delivery modes, have significantly influenced the expectations that many students have as they select the programs and institutions that are right for them. Astute institutions and their leaders will therefore seek to thoroughly understand and respond to the expectations that their desired student cohort is likely to have as those students contemplate enrolling in a particular college or university. It should be noted that the aforementioned reference to the role of institutional leaders must be understood to include an institution’s faculty, administrators, and other professional staff.

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_7

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7 Expectations of Students

Role in Career Success

As a faculty member you will be expected to play a pivotal role in contributing to the success of your institution. This is a responsibility that you will share with other leaders of your institution, including its administration. The ultimate success, and in some cases survival, of your institution will require that not only administrators but also faculty and other forward-facing academic and student personnel properly understand and are committed to not only fully meeting, but ideally exceeding student expectations. The reality is that faculty members are the essential personnel that design curriculum and deliver relevant courses designed to prepare their students for personal and career success. Understanding and responding to the expectations of each and every student should be a professional role and responsibility to which every faculty member is committed. This should likewise be not only an expectation of students, but also an expectation that an institution and its leaders and other stakeholders have for its faculty. Successful faculty members demonstrate a genuine interest in preparing their students for a successful future by incorporating student expectations as they not only design and deliver instruction, but also provide appropriate experiences and support to enhance student interest in courses and subjects and motivate them to excel in the mastery of course content and application. A number of later chapters will consider how to skillfully and professionally align the various roles and responsibilities you will have as a faculty member with the expectations of the students under your tutelage. Throughout the various lessons in this book, you will learn that your role as a dedicated faculty member who, if genuinely committed to those under your tutelage, will include interacting with prospective students who are considering attending your institution, current students, and graduates of your programs and institution. Understanding and responding to the unique expectations of each of these stakeholder groups will prove essential to your career success and satisfaction as a recognized, respected, and valued faculty member within your institution and profession.

7.3

Things to DO

• Always remember that students are the primary stakeholders of any college or university. • Recognize the importance of developing an understanding of the expectations that students have in selecting an institution at which to pursue their academic studies. • Commit to learning about your students and their expectations in order to fully meet and ideally exceed their expectations. • Recognize the mission-critical importance of student expectations in determining the success of students, faculty, and their institution.

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• Recognize that students expect faculty to engage in a range of instructional and related activities that will contribute to their preparation for life and career success. • Never forget that students are our customers and have the right to expect that their institution and its faculty will be dedicated to delivering a quality education that will prepare them for future success.

7.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to recognize that, while students will typically have certain common expectations regarding their academic program(s) and pursuits, it is not unusual for students to have unique expectations. • Seek to only meet the minimal expectations that your institution has for faculty members rather than to strive to excel in meeting student expectations. • Fail to recognize the crucial role that fulfilling student expectations plays in not only student recruitment but also student retention and successful program completion.

8

Expectations of an Institution

8.1

What You Need to Know

The stakeholders of contemporary higher education institutions include both external and internal stakeholders. An institution’s students and several stakeholder groups which will be considered in the next two chapters are considered external stakeholders. Faculty members and other employees appropriately fall into the internal stakeholder’s category, as does an institution itself. Just as various stakeholder groups will have expectations for an institution and its faculty, colleges and universities similarly have expectations for their faculty members and other employees, as their most important resources. This is no different than the fact that every successful contemporary organization should have a set of behavior expectations that delineate expected and acceptable conduct on the part of their employees. These expectations, typically articulated in an organization’s policies, procedures, and work rules, should be documented and serve to guide employee behavior and enable an organization to ensure that employees are fully aware of and compliant with all expectations that the employer has identified and communicated to employees beginning during onboarding activities and continuing through performance evaluation activities. The expectations of an institution with respect to the work and conduct of its faculty should derive from a well written job description. It is through the dedicated efforts of committed faculty members that the mission and vision of a contemporary college or university can be realized, including its ability to fully meet and ideally exceed the expectations of its students and other relevant stakeholder groups. Therefore, understanding the mission-critical role of the expectations that institutions have for their faculty is essential to the ongoing success and survival of a college or university based on its responsiveness to the expectations of its relevant stakeholders.

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_8

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8 Expectations of an Institution

Role in Career Success

As a faculty member, you will always want to recognize the responsibilities that you have to your institution and those that it exists to serve. Faculty members are mission-critical in achieving an institution’s present mission and future vision. As a faculty member, you are responsible for the effective and efficient development and delivery of instruction and other related professional activities. While there will certainly be a number of common expectations that your institution will have with respect to your work and contribution as a faculty member, some of these expectations will often be unique based on the specific mission and programs of your institution and the specified roles and responsibilities of the position that you hold. Before accepting a position with any college or university it is imperative that you fully understand and agree to the expectations that the institution has with respect to its faculty. An obvious starting point is to understand the general expectations that an organization has for all of its employees as articulated in its policies, procedures, work rules, and code of conduct. It is essential that you also understand the specific expectations of your institution for its faculty as stated in your job description. Your specific roles and responsibilities as a faculty member will fall into one or more of the four major categories of teaching, research, scholarship, and/or service. More about each of these areas of professional responsibility as a faculty member will be considered in relevant later sections of this book. The reality that as a faculty member you are always representing your institution should be a continual reminder of your professional responsibilities to your institution and its stakeholders. Your continuing success as a faculty member will be based on the professionalism, dedication, and commitment that you contribute to your work as a faculty member, the programs of your institution, and the resulting preparation of those under your tutelage. Your institution will be prepared to contribute to your success and will count on you to commit to an exemplary career of service to your students, institution, and profession.

8.3

Things to DO

• Recognize that colleges and universities have a responsibility to meet reasonable expectations of their stakeholders. • Realize the mission-critical role that institutions and other stakeholders rely on faculty members to properly and successfully enact. • Devote the necessary time as a faculty member to fully understand and comply with all expectations of your institution. • Acknowledge that faculty members have a responsibility to meet all reasonable expectations of their employing institution. • Recognize the role that meeting an institution’s expectations for faculty members plays in both faculty and institutional success.

8.4 Things NOT to Do

8.4

37

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to recognize the crucial role that complying with an institution’s expectations for its faculty plays in institutional success. • Underestimate how meeting institutional expectations contributes to the career success of faculty members. • View the role of a faculty member as that of an independent contractor that does not require complying with the institutional expectations of a typical employment relationship.

9

Expectations of a Profession

9.1

What You Need to Know

An important stakeholder group that is sometimes overlooked is the profession with which a faculty member is affiliated. Earlier lessons considered the instrumental role that a faculty member’s work plays in determining not only their professional reputation and the respect that others have for them, but also the visibility, respect, and reputation that their contribution brings to their institution. Throughout this book you will be reminded of the importance of professionalism as faculty members enact their various roles and responsibilities as they engage in teaching, research, scholarship, and service. The various stakeholders of colleges and universities expect and deserve that affiliated faculty members will conduct themselves with the highest standards of professionalism at all times. In modeling professionalism faculty members represent themselves and their institutions, but also the larger profession(s) in which they have staked their claim as a dedicated and committed professional. While many faculty members will assume an active role in appropriate professional organizations related to their research and academic disciplines and pursuits, others will instead focus their attention and efforts on ensuring that the academic programs of their institution align with its mission and vision resulting in excelling in meeting stakeholder expectations, particularly those of their students. Active participation in related academic and professional organizations, as will be discussed later, can involve serving in leadership positions within an organization, and contributing to an association’s conferences, academic journals, and professional publications. Regardless of one’s formal affiliation with relevant professional organizations in a faculty member’s field of teaching, research, and scholarship, the work of every faculty member may potentially play an important role in enhancing the professional reputation of their discipline. The visibility of your work and activities can play an instrumental role in enhancing the reputation and standing of your © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_9

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9 Expectations of a Profession

profession. In addition to casting a negative image on them and that of their institution, unprofessional work and activities on the part of faculty members can also negatively impact the larger profession to which they belong.

9.2

Role in Career Success

Faculty members have a responsibility to conduct themselves in accordance with the expectations of their profession. Regardless of the degree to which a particular faculty member actively engages in the profession associated with their teaching and other professional activities, professions and their members have a right to expect appropriate conduct and activities on the part of others whose work roles and responsibilities are directly related to the purpose and mission of related professional organizations or associations. Your career success as a faculty member will be greatly enhanced by the activities and support of professional associations that exist to support practitioners and/ or faculty in their field of endeavor. Through understanding and affiliating with professional organizations that align with your roles and responsibilities as a faculty member, you benefit from enhancing your preparedness and qualifications as you seek to impart relevant, state-of-the art knowledge and insights to your students and other stakeholders who look to your work and institution to meet their expectations. Throughout your faculty career you will likely not only benefit from the work of various professional organizations, but ideally in turn contribute to their success in fulfilling their mission. While identifying and supporting appropriate professional organizations should be an essential commitment that you make as a faculty member, it is important to always remember that whether you actually affiliate with particular professional organizations or not, in your visible role as a faculty member you are always in a real sense representing your profession. It is therefore important to understand thoroughly the expectations that colleagues within your professional will rightfully expect from you and to always strive to conduct yourself in a manner worthy of respected professionals within your field. This should be the case in all that you do, including your teaching, research, scholarship, and service. Your professionalism, while always important, will prove particularly important whenever you have the opportunity to share your expertise, insights, and at times opinions with others through media engagements.

9.3

Things to DO

• Recognize that as a faculty member you have responsibilities to both your profession and the academy. • Familiarize yourself with the expectations that related academic and professional associations and organizations have for members of their profession.

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41

• Conduct yourself in a manner that reflects favorably and professionally on your profession and others within it. • Always act in accordance with the expectations of your profession as delineated in recognized codes of conduct. • Recognize that professional conduct includes both your words and actions. • Recognize the role that all aspects of your professional conduct should play in enhancing the visibility, respect, and reputation of your profession.

9.4

Things NOT to Do

• Underestimate the importance of understanding and complying with appropriate professional expectations. • Fail to take the time to become familiar with and adhere to recognized expectations of your profession. • Engage in professional activities in a manner that diminishes your reputation as well as that of your institution and profession.

Expectations of Other Stakeholders

10.1

10

What You Need to Know

While a faculty member’s students, institution, and profession constitute primary stakeholders of their work, it is important to recognize that there are additional stakeholders of both faculty members and their institutions. An obvious but often overlooked stakeholder group of the work of faculty members and their institutions is the public. It is important to acknowledge that the public will typically have both general and specific expectations with respect to higher education institutions as well as their faculty. In cases where institutions receive financial funding or other types of tangible or intangible support from individuals, groups, or organizations, these stakeholders often play a significant role in the present and future success of a college or university. This can be the case in both public and private institutions with support being provided from governmental and private entities, grants, and donors. These enabling entities provide essential funding and have corresponding expectations for institutions that they support. The media is an additional stakeholder group that contemporary faculty members and their institutions should recognize. The media often relies on qualified faculty members to contribute to the stories and coverage that they research, prepare, and disseminate on behalf of their readers, listeners, or viewers.

10.2

Role in Career Success

In earlier lessons you learned about the important roles that various stakeholder groups can play in your success as a faculty member. It is important to identify all relevant stakeholder groups that have expectations for your institution and you as a faculty member. While the stakeholder groups discussed in the previous four chapters are obvious in both recognition and importance, it is essential that you © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_10

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10 Expectations of Other Stakeholders

further recognize that there may be several additional stakeholder groups that can have an essential impact on your success as well as that of your institution. The public is always a stakeholder group worthy of consideration by both faculty members and their institutions. Members of the public individually and collectively may possess various expectations for colleges and universities, and often members of their faculty. As a faculty member committed to the mission and work of your institution, you will want to develop a comprehensive understanding of the expectations that individuals, groups, and organizations that fall within the public stakeholder category may have for your institution. While there will be those times that public expectations may not be realistic or reasonable, in most cases the expectations of the public are appropriate and should be embraced by both relevant faculty members and their institutions. Both the present and future success of any higher education institution is based on securing ongoing support of individuals, groups, and organizations that share an institution’s mission and goals. Your roles and responsibilities as a faculty member will often play a mission-critical role in garnering the interest and support of various funding entities, including through grants, gifts, or donations. Your work as a faculty member will often be instrumental in terms of enhancing your visibility, respect, and reputation and, in turn, that of your institution. Ideally, your research and other professional activities will align with the priorities of potential funding sources. The media similarly plays an important role as a stakeholder of many colleges and universities. Ideally, you will have opportunities at various times throughout your career as a faculty member to share your expertise and insights with the audiences of various media outlets. Taking advantage of appropriate media opportunities can serve both your institution and faculty career well as you avail yourself to opportunities to share your professional knowledge and activities with the public through the stories and coverage of relevant media outlets. As appealing as it may seem to engage in media coverage as a faculty member, it is imperative to seek and accept media opportunities only for which you are fully qualified, prepared, and comfortable.

10.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the important role that the public can play in your success as a faculty member and that of your institution. • Support your institution as appropriate by engaging in relevant professional activities that contribute to your institution’s public visibility, recognition, and respect. • Accept appropriate opportunities to interact and engage with the public. • Recognize the mission-critical role that various funding sources play in the ongoing success of a contemporary college or university. • Support your institution’s initiatives involving both “friend raising” and “fundraising.”

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45

• Accept only appropriate opportunities for which you are well qualified to work with the media on particular stories.

10.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to recognize the essential role that your work and actions as a faculty member can have in producing public support for your institution. • Assume that only those institutional personnel with specific responsibilities for raising support for your institution should play a role in this essential activity. • Fail to recognize the consequences of engaging in media interviews and engagements when you are not fully qualified to do so successfully.

Part III Faculty Roles and Responsibilities—Teaching

This part of the book considers the essential role of teaching, a primary role and responsibility of faculty members. It explores this essential aspect of faculty success in eight related chapters (lessons). While there are numerous essential faculty roles and responsibilities, effective teaching is a primary role and responsibility and therefore an essential determinant of success as a faculty member. The various elements that contribute to success as a teacher are examined in the chapters in this section. A prerequisite to a successful career as a college or university faculty member is ensuring one’s continued understanding of and passion for the subject(s) that one teaches. While the interests and teaching repertoire of a faculty member will likely develop over time, it is imperative that faculty members ensure their current understanding of the field(s) in which they teach and engage in related professional activities. Pursuing a faculty career, unlike many other jobs and professions, should ideally represent a calling wherein those who aspire to and assume careers as faculty members recognize their instrumental role and responsibilities, and demonstrate both passion and commitment to ensuring effective teaching and learning of those under their tutelage. Chapter 11 examines the essential role that subject matter expertise plays in teaching success. While there are many related roles and responsibilities of being a faculty member, the ability to facilitate successful student learning through effective teaching methods and strategies serves as the underlying foundation for faculty success in motivating and inspiring student learning. A commitment to continuous professional development as a teacher is an attribute that will serve a faculty member well throughout their career and will enhance their effectiveness in meeting and ideally exceeding the expectations of their students and institution. These professional development opportunities will include learning from others, including your students and colleagues. The role of effective teaching skills in success as a faculty member is discussed in Chap. 12. Success as a faculty member involves more than going through the motions of delivering instruction in assigned courses. It involves a proactive, passionate commitment to ensuring that students are engaged and achieve maximum learning and benefit from their courses. Through a proactive commitment to motivating and empowering students, faculty members are positioned to achieve and exceed

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Part III: Faculty Roles and Responsibilities—Teaching

the stakeholder expectations of the students that they have been entrusted to teach and mentor. Chapter 13 explores the role that faculty members have in engaging, motivating, and empowering their students. Success as a faculty member must be based on thorough preparation and delivery of instruction. This involves preparation, presentation, application, and evaluation of classroom instruction that aligns with and fully achieves recognized course learning objectives. Effective classroom management is crucial in ensuring that all course activities are delivered in an effective and efficient manner that completely achieves course learning objectives and enhances the learning experiences and outcomes of all students under one’s tutelage. The importance of successful classroom management is discussed in Chap. 14. Seasoned faculty members and their institutions recognize the essential role that developing and revising course content and materials plays in the effective and efficient delivery of instruction and meeting course learning objectives and the expectations of students. While there are many conflicting demands on contemporary faculty members, it is imperative that faculty members prepare and incorporate course content that is relevant, current, and supported and enhanced through innovative course materials. Through an ongoing commitment to innovative course development and revision, faculty members should enhance both the teaching and learning processes that students and other stakeholders deserve and expect. Chapter 15 considers the role that effective course content and materials play in successful teaching. Students deserve and expect that the learning environment of their institution will ensure that they are respected and valued as unique individuals. They similarly expect that faculty members and institutions will ensure that they are afforded learning opportunities in a safe environment. While colleges and universities play an instrumental role in ensuring respectful and safe learning environments, it is only through proactive commitment and actions of faculty members that these essential attributes of successful learning can be realized. Chapter 16 discusses the role that faculty members play in creating and maintaining a productive learning environment. In recent years, most colleges and universities have transitioned in the modes through which they deliver instruction to their students. Traditional classroom deliveries have been supplemented through online and hybrid course deliveries. The importance of remote course deliveries became obvious during the recent pandemic and has illustrated the necessity of faculty members having the agility and technical competence to pivot in delivery modes based on situational factors and student needs and preferences. The importance of maintaining one’s knowledge and skills in various course delivery modes is emphasized in Chap. 17. Seasoned faculty members recognize the essential importance of ensuring successful learning in the courses that they teach and facilitate. It is imperative that faculty members continually seek to enhance their course learning outcomes through the evaluation of student learning. Astute faculty members view learning

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assessment as more than a requirement of their institution and recognize how it can be an instrumental tool in enhancing the teaching/learning process. Chapter 18 emphasizes the importance of continuous teaching improvement on the part of committed faculty members.

Subject Matter Knowledge

11.1

11

What You Need to Know

Subject matter knowledge is an essential prerequisite to the success of higher education programs. Unless faculty members have the appropriate knowledge and expertise in the disciplines in which they teach, they are not able to successfully develop and deliver instruction that aligns with their institution’s programmatic offerings and supports its stated mission. Students deserve and expect that faculty members under whose tutelage they study will be highly knowledgeable and qualified in the fields in which they teach. This should be more than having a general familiarity with the content of the particular courses that they teach, but a full understanding that enables them to have the expert knowledge to successfully deliver instruction in the various areas in which a faculty member teaches. Given that faculty members typically teach a number of courses, ensuring subject matter expertise in each of these courses must serve as a foundation for successful instruction that fully meets the learning outcomes of each and every course that faculty members are assigned to teach, as well as meeting the expectations of their students. Only by having a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter of one’s discipline and areas in which a faculty member will be expected to teach can the faculty member and their institution ensure that they are fully qualified and prepared to deliver each and every course they teach in a manner that fully meets the goals of their institution’s mission and academic programs. Students have a right to expect that the courses they take within their academic programs will represent a comprehensive array of related courses that will prepare them for future success. The courses in which they enroll should incorporate content and coursework that faculty members have ensured is both relevant and current. This expectation of students and institutions can be realized only if faculty members possess the necessary subject matter expertise required to develop © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_11

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and deliver exceptional learning experiences in each course that they teach. This challenge requires that the various courses within an academic major, while complementary, be unique and build upon each other rather than simply reiterating previous coursework.

11.2

Role in Career Success

A prerequisite to a successful faculty career is ensuring your continued understanding of and passion for the subject(s) that you teach. While your interests and teaching repertoire as a faculty member are likely to develop over time, it is imperative at all times to ensure your current understanding of the field(s) in which you teach. While skillful and effective teaching is a recognized prerequisite of success as a faculty member, teaching skills alone will not distinguish you as an excellent faculty member. Your ability to effectively and efficiently prepare and deliver instruction will require that you similarly possess current and comprehensive knowledge in the various areas in which you will be called upon to teach. Appropriate subject matter knowledge and insights should include a comprehensive understanding of the discipline(s) in which you teach as well as specific subject matter knowledge and understanding with respect to the particular courses that you teach. This should include your preparation in not only the courses that you currently teach but also related courses taught by others within your disciplinary area. You will also benefit from enhancing your knowledge in areas where you may have an interest or be expected to deliver courses in the future. While there are many aspects of preparing for career success as a faculty member that will be discussed in various chapters throughout this book, effective teaching is the foundation on which successful faculty careers are established and maintained. Similarly, an essential of effective teaching that meets and ideally exceeds student expectations and achieves the learning objectives of the courses that you teach and contributes to fulfilling your institution’s mission must always be a highly qualified cadre of faculty members with the passion to continuously maintain and enhance their knowledge and skills as subject matter experts committed to ensure that their students are well prepared to excel in their respective fields.

11.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the importance of ensuring that students receive relevant and current instruction in all of their courses. • Recognize the mission-critical role and responsibilities that faculty members have to ensure that they maintain their knowledge as subject matter experts in their discipline(s).

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• Commit to maintaining familiarity with all new developments in one’s field and sharing this knowledge and insights with your students. • Engage in appropriate professional development opportunities to maintain and enhance your qualifications as a subject matter expert. • Model the importance of subject matter expertise by your example in the interest of encouraging students to strive to become and remain subject matter experts throughout their careers.

11.4

Things NOT to Do

• Underestimate the importance of maintaining your qualifications as a subject matter expert throughout your faculty career. • Fail to share relevant new insights that you learn about your field with your students. • Teach the same material semester after semester without recognizing the need for revisions in response to new developments that have occurred or are expected to occur in your field.

Effective Teaching Skills

12.1

12

What You Need to Know

While there are many related roles and responsibilities of faculty members, the ability to facilitate successful student learning through effective teaching methods and strategies serves as the underlying foundation for faculty success. Although ideally there will be numerous ways in which faculty members distinguish themselves, it is mission-critical that exemplary teaching serve as the pinnacle of both faculty success and in turn that of their students and institution. Throughout this book you will read about the importance of both knowledge and skills with respect to faculty members and the students that they prepare for meaningful careers. While faculty members obviously require the subject matter knowledge discussed in the previous chapter, knowledge alone will never result in a faculty member’s success in the primary role and responsibilities of teaching. Success as a teacher requires a robust and diverse set of skills as a teacher capable of preparing and delivering informative and persuasive content to their students. While aspiring faculty members recognize the essential importance of becoming subject matter experts in their chosen fields, they often fail to realize an equally and perhaps even more important accompanying aspect of the domains of learning. One’s knowledge must be combined with skills in applying that knowledge. Both faculty and the students that they prepare for successful future careers must possess not only essential knowledge within their chosen field but also the necessary skills to apply the knowledge that they have gained through their academic studies and other professional development opportunities. Just as faculty members prepare their students with the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed in their chosen professions, faculty members must recognize that in addition to ensuring that they have appropriate disciplinary knowledge and skills in the areas in which they plan to teach, it is important that they recognize the need to gain the necessary knowledge and skills related to their chosen profession of teaching. There are various avenues and opportunities through which one can © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_12

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develop an effective set of teaching skills, and those who are genuinely committed and passionate about excelling as a teacher should avail themselves to each and every opportunity that presents itself to enhance their skills in the mission-critical area of teaching. While some graduate programs incorporate coursework that focuses on preparation as a teacher, there are other graduate programs that fail to incorporate such essential preparation of graduates who may be interested in becoming college or university faculty members. Many institutions have professional development programs designed to assist in the development of teaching skills. You will ideally discover that your institution provides faculty development opportunities in this essential area to success as a faculty member. Some professional associations likewise offer such professional development opportunities. A valuable way to enhance your teaching skills and effectiveness is by working with colleagues both within your discipline and institution, and external. These individuals will be interested in helping you succeed in your pilgrimage to become an exceptional teacher and can therefore provide instrumental feedback through peer observations and evaluations. There is also much that you can learn through conscientious review and consideration of teaching feedback received through student evaluations.

12.2

Role in Career Success

Teaching skills are a prerequisite for success throughout your career as a faculty member. As such it is important that you commit to enhancing your teaching skills and thus your teaching effectiveness at every stage of a successful faculty career. A commitment to continuous professional development and achievement as a teacher is an attribute that will serve you well throughout your career and will enhance your continued ability to meet and ideally exceed the expectations of your students. In addition to pursuing appropriate professional development opportunities available through your institution and other resources, you will always want to avail yourself of the valuable feedback of your students and colleagues. A starting point in ensuring continued effectiveness and efficiency in your teaching skills is always to remember the relationship that exists between effective teaching and resulting learning. This should involve ensuring that appropriate learning objectives have been established for not only each course that you teach but also the various sessions or modules within each course. Successful teaching should derive from and support these learning objectives and incorporate four essential instructional components. Developing and maintaining effective teaching skills in each of these four sequential areas will contribute to your continued success in the essential area of teaching throughout your career as a faculty member. These four essential areas of teaching skills and success are preparation, presentation, application, and evaluation. Preparation involves engaging in the necessary actions to prepare for each course and individual class section that you plan to

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teach, while presentation is the actual delivery of instruction. Application involves engaging students in class activities that enable them to apply the course content and concepts that have been presented. The final step in successful teaching involves evaluation of both student and course performance. While it can be easy to assume that effective teaching involves nothing more than presentation, making this unfortunate mistake will compromise your effectiveness as a faculty member as well as the resulting learning experiences and outcomes of your students. Your commitment to teaching should therefore seek to enhance your teaching skills and effectiveness throughout your teaching career in the essential areas of preparation, presentation, application, and evaluation.

12.3

Things to DO

• Recognize that teaching effectiveness must serve as the foundation for a successful faculty career. • Make a commitment to continuously seek ways to enhance your teaching skills and effectiveness throughout your career. • Seek and pursue appropriate opportunities to enhance your teaching skills and effectiveness. • Purpose to enhance your teaching skills in the essential areas of preparation, presentation, application, and evaluation. • Always remember that teaching is your primary role and responsibility as a faculty member and that excellence in this mission-critical area can only be realized through an ongoing commitment to learning new ways to enhance your teaching skills and effectiveness.

12.4

Things NOT to Do

• Assume that teaching involves only the presentation of instruction, and disregard the related importance of preparation, application, and evaluation in teaching success. • Fail to commit yourself to a lifelong pilgrimage to enhance your skills and effectiveness as a teacher. • Underestimate the various resources that are available to enhance your teaching skills and effectiveness, including feedback and support from both your students and colleagues.

Student Engagement, Motivation, and Empowerment

13.1

13

What You Need to Know

As a faculty member, your role and responsibilities should include ensuring that your students achieve the maximum benefit from the time they spend under your tutelage. Effective teaching therefore must involve more than simply going through the motions of delivering instruction in the courses that you teach. It must result in learning outcomes as a result of students recognizing the value of the courses that they take under your tutelage and dedicating themselves to maximize their learning in these courses. The teaching skills discussed in the previous chapter will serve you well as you strive to enhance the learning experiences and outcomes of each student in your courses. You will want to utilize the teaching skills that you have developed and perfected as you skillfully prepare, present, apply, and evaluate your lessons and courses. The fruits of your labors and success will be evident as you observe that students are becoming engaged in the content and learning activities of your courses. Your goal should be to create exciting learning experiences within a positive learning environment resulting in students who are engaged, motivated, and empowered. In addition to enhancing the learning experience of students in your classes, approaching your roles and responsibilities as a committed, passionate teacher will similarly yield desirable results in terms of increasing student retention and degree completion. These tangible benefits are obviously important to an institution’s students and other stakeholders.

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13 Student Engagement, Motivation, and Empowerment

Role in Career Success

Your success as a faculty member will in large part be measured by what students learn in your classes and take with them as tools in their toolbox for successful and meaningful professional careers. Your skills and abilities to equip students with essential qualifications for future success must be based on a proactive approach to learning. Through a proactive approach on your part as a teacher as well as on the part of your students this learning experience is maximized. As a faculty member, you should be prepared to make a proactive, passionate commitment to ensuring that students are engaged and achieve maximum learning and benefit from their courses. Achieving exceptional learning outcomes necessitates a similar proactive commitment on the part of your students. Only when both parties approach learning in a proactive manner, can your expectations and those of your students and institution be achieved. The engagement, motivation, and empowerment of your students will derive from your passion and commitment as their teacher. Through your involvement and engagement with your students, they in turn will become engaged, motivated, and empowered to learn as much as they can in your courses. Your motivation and empowerment are likewise essential in the interest of challenging your students to apply themselves in your courses as they prepare for subsequent career success. A theme that will be reinforced throughout the various chapters of this book is the importance of preparing for and maintaining success throughout your faculty career. While maintaining your expertise as a subject matter expert who is committed to continually learning new things and sharing your insights with your students is essential to your success as a faculty member, developing the interest, passion, and ability to care about each and every student under your tutelage and to strive to engage, motivate, and empower them is the hallmark of exceptional faculty members. Through such a commitment to your students, you will position yourself to not only meet but exceed the expectations of every student that you have been entrusted with the opportunity to teach.

13.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the essential importance of engaging, motivating, and empowering your students. • Commit to a proactive, inclusive approach to understanding, engaging, motivating, and empowering your students. • Challenge your students to approach their courses as a valuable opportunity to prepare them for career success. • Acknowledge that desired course and student learning outcomes can be fully realized when both faculty members and their students approach teaching and learning in a proactive manner.

13.4 Things NOT to Do

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Things NOT to Do

• Approach your teaching in a transactional, rather than transformational, manner by merely going through the motions in delivering instruction. • Convince yourself that you are not expected or responsible for engaging, motivating, and empowering your students. • Fail to demonstrate your commitment to your students in a manner than encourages them to desire to maximize their learning by fully committing to maximizing their learning in your courses.

Classroom Management

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14

What You Need to Know

Faculty members are responsible for ensuring that all aspects of a student’s learning experience are conducive to effective, efficient, and safe learning. This is the case regardless of the mode in which instruction is delivered. Effective classroom management therefore includes traditional face-to-face classroom instruction as well as coursework delivered in whole or in part remotely, as in the case of online or blended (hybrid) courses. As important as it is that faculty members prepare to deliver effective and efficient instruction that supports course learning objectives, exceptional teaching and instruction similarly requires that faculty members pay attention to the various logistical aspects that support successful instruction. This involves ensuring effective classroom management regardless of the instructional delivery mode(s) of a particular course. Successful classroom management is a prerequisite to teaching effectiveness and successful learning. It requires the same level of attention to preparation as required in the planning of course content and methodology. While the logistics of classroom management will vary based on the chosen instructional delivery mode, in all cases it must involve a proactive strategy and set of appropriate actions on the part of faculty members. Effective classroom management should ensure that every student is afforded appropriate learning opportunities in a safe and secure environment. Inclusion, equity, and diversity must be considered as a faculty member develops and implements an appropriate classroom management plan. Appropriate access to lectures and class learning activities must be ensured. In the case of traditional classroom deliveries this will involve appropriate seating arrangements, whereas in the case of online and blended course deliveries this entails ensuring that all students have appropriate and timely access to all course resources. Ensuring access to reliable and timely technological support is crucial regardless of the course delivery mode. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_14

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14 Classroom Management

Role in Career Success

As committed, prepared, and passionate as you may be as a faculty member, your success in the delivery of effective instruction and provision of motivating and empowering course activities will always require that you devote appropriate attention to classroom management. Classroom management involves logistics, facilities, and behaviors and as a faculty member your awareness of this reality and proactive actions to ensure effective classroom management will prove instrumental in determining the learning comfort and outcomes of your students as well as your effectiveness and success as a dedicated teacher. Whether you are delivering a class face-to-face in a traditional classroom or through mediated instruction in the case of online or blended course offerings, you should always devote the same attention to necessary enabling logistics as you do to preparing for and presenting course instruction. This may involve ensuring an appropriate course layout and seating that facilitates effective and efficient learning. Students must have the opportunity to fully avail themselves to all aspects of learning activities in a given course. While diversity must always be embraced and valued, it is essential that course logistics ensure full inclusion of all class members. It is similarly important that you recognize the essential roles that both you and your students have in successful classroom management. This begins with you always being prepared to deliver courses designed to fully achieve the associated learning outcomes. You should likewise set high expectations for your students and expect, encourage, and reinforce their active engagement and participation throughout your courses. Students should always be expected to engage in appropriate conduct that aligns with the stated expectations of your institution as well as those of your courses. While setting and delineating behavior expectations in advance will typically avoid or minimize issues, your responsibility to your students and institution also involves handling behavioral and disciplinary issues in a professional and appropriate manner. Your responsibilities as a faculty member must similarly include ensuring that your students are safe at all times while under your tutelage. While it can be easy to minimize the essential role that classroom management must play in successful teaching, it is important that you never make that unfortunate mistake. Your proactive recognition of the importance of classroom management and commitment to ensuring a productive and safe learning experience for each of your students is both an essential role and responsibility that you have as a dedicated faculty member and an expectation that your students and institution will rightfully have for you. Your success as a teacher will thus always be enhanced through your proactive commitment and actions with respect to effective and efficient classroom management.

14.4 Things NOT to Do

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65

Things to DO

• Recognize the role that effective and efficient classroom management must always play in creating a successful learning environment and experience for your students. • Work with your institution to ensure the provision of appropriate facilities and technologies to support effective classroom management. • Set clear expectations for your students with respect to their role and responsibilities as responsible members of your courses. • Create a learning environment that supports and encourages effective learning. • Recognize your responsibility to ensure inclusiveness and that every student has the opportunity to feel valued and fully benefit from their participation in your courses. • Recognize the mission-critical responsibility to ensure that your students are safe as they participate in your courses.

14.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to recognize the essential role that classroom management plays in successful teaching and learning. • Assume that classroom management is important only during the delivery of traditional face-to-face instruction. • Fail to set clear behavior expectations for your students at the start of a course and to reinforce these expectations when necessary.

Course Content and Materials

15.1

15

What You Need to Know

Seasoned faculty members and their institutions recognize the essential role that course content and materials play in the effective and efficient delivery of instruction and in meeting course learning objectives and the expectations of students. This mission-critical role and responsibility of faculty members must involve not only the initial development and creation of course content and materials, but also the subsequent review and revision of course content and materials over time. The development of course content should begin with the conscientious formulation of appropriate learning objectives for each course that a faculty member teaches. By devoting the necessary time and effort to properly understand the role that a particular course will play in the successful preparation of students, faculty members can properly identify and conceptualize the appropriate learning objectives for a given course. It is important to recognize that learning objectives should align with the present and future preparation needs and expectations of students as well as likely employers. Seeking and incorporating stakeholder input should therefore be an integral component in the development of appropriate learning objectives that will serve your students well. In conceptualizing appropriate learning objectives, it is important to recognize that a particular course will often have more than one learning objective. Once a set of learning objectives has been developed, faculty members can turn their attention to designing the overall content of a course. The resulting content should align with and support the learning objectives and serve as an appropriate route of travel towards reaching the learning destination articulated in the learning objectives for a given course. The resulting course content should sequentially build in a manner that faculty members are confident will lead to the successful accomplishment of course learning objectives.

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15 Course Content and Materials

It is also important to develop and implement a set of robust course materials designed to support the effective coverage of the various instructional topics and components of each course. As well as supporting the content of the various lessons and sessions of a course, appropriate course materials provide essential opportunities to reinforce course content covered through lectures and for students to develop skills in the application of course content. The development and implementation of appropriate course content and materials are learned skills of successful teaching that have demonstrated their effectiveness in the resulting engagement, motivation, and empowerment of students.

15.2

Role in Career Success

While there are many conflicting demands on contemporary faculty members, it is imperative that faculty members prepare and incorporate course content that is relevant, current, and supported and enhanced through innovative course materials. It is mission-critical that faculty members ensure that appropriate learning objectives exist for each course that they teach. Regardless of whether you are the only faculty member that teaches a particular course or other colleagues teach sections of a course, it is imperative that all appropriate faculty members have the opportunity to weigh in and contribute to the important process of developing course learning objectives in that these objectives should exist for a course regardless of who is assigned to teach the various sections of that course. Once appropriate learning objectives have been developed and reduced to writing, you will be able to develop your courses. This process will involve determining the specific content to be covered in each class session as well as the logical and appropriate order in which the various topics will be covered. You will benefit from considering the various topics and their ordering from the perspective of your students and planning for each sequential topic to build on and reinforce course content covered in earlier sessions of the course. You will also want to consider and incorporate the inclusion of prerequisite material that students will have learned in previous courses. You will want to take the necessary time to develop an instructional plan and feel confident in its ability to contribute to the successful accomplishment of all of the designated learning objectives for a course. Once you have determined that you have a viable coverage plan for your course you can turn your attention to developing the actual lesson plans for each session of the course. These lesson plans will serve as your roadmap for successful delivery of your course content as well as innovative experiential activities that will appeal to your students. Each lesson plan should have its own learning objective(s) that support the overall learning objective(s) for the course. While prepared lesson plans and supporting course materials are often available through textbook publishers, it is essential that you ensure that your instructional and experiential activities align with the learning objectives of your academic program, courses, and class sessions. It is important that you be selective in the

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prepared resources that you consider and utilize in developing and delivering your courses. As a dedicated faculty member, it is imperative to always remember that successful teaching should be viewed as your primary role and responsibility. Successful enactment of this role will require that you devote the necessary time and effort to preparing before each and every class session. An ongoing commitment to innovative course development and revision will enhance your success as a teacher and will enable you to assure both the teaching and learning processes that your students, institution, and other stakeholders deserve and expect.

15.3

Things to DO

• Recognize that successful preparation to deliver instruction includes the development and implementation of appropriate course content and materials. • Ensure that course content and supporting materials fully align with established course learning objectives. • Devote the necessary time and effort to develop and implement course content and materials that effectively and efficiently support course learning objectives and align with student expectations. • Use appropriate sequencing when developing and structuring the various instructional lessons and segments within a course.

15.4

Things NOT to Do

• Deliver course instruction in an unorganized manner as a result of not properly structuring and developing course content in advance of instructional delivery. • Underestimate the time and effort that should be devoted to designing a course that fully meets course learning objectives and student expectations. • Fail to recognize the essential role that course materials play in course preparation, presentation, and application. • Fail to revise course content and materials as appropriate in the interest of maintaining course relevance and currency as well as maximizing the value of each course to students.

Learning Environment

16.1

16

What You Need to Know

Students deserve and expect that the learning environment of their institution will facilitate their effective learning and achievement of course objectives in all of their courses. While meeting these expectations of their students should be a mission-critical activity in every course that an institution offers, in reality it is the individual faculty members who teach each of these courses that bear the actual role and responsibility for ensuring that their courses are developed and delivered in an appropriate manner supported by a proactive learning environment. Students similarly expect that every course in which they enroll will be conducted in a learning environment that supports their institution’s commitment to ensuring that every student is respected and valued as a unique individual, rather than just one of a number of students in a course. An institution’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion should therefore be an integral supporting component of a successful learning environment. Students expect that every faculty member will demonstrate a commitment to ensuring that the courses that they teach incorporate a proactive and positive learning environment. They also expect that both faculty members and their institution will take all necessary and appropriate actions to ensure their safety while participating in their courses. The essential importance of ensuring a safe learning environment should be obvious based on the numerous school safety incidents that have occurred in recent years. While colleges and universities play an instrumental role in ensuring productive, respectful, and safe learning environments, it is only through the proactive commitment and actions of dedicated faculty members that these essential aspects and outcomes of successful learning can be realized. This is the case regardless of the delivery mode(s) utilized in a particular course. It is through the commitment and diligence of faculty members who recognize the crucial role and responsibilities that they have with respect to proactively creating and maintaining a positive © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_16

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learning environment that their expectations, as well as those of their students and institution, can be fully realized.

16.2

Role in Career Success

Your success as a faculty member will in large part be determined by your ability to develop and deliver effective instruction that transforms your teaching into desired learning outcomes. The essential relationship between teaching and learning will be considered a number of times in this book. While it is important for you as a faculty member to recognize the mission-critical importance of both teaching and learning, it is always imperative that you remember that teaching is a means to an end and that the resulting successful learning is the desired outcome of your labors as a teacher. In previous chapters you learned about the mission-critical role that properly conceived learning objectives must play in your successful delivery of effective instruction. You also learned about the importance of preparation, presentation, application, and evaluation as essential tools in your toolbox as a successful teacher. You have likewise learned about the importance of skillfully designing the content or your courses, supported by sound lesson plans and course materials. While all of the above attributes will serve you, your students, and institution well as you enact your essential role as a teacher, the full measure of your success as a faculty member will only be realized through your ability to effectively plan and orchestrate a productive learning environment in which your students are afforded opportunities to maximize their learning and achieve their full potential. While it can be easy to underestimate the importance of creating a positive learning environment or to not properly prioritize this essential role and responsibility given the many other pressing responsibilities that you will have as a faculty member, it is important that you commit to ensuring that you have properly considered and addressed the learning environment of every course and class session that you teach. Your students will appreciate your commitment and effort in this regard as you enhance your recognition, respect, and success as a dedicated faculty member.

16.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the essential role that the learning environment plays in contributing to effective and efficient instruction that meets course learning objectives and the expectations of students. • Commit to becoming skilled in creating an effective learning environment in each of your courses. • Avail yourself to all opportunities and resources to enhance your effectiveness in ensuring a productive and successful learning environment. • Encourage your students to contribute to a desirable and productive learning environment in your courses.

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• Recognize the significant role that the learning environment plays in producing successful learning by your students, as well as your success as a faculty member.

16.4

Things NOT to Do

• Assume that your institution has the primary responsibility for the learning environment that exists in each of its courses. • Fail to recognize that as a teaching faculty member you are both positioned and expected to ensure that your students are afforded successful learning opportunities facilitated in an effective learning environment. • Fail to understand the instrumental role that the learning environment plays in teaching and learning success.

Traditional, Online, and Blended Learning

17.1

17

What You Need to Know

While the world of higher education has evolved over the years, there are certain aspects of colleges and universities that have continued to serve an instrumental role in the successful delivery of instruction to their students. These include the mission-critical role that faculty members play in preparing their students for present and future success based on the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and confidence that they gain in their courses. Recognizing the essential relationship that exists between teaching as a means of achieving the desired result of learning serves to guide the successful preparation, presentation, application, and evaluation of student learning that results in achievement of an institution’s mission and goals, course learning objectives, and the expectations of students. For many years colleges and universities delivered their courses through “face-to-face” traditional classroom delivery, with faculty members meeting their students at scheduled times and locations which become known as “classrooms.” While most courses were typically delivered in facilities on an institution’s existing campus, a growing number of colleges and universities have added satellite campuses and other locations that extend their reach and ability to more fully respond to student desires that course offerings be provided at convenient times and locations. While the flexibility of these alternate delivery sites extended the reach of an institution’s courses and programs, courses were still typically delivered in a “face-to-face” manner with faculty members teaching and facilitating learning in traditional physical classrooms. In recent years, most colleges and universities have transitioned in the modes through which they deliver instruction to their students. Traditional classroom deliveries have been supplemented through online and/or hybrid course deliveries. Online courses by definition are fully delivered remotely, allowing students to participate and complete courses by receiving course instruction, interacting with faculty members and other students, and completing course assignments and © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_17

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requirements without the requirement of attending a traditional “face-to-face” class at a predefined location. Online classes can be delivered either as a synchronous class, with course meetings occurring at scheduled times, or as an asynchronous class, allowing students to participate in the course and complete course requirements at times that are convenient for them within a specified time period, such as weekly. Many institutions now offer some courses as hybrid deliveries, a delivery mode also called blended learning, that incorporates a limited number of “face-to-face” classroom sessions with other class sessions occurring online.

17.2

Role in Career Success

The importance of remote course deliveries became obvious during the recent pandemic and has illustrated the essential importance of faculty members having the agility, technical competence, and willingness to pivot in delivery modes when appropriate based on situational factors and student needs and preferences. While some institutions had previously transitioned to the remote delivery of courses through online or hybrid courses, many had not. While some faculty were already engaged in successfully delivering some courses through online or hybrid deliveries, a great many faculty lacked the preparation, experience, and confidence to switch to the new delivery modes necessitated by the pandemic. Many faculty members were unprepared, uncomfortable, and/or anxious about switching rapidly to a new instructional delivery mode with which they were unfamiliar, as well as feeling unsure of their ability to engage in the necessary learning to enable them to reformat their course delivery approach and methodology in a fairly short period of time. Fortunately, through the assistance and support of colleagues with experience in remote course deliveries as well as instructional design professionals within their institutions, faculty members and their institutions responded to this formidable challenge and ensured the successful continued delivery of their courses. As well as developing the necessary knowledge and skills to pivot their course deliveries in a timely manner, most faculty members quickly demonstrated both the agility and ability to deliver instruction in additional modes than those with which they and their students had become accustomed. Many faculty and their students have actually preferred the new delivery formats, and these delivery modes have proven indispensable when institutions have found it necessary to pivot from planned delivery modes during emergencies and other situations. Your success as a faculty member will be greatly enhanced through your knowledge, skills, and confidence in an expanded repertoire of instructional delivery modes. By enhancing your ability to supplement traditional “face-to-face” classroom instruction with online and/or hybrid instruction, you will greatly enhance your success as a faculty member, as well as that of your institution and students. Developing and maintaining your agility to respond to the various unexpected

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developments and challenges that you may face throughout your career will also be instrumental to your continued success as a faculty member.

17.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the essential importance that remote instructional delivery modes now play in higher education. • Recognize that a growing number of students desire and benefit from courses that are offered online or through blended learning. • Realize that there will be some students who may prefer or benefit from traditional “face-to-face” course deliveries. • Devote the necessary time and effort to enhance your knowledge, skills, and confidence to engage in different instructional modes when and where appropriate. • Purpose to develop your ability, willingness, and agility to pivot in instructional modes and in other ways when such a decision is educationally prudent. • Remember that transitioning to a different instructional delivery mode with which one is previously unfamiliar can present a challenge to both faculty members and their students.

17.4

Things NOT to Do

• Underestimate your ability to become proficient in developing and delivering courses through expanded instructional delivery modes. • Fail to avail yourself to resources and members of your institution that are able and willing to assist you in enhancing your knowledge, skills, and confidence in new instructional delivery modes. • Convince yourself that you have to become an immediate expert in the remote delivery of instruction.

Teaching/Learning Improvement

18.1

18

What You Need to Know

Seasoned faculty members recognize the essential importance of ensuring successful learning in each of the courses that they teach and within which they facilitate student learning. They develop and deliver their courses in a manner that recognizes the integral relationship that exists between teaching and learning, and incorporate essential instructional activities as they engage in the preparation, presentation, application, and evaluation of their courses. A theme throughout this book is the mission-critical importance of continuous improvement as faculty members strive to fulfill each of their roles and responsibilities in an exemplary manner consistent with their own expectations as a faculty member and with those of their students, institution, and other relevant stakeholders. As a primary role and responsibility of faculty members, successful teaching is an essential skill that contributes to success in achieving an institution’s mission and goals, course learning objectives, and student expectations. Students expect and deserve that what they learn in their courses will prepare and enable them to succeed in their chosen careers. As important as it is to develop and deliver effective and efficient courses that result in achieving course learning objectives, through the skillful delivery of well developed and delivered instruction, ensuring learning success cannot and must not end there. It is imperative that dedicated faculty members recognize their responsibility to continually strive to ensure that their courses are achieving their full potential. In addition to ensuring that courses are properly conceived and designed, and incorporate relevant and current content, faculty members should also seek to continually enhance their knowledge and skills in the masterful delivery of instructional content. While a given faculty member may teach a particular course for a number of years, and often throughout their teaching career, it is imperative that courses do not remain static with the same material being covered in the same manner © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_18

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each and every semester. It is essential that faculty members continually seek to enhance the learning outcomes of the courses that they teach through evaluation of student learning. Astute faculty members view learning assessment as more than a requirement of their institution and recognize the instrumental role that it can and should play in continually enhancing the teaching/learning process.

18.2

Role in Career Success

Your ability to skillfully transform your teaching into relevant learning on the part of your students is an attribute that will serve you well throughout what will ideally be a long and successful career as a faculty member. While developing your teaching skills is extremely important during the early stages of your career, effective teaching must remain a priority in ensuring your continued success as a respected teacher throughout your faculty career. A measure of your teaching success will always be your ability to engage in the delivery of informative and persuasive instruction that results in learning that aligns with the objectives of your courses as well as with the expectations of your students and institution. A proactive commitment and approach are necessary in the interest of ensuring that your courses continue to be delivered in an engaging manner that motivates and empowers your students to recognize the value of what they are learning in your courses and to likewise commit themselves to a proactive approach to learning in each course. Continuous improvement is an expectation of not only your students and institution, but also of accrediting organizations. Your success in this mission-critical aspect of a teaching faculty member will necessitate your commitment to continually seeking ways to enhance the teaching/learning environment and outcomes in your courses. Through your conscientious and honest review of your success in the crucial area of teaching/learning, you will be able to discover ways to improve your effectiveness as a teacher and to enhance the learning experience and outcomes of each of your students. Feedback from both peer colleagues and your students will prove instrumental in illuminating strategies that you can proactively implement to increase your effectiveness and success as a respected teacher and facilitator of learning.

18.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the importance of ensuring that your teaching translates into learning success for your students. • Purpose to continually review and evaluate your teaching techniques and methodology in the interest of enhancing the learning experience and outcomes of your students.

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• Commit to a proactive process of continuous improvement of your teaching and the resulting learning outcomes of your students. • Acknowledge the responsibility that you have to your students and institution to regularly review and when appropriate revise your course content and methodology.

18.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to remember that teaching is ultimately effective only if it results in successful learning outcomes. • Allow your course content and methodology to become “stale” as a result of approaching your role and responsibilities as a teacher in a reactive, rather than proactive, manner. • Fail to take advantage of the many resources that are available to contribute to your continual pilgrimage to increase your success as a teacher and that of the learners under your tutelage.

Part IV Faculty Roles and Responsibilities—Creative Activities

The role of creativity on the part of faculty members is considered in the three chapters in this section of the book. Each of the chapters examines the role that creativity plays in enhancing one’s success as a faculty member and in enacting the various roles and responsibilities that an institution’s stakeholders expect and deserve. Through creativity successful faculty members enhance student learning and course learning outcomes through innovative teaching methods and materials, enhanced teaching/learning approaches, and course and curriculum development and revision. The contemporary world continues to evolve, necessitating frequent review of course content, methods, and materials, and, when appropriate, revision in order to enhance learning outcomes. Experienced faculty members commit to periodic review and revision of their course content, methods, and materials to assure that instructional delivery is relevant to the learning needs and outcomes of students. Creative activities related to instructional design and delivery should incorporate teaching methods and materials, including the skillful use of technology, that enhance learning outcomes and the preparation of students for successful lives and careers. The importance of ensuring that teaching methods and materials are current and innovative is discussed in Chap. 19. Successful faculty members recognize the importance of becoming “students of teaching and learning” that are committed to learn continuously from their own experiences and that of others, including colleagues and students, in the interest of enhancing the effectiveness of their teaching and the resulting learning of their students during every class session and semester. By employing a proactive approach to continuous improvement faculty members can achieve their full potential and maximize the course and student learning outcomes that are consistent with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that graduates will require throughout their careers. There are numerous opportunities by which faculty members can enhance their effectiveness, including by participation in related professional organizations, conferences, and seminars. Chapter 20 considers the importance of innovation in teaching and learning approaches. In addition to ensuring that the particular courses that they teach are delivered in a manner that fully meets course learning outcomes and student expectations, faculty members also have a responsibility to work conscientiously with their colleagues to ensure that their institution’s curriculum and supporting courses offer value-added preparation as students prepare for successful lives and careers.

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Part IV: Faculty Roles and Responsibilities—Creative Activities

Through their engagement in appropriate professional activities, including research and scholarship, informed faculty members are qualified to ensure that their institution’s curriculum and courses are responsive to the realities and needs of the contemporary world. The engagement of relevant stakeholder groups, including alumni and employers, provides essential information to ensure that curriculum and course revisions are consistent with the realities of the contemporary world in which graduates will assume and enact their respective professional roles and responsibilities. The role of faculty members in curriculum development and revision is examined in Chap. 21.

Teaching Methods and Materials

19.1

19

What You Need to Know

An essential aspect of one’s continuing effectiveness as a faculty member must involve ensuring that one’s teaching is responsive to the changing needs of the contemporary world in which faculty members have a role and responsibility to prepare their students for present and future success. The contemporary world continues to evolve, necessitating that course content, as well as teaching methods and materials, are frequently reviewed and, when appropriate, revised in response to the new developments and challenges that students are expected to face throughout their careers. Through creativity and innovation faculty members can enhance both their success in preparing their students for career success, as well as the resulting success of their students. By a commitment to continuous improvement in their teaching approach and methodology, faculty members ensure that their students are gaining the essential knowledge, skills, and confidence that will enable them to achieve personal and professional success throughout their careers. Given the instrumental roles that course learning outcomes play in effective course development and instructional delivery, it is important that faculty members commit to and engage in creative activities that will ensure that their teaching and the resulting learning of their students will result in learning outcomes that achieve the expectations of their students and institution. Experienced faculty members commit to a proactive, periodic, and ongoing review and revision of their course content, methods, and materials in assuring that instructional delivery in their courses continues to be relevant and responsive to the learning needs and outcomes of their students. Creative activities related to instructional design and delivery should proactively incorporate skillful teaching methods and materials, including the use of appropriate technology that supports and enhances learning outcomes and the preparation of students for successful lives and careers. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_19

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19 Teaching Methods and Materials

Role in Career Success

Your success as a faculty member will in large part be determined by your ability to be innovative as you enact your various roles and responsibilities, particularly those related to teaching and the facilitation of student learning. Your creativity in this essential aspect of your work will enable you to develop and deliver instruction that is innovative, interesting, informative, and persuasive. Your creativity and innovation will prove instrumental in enhancing your teaching effectiveness as well as the successful learning of your students. Through the skillful conceptualization and application of appropriate creative activities you will be able to greatly enhance your effectiveness as a teacher and facilitator of student learning. Students that experience creativity in their courses typically become engaged, motivated, and empowered resulting in their enhanced interest in course content and outcomes, thus enhancing their commitment to learning and achieving the course objectives that will serve them well throughout their careers. Successful faculty members recognize the value of engaging in a learning pilgrimage wherein they continuously seek ways to improve their courses by making them more interesting and valuable to their students. By utilizing creativity consistently, they become skilled in enhancing their course methodology and materials in the interest of increasing the learning experience of each and every one of their students. Successful teachers commit to continuous improvement of not only their courses but to the development of their own creative skills that will enable them to prepare and deliver their courses in a manner that incorporates teaching methods and materials that are relevant, current, creative, and innovative.

19.3

Things to DO

• Recognize that students and other stakeholders deserve and expect that courses will be designed and delivered in a manner that ensures their resulting value to students. • Acknowledge that successful course development and delivery is greatly enhanced by a faculty member’s commitment to implementing innovative teaching methods and materials in their courses. • Acknowledge the role that creativity on the part of faculty members plays in enhancing the success of courses, students, and faculty members. • Commit to developing the necessary abilities and skills to incorporate creativity and innovation in your courses successfully. • Recognize that proactive commitment to the creativity and innovation in your courses must involve the conscientious, periodic review and revision of your course content, methodology, and materials.

19.4 Things NOT to Do

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87

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to recognize your responsibility as a committed faculty member to incorporate creativity and innovation in your courses. • Underestimate the role that creativity and innovation play in the engagement, motivation, and empowerment of students and therefore in their commitment to learning in your courses and resulting learning outcomes. • Fail to recognize the value of developing your own creative skills as a teacher and to take advantage of available opportunities to enhance your creativity.

Innovative Teaching/Learning Approaches

20.1

20

What You Need to Know

By recognizing the necessity of a proactive approach to continuous improvement, faculty members can achieve their full potential and that of the courses that they teach, achieving course and student learning objectives that are consistent with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that graduates will require throughout their careers. Successful faculty members recognize the importance of becoming “students of teaching and learning” that commit to continuously learn from their own teaching and learning experiences and that of others, including colleagues and students, in the interest of enhancing their teaching and the resulting learning of their students each and every class session and semester. Effective teaching is not an end in itself. Rather, it is the means to the desired end result of achieving established course learning objectives. Through effective teaching, faculty members are able to ensure that their institution’s mission and goals are realized, and that their courses and institution are successfully meeting and ideally exceeding course learning objectives and the expectations of students. An essential element in the successful development and delivery of courses must always be a commitment to ensuring that courses are not only relevant and current in their content, but also interesting so as to engage, motivate, and empower students to commit to active learning in each of their courses. Successful faculty members recognize the mission-critical importance of continually reviewing their courses in the interest of ensuring that each course and class session fully contributes to achieving appropriate course learning objectives and the expectations of their students. Underlying a successful teaching/learning process must be an ongoing commitment to discovering various ways faculty members can enhance teaching effectiveness and learning outcomes in their courses. A willingness to envision and implement challenging and creative ways to enhance one’s classes is a hallmark of successful faculty and their teaching. As such, it is always important © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_20

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to seek strategies to not only enhance one’s creativity as a faculty member, but also proactively seek to implement masterful creativity and innovation in each and every course and class session.

20.2

Role in Career Success

Success as a faculty member is achieved throughout one’s faculty career. While the focus in this chapter is on enhancing your effectiveness as a teacher and facilitator of learning, creativity and resulting innovation should be an attribute of all of your professional activities—including teaching, research, scholarship, and service. It is, however, essential that you view your roles and responsibilities as a teacher as a primary obligation and commitment as a faculty member. While most faculty members recognize the importance of innovative teaching early in their careers, sustainable success as a faculty member must be based on a career-long commitment to enhancing one’s courses through the infusion of creative innovations in each of your courses. It is important to engage in innovative approaches to teaching and learning that properly align with and support course learning objectives, rather than merely engaging in innovation for its own sake or in response to current educational fads. There are numerous opportunities by which you, as a faculty member, can enhance your effectiveness and resulting success in the mission-critical areas of infusing creativity and innovation in your courses. In addition to availing yourself of the various resources of your institution that are designed to prepare you to develop and deliver innovative courses, you will similarly want to take advantage of participation in relevant conferences, seminars, and professional organizations.

20.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the mission-critical importance of ensuring that your courses are developed and delivered in a manner that continues to prepare your students for successful lives and careers. • Commit to infusing your courses with innovative revisions designed to enhance your teaching electiveness and the resulting learning outcomes and success of your students. • Engage in the continuous review and, when appropriate, revision of your courses to ensure their sustained ability to prepare your students for career success. • Strive to enhance and utilize creativity as a prerequisite for increasing your teaching and learning effectiveness and the learning outcomes and success of your students.

20.4 Things NOT to Do

20.4

91

Things NOT to Do

• Become satisfied with your current teaching approach and thus fail to recognize your role and responsibility as a faculty member to continually enhance your courses in order to ensure that your students continue to be well prepared for career success. • Underestimate the instrumental role that creativity may play in contributing to new innovative courses that more fully prepare students for success. • Fail to avail yourself of resources that exist to enhance your creativity and innovativeness as a faculty member.

Curriculum Development and Revision

21.1

21

What You Need to Know

A prerequisite for effective teaching and learning involves ensuring that both the curriculum and supporting courses of an institution’s programs are properly conceptualized, designed, and delivered consistent with the learning needs of students. In addition to ensuring that the particular courses that they teach are delivered in a manner that fully meets course learning objectives and outcomes as well as the expectations of students, faculty members also have a responsibility to work conscientiously with their colleagues to ensure that their institution’s curriculum and supporting courses offer value-added preparation as students prepare for successful lives and careers. It is important to understand the difference between an institution’s curriculum and the various courses that are designed to support that curriculum and by design exist to contribute to the successful mastery of the content of each and every course that an institution offers in support of the defined learning objectives for each academic program of study. Each academic area of study, typically referred to as a major or specialization, should have a well-designed set of program learning objectives that contribute to student learning and the mastery of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and confidence. These overall learning objectives should be supported by a properly designed set of course learning objectives. Through engagement of relevant stakeholder groups, including students, alumni, and employers, on behalf of their students, institution, and other relevant stakeholders, faculty members are able to ensure that both the curriculum of specific academic programs and the supporting courses within each program result in the development and delivery of a curriculum and courses that align with the realities of the contemporary world in which graduates will assume and enact their respective roles and responsibilities. It is imperative that faculty members and their institutions recognize the mission-critical importance of ensuring that both their

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_21

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curriculum and its supporting courses remain current and relevant in ensuring the successful preparation of students. By engaging in appropriate professional activities, including research and scholarship, dedicated faculty members can remain informed and qualified to ensure that their institution’s programs and courses continue to be responsive to the everevolving realities and needs of the contemporary world. Curriculum and course development must therefore be a continual process of review and revisions, in which committed faculty members engage in the interest of ensuring that their students are well prepared for the many challenges that they are likely to face throughout their careers.

21.2

Role in Career Success

Your success as a faculty member as well as that of your students and institution will require that you become a skilled architect in the design of both the curriculum and supporting courses that will enable your students to prepare for career success. This process should be mission-driven and align with the stated goals of your institution and its various programs. While your primary focus and attention should be on the structuring of an appropriate curriculum to prepare your students for career success, there will be instances where your talents and energy will be called upon to assist in the development of your institution’s core curriculum which all students, including yours, will be expected to complete in preparation for the specific courses that they will complete in their individual academic programs. While your work in curriculum development will at times seem laborious, your involvement in curriculum development and periodic revision will enable you to ensure that your students are meeting the appropriate requirements to prepare them for success upon completion of your academic program(s). A well-designed curriculum will serve as a roadmap that will guide both you and your students. This roadmap will play an instrumental role as you design and deliver the various courses that support each academic program. It will similarly serve as a guide that enables your students to understand the various courses and requirements that they will be expected to complete and how these requirements serve to synergistically prepare them for career success. Your role and responsibilities in curriculum development and revision are essential to ensuring that your students are well prepared for the future challenges that they will face. It is therefore essential that you fully understand the importance of contributing your talents to the mission-critical responsibilities of curriculum development and revision. Doing so will prove a wise investment of your time and talents in producing the robust curriculum that your students expect and deserve. It will also enable you to significantly enhance your success as a faculty member.

21.4 Things NOT to Do

21.3

95

Things to DO

• Recognize your role and responsibilities for ensuring that your institution’s overall curriculum and the curriculum requirements that your students will be expected to complete provide students with an exceptional learning experience that prepares them for career success. • Acknowledge the mission-critical role that curriculum development and revision plays in the success of an institution, its academic programs, and its students. • Dedicate the necessary time to enhance your knowledge, skills, and confidence in successful curriculum development and revision. • Demonstrate a willingness to participate fully in the curriculum development processes of your institution and academic programs.

21.4

Things NOT to Do

• Underestimate the mission-critical importance of sound curriculum development and revision. • Feel that you are too busy to participate in curriculum development processes and activities. • Assume that other faculty members will step up and handle necessary curriculum development tasks. • Be merely willing to accept and support the curriculum decisions of others and the resulting curriculum and course requirements.

Part V Faculty Roles and Responsibilities—Research

This part of the book contains three chapters (lessons) that consider research and the related role and responsibility of contemporary faculty members, particularly those who teach in research institutions. Astute faculty members recognize the role that their research activities should play in informing their teaching and its value to students under their tutelage as well as other relevant stakeholders. The chapters consider conceptualizing research projects, conducting research, and sharing research findings. While there are many reasons that faculty members engage in research, two primary reasons are to contribute to the body of knowledge in their academic discipline and to enhance their teaching by sharing insights gleaned through research by incorporating practical applications within related courses. It is important that faculty members conscientiously consider and determine a research stream that corresponds with their professional interests as well as the courses that they teach. Doing so enables faculty members to properly conceptualize planned research projects effectively and efficiently in the interest of enhancing the success of these projects and their resulting value to the faculty member’s students, institution, and profession. Chapter 22 explores the process through which faculty members conceptualize research projects that align with their professional interests and their teaching responsibilities. Once a research project has been conceptualized and selected, faculty members must develop an organized plan that delineates research activities as well as the allocation of time and other resources necessary to conduct and complete a particular research initiative successfully. The knowledge and skills that the faculty member has gained while completing a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation will prove instrumental in planning, conducting, and documenting a research project. An appropriate research strategy and approach should be consistent with the defined research objectives, and incorporate the various aspects of a sound research methodology, including the collection, analysis, and documentation of research findings. The process by which faculty members organize and successfully conduct research activities is examined in Chap. 23. While most faculty members find the research activities in which they engage to be intellectually stimulating and an essential means by which to enhance their understanding of their professional field, by sharing their research journey and discoveries with others the value of faculty research initiatives can be fully realized. Publishing, both in peer-reviewed journals and professional publications,

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Part V: Faculty Roles and Responsibilities—Research

affords faculty members opportunities to share what they have learned through their research with other interested professionals. Similarly, the insights that a faculty member gleans through their research activities can and should be shared with students as appropriate through classroom instruction and mentoring activities, including those related to advising and directing students engaged in research projects, including those related to completing a thesis, dissertation, or other course or program projects. Chapter 24 discusses the importance of sharing one’s research findings with others, including various interested stakeholder groups.

Conceptualizing Research Projects

22.1

22

What You Need to Know

Research represents one of the four primary roles and responsibilities of faculty members. While there are many reasons that faculty members engage in research, including to meet the expectations of their institutions, two primary reasons are to contribute to the existing body of knowledge in their academic disciplines and to enhance their teaching effectiveness and the learning outcomes of their students by sharing insights discovered through research by incorporating practical applications within related courses. It is important that faculty members conscientiously consider and determine an appropriate research stream that corresponds with their professional interests, as well as the courses that they currently teach and are likely to teach in the future. Doing so enables astute faculty members to properly conceptualize and plan research projects effectively and efficiently in the interest of enhancing the success of these projects and their resulting value to the faculty member’s students, institution, and profession. Success as a researcher requires a different mindset and set of skills than those associated with one’s role and responsibilities as a teacher. Among the challenges of becoming an effective researcher is understanding the expectations that one’s institution will have with respect to the nature, activities, and outcomes of a faculty member’s research. These expectations are obviously a consideration as one conceptualizes an appropriate research stream and research topics. An additional challenge associated with conducting research and producing related outcomes is the reality that a faculty member’s research activities will require the appropriate allocation of time and other resources. Available support from one’s institution or other related sources may be available to support one’s research agenda and activities. Effective time management is a prerequisite of all successful research initiatives.

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_22

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Selecting and conceptualizing an appropriate research topic to study is missioncritical to successful research. It is important to first identify an area of research interest and then to determine and focus on an appropriate research topic within that area. Faculty members who have previously completed a thesis or dissertation should be well versed in the process of selecting a research topic. While faculty members, particularly those who are early in their careers, will often have a number of research areas which interest and intrigue them, selecting a manageable topic is essential to the successful completion of any research undertaking. Conducting a comprehensive literature review of the existing body of knowledge will prove invaluable in refining research interests into research projects that are manageable, doable, and capable of producing the results that motivated the decision to embark on a particular research initiative.

22.2

Role in Career Success

While your primary role as a faculty member will typically involve the development and delivery of effective instruction that enables your students to achieve course learning objectives and prepare for future success, conducting appropriate research is similarly an essential role and responsibility of your work as a faculty member. Your institution’s expectations with respect to faculty research will be driven by its mission and goals, with those institutions that are currently designated as research institutions or those that are pursuing this designation or enhancing their present research designation having high expectations that their faculty will both engage in and publish in appropriate outlets high-level research that contributes to the existing body of knowledge. Engaging in appropriate research serves an essential additional purpose in that it prepares faculty members to enhance their courses and resulting learning outcomes by infusing the insights they have gained through their research in the courses that they teach, thus enhancing the learning outcomes of their courses and their resulting value to their students. Regardless of your interest and motivation in engaging in research, an essential starting point must always be the conceptualization of appropriate research topics to investigate and study. Your success as a researcher will be based on selecting appropriate areas and topics to research as well as your ability to effectively and efficiently complete meaningful research in the research areas and topics that you decide to pursue. You will obviously want to select topics to investigate that align with your teaching responsibilities and also with your interests. Conducting research in areas in which you have limited interest is never a wise decision. You will benefit from identifying and pursuing a well-conceived research stream that provides necessary direction as you identify and select appropriate areas and topics to study in support of that research agenda. Incorporating these elements into a professional development plan, which will be discussed in later chapters, will serve you well in terms of providing appropriate direction as you make related decisions regarding appropriate research projects to pursue. While you may have many research interests, it is important to prioritize them and to select ones that

22.4 Things NOT to Do

101

are appropriate and manageable starting points in your ongoing research pursuits. The process of conceptualization thus plays a mission-critical role in ensuring the success of your research undertakings in terms of their contribution to both the body of knowledge and the learning outcomes of your classes. Taking the time to properly select research topics will similarly enhance your success as a researcher and the pleasure and meaningfulness of your research pilgrimage.

22.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the role that research plays in the success of an institution and its programs. • Acknowledge your institution’s interest and priorities with respect to faculty research. • Recognize that your success as a researcher will be enhanced through the selection of research topics that interest you and are manageable tasks to complete. • Undertake the study of research topics that align with your professional interests, roles, and responsibilities. • Realize that the dedicated time and effort that you spend in conceptualizing and structing a research project will be instrumental to its successful accomplishment as well as to your success as a faculty researcher, given the time commitment that you will be making in conducting a research initiative.

22.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to recognize the crucial importance of prioritizing and selecting appropriate and manageable research topics. • Underestimate the needed time and other resources that will be required to successfully complete a selected research initiative. • Devote insufficient time and contemplation to identifying and conceptualizing appropriate topics to research. • Agree to pursue research areas and topics that, while being of interest to others, do not align with your professional interests as a teacher and researcher.

Conducting Research

23.1

23

What You Need to Know

Once a research project has been selected and conceptualized, faculty members must develop an organized plan that delineates planned research activities as well as the allocation of time and other resources necessary to conduct the research initiative successfully. An appropriate research methodology should be consistent with the defined project objectives that have been identified during the conceptualization of each research initiative. It should incorporate a sound research methodology, including the collection, analysis, interpretation, and documentation of research findings. The knowledge and skills that many faculty members develop while completing a thesis and/or dissertation during their academic preparation typically enable them to properly understand the research process and proceed successfully in conducting planned research projects. The identification and selection of an appropriate and manageable research topic serves as an essential starting point in planning and conducting successful research. By properly conceptualizing one’s topic of research interest, a productive research process can be envisioned and the various necessary research activities can be planned. While it is necessary to identify a research topic early in the process, it is not uncommon to refine that topic during the early stages of the research process. A literature review is once again helpful, particularly in that it reveals the research interests and methodologies of other researchers. It is important to translate one’s research topic and interests into a tangible approach that outlines the planned research methodology that aligns with and properly answers a stated set of research questions. Research questions serve to guide the planned research methodology as well as frame the questions that will be answered at the conclusion of research activities. The selected research methodology should enable answering each of the research questions and will sometimes vary based on the specific research questions to which a researcher expects to discover the answers through a comprehensive research process. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_23

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The overall plan for conducting a successful research project will involve developing an appropriate research design that corresponds with the research interests and questions of a particular research study. Appropriate methodologies for the collection and analysis of necessary data should be delineated. Once sufficient data has been collected and analyzed to answer the stated research questions, the resulting findings of the study should be interpreted in order to answer the research questions that the research project was intended to answer.

23.2

Role in Career Success

Success as a faculty member will typically require that you become skilled and proficient in conducting appropriate research within your field. It will necessitate that you are fully knowledgeable and skilled in all aspects of the recognized research process and fully capable of planning and conducting research studies, and subsequently analyzing and interpreting the findings of your research in order to answer the research question(s) that you have established for your research studies. Your success as a faculty member will typically require that you become an experienced researcher in formulating an acceptable research methodology and conducting research in a manner consistent with the expectations of recognized and respected researchers within your field. The methodology and procedures that you follow as a researcher should attest to your commitment, expertise, and professionalism as a seasoned researcher. The quality of your research should speak for itself and align with the expectations of your profession and institution. By properly conceptualizing the research projects in which you choose to engage and properly planning and conducting the various sequential activities of a robust research methodology, you will be able to realize the purpose and goals of each research project you undertake and to fully answer the associated research questions based on your research findings. In so doing you will always want to ensure that your research attests to your commitment to the expectations that exist for high-quality research, and that it fully meets and ideally exceeds the expectations of the various stakeholders that stand to benefit from your research activities. You will always want to remember the importance of not only contributing to the existing body of knowledge but also sharing the valuable and exciting discoveries of your research with your students.

23.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the important role and responsibilities of faculty members to engage in quality research that they can share with their students and contribute to enhance the existing body of knowledge in your field. • Acknowledge the expectations of your institution, profession, and other stakeholders that you engage in high-quality research, both in process and outcomes.

23.4 Things NOT to Do

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• Recognize the role that successful research can and will play in establishing you as a recognized and respected professional within your institution and profession. • Review and fully understand the various sequential activities that constitute the research process and consequently success in conducting research. • Recognize the roles that a properly conceptualized research topic and research questions play in research success. • Recognize the essential importance of following each of the sequential steps of the research process.

23.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to understand and follow each of the sequential steps that constitute the recognized research process. • Attempt to jump ahead in the research process in the interest of prematurely interpreting research findings prior to the proper completion of earlier research activities which must serve as a basis for determining and discerning resulting research findings. • Seek to expedite completion of the various steps of a proper research process in the interest of quickly completing and reporting on a research project.

Sharing Research Findings

24.1

24

What You Need to Know

While most faculty members find engaging in research activities to be intellectually stimulating and an essential means to enhance their understanding of their professional field, only through sharing one’s research journey, activities, and discoveries with others can the value of faculty research initiatives be fully realized. Dedicated faculty members that fully understand and embrace their roles and responsibilities with respect to research recognize their obligation as a researcher to be willing and fully committed to sharing their research findings with the various audiences that will benefit from learning from their often unique and innovative research findings. A motivating factor in undertaking and engaging in research projects as a faculty member should always be to learn new things that they will be able to share with their students both in the classes that they teach and through other interactions with students as in the case of guiding students as they complete various course and/or program requirements, including the completion of a master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation. Sharing relevant aspects of one’s research activities should be viewed not only as an obligation of committed faculty members, but also a sought-after opportunity to share what one has learned with others, particularly when research discoveries have practical applications. Faculty members should also seek opportunities to share what they have learned through their research with other professionals in their field. In doing so they will often have the coveted opportunity to enhance the existing body of knowledge by sharing their discoveries with academicians and other professionals who will both have an interest in their research findings and stand to benefit from incorporating one’s research results as they enact their respective professional roles and responsibilities. Faculty members should always be willing to share with others what they have learned through their research activities.

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There are various avenues by which a faculty member can and will be expected to share their research findings with others. Publishing, both in peer-reviewed academic journals and relevant professional publications, affords faculty members instrumental, mission-critical opportunities to share their research and resulting discoveries with other interested professionals. While publishing in appropriate academic journals should be an expectation and goal of faculty members, their institution, and profession, it is important to also recognize the reality that publishing in professional outlets, such as those of related professional associations, can significantly expand the reach and resulting impact of one’s research contributions. Similarly, it is important to understand and pursue appropriate opportunities to share one’s research at conferences and professional meetings. Ideally, a faculty member will be able to share their research in a synergistic approach that incorporates both publications and presentations to a diverse but appropriate range of stakeholders.

24.2

Role in Career Success

Your success as a contemporary faculty member is in many ways measured by its demonstrated impact. Although this metric for measuring the effectiveness of faculty members and their institutions is fairly new, demonstrating impact has become an important consideration on the part of institutions and various stakeholders, including accrediting agencies. As successful as you may become as a skillful researcher, the impact and influence of your work in this essential area will achieve its full potential through your willingness and efforts to share relevant research findings and discoveries with others. By sharing practical research findings with your students in related courses you will be able to enhance your effectiveness as a teacher and the resulting learning of your students. You will ideally be in a position to share new insights that students will not be able to learn about in their course textbooks. In addition to enhancing your success and that of your institution in the two mission-critical areas of teaching and research, sharing your research findings with your students will demonstrate your interest in preparing students for exemplary career success. By sharing your research interests, methodology, and results through publication not only in peer-reviewed, high-quality academic journals but also in appropriate respected professional publications, you will leverage the insights that you have learned through your research and your willingness to share your research results with various relevant stakeholders, including your students, colleagues, other academicians, and other professionals. While it will always be important from a career perspective to publish through recognized, respected outlets and to deliver presentations at respected conferences and professional meetings, it is also important to recognize other meaningful opportunities that may present themselves to share your work with others in a manner that extends its reach and impact, and your recognition as a faculty researcher and that of your work, thus contributing to your continued success as a faculty member.

24.4 Things NOT to Do

24.3

109

Things to DO

• Recognize the responsibility that you have as a faculty member to share your research with others who can benefit from your work. • Ensure that research that you share with others represents high-quality work and results. • Consider the various audiences that will be interested in your research as you identify and select appropriate outlets through which to share your work. • Format articles for publication in accordance with the stated expectations of selected publications. • Appreciate that there are both formal and informal opportunities to share your research work and results.

24.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to recognize the expectations of your institution and profession with respect to appropriate ways and outlets through which to share your research. • Select publications and conferences that have limited reach and impact, or those that may limit your ability to share your work with others and achieve your goals in so doing. • Fail to recognize and remember the importance of sharing appropriate research with your students. • Only reference yourself in sharing your research, without acknowledging your institution.

Part VI Faculty Roles and Responsibilities—Scholarship

This part contains three chapters (lessons) related to sharing one’s research findings, scholarship, and expertise with others. While faculty members certainly learn many essential insights through their research activities, scholarship affords faculty members opportunities to leverage what they have learned by sharing their discoveries with others. An essential aspect of scholarship involves contributing to the existing body of knowledge. Faculty members have various opportunities to share their research findings through publishing in academic journals or professional publications, as well as presenting at conferences and professional meetings. Faculty members enhance the learning and preparation of their students by remaining current in their respective field(s) and sharing relevant knowledge with their students. They similarly have a responsibility to engage in appropriate research both to enhance their professional knowledge and to share it with others, including their students. Publishing is an essential element of faculty scholarship that enables faculty members to leverage their research findings by sharing them with others. Chapter 25 considers the role and responsibilities of faculty members to contribute to the existing body of knowledge within their academic discipline. Faculty members share the understandings and insights that they have gleaned through their research and other professional activities by publishing in relevant outlets that are read by academics and practitioners within their field. While most institutions, particularly those holding or pursuing a research designation, will expect faculty members to publish in relevant peer-reviewed refereed academic journals, it is also important to recognize the contribution that faculty members can make by contributing to appropriate professional publications within their field. By skillfully combining their contributions to both academic journals and other professional publications, faculty members can increase their visibility and that of their institution and profession while enhancing the respective body of knowledge. Pursuing opportunities to publish in academic journals and professional publications is discussed in Chap. 26. Participating in conferences and professional meetings related to their field affords faculty members opportunities through which they can share their knowledge with others while also learning from others. Conferences and professional meetings provide opportunities to present their research activities and findings with related faculty members and professionals who will benefit from what they can learn through these professional activities. Attending and participating in conferences and professional meetings offer valuable networking opportunities as well as

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opportunities to conceptualize and collaborate on future research activities. Faculty members often are afforded consulting opportunities that result from their involvement in professional meetings. The importance of sharing one’s research findings and expertise at conferences and professional meetings is discussed in Chap. 27.

Contribution to Body of Knowledge

25.1

25

What You Need to Know

Faculty members enhance the learning and preparation of their students by remaining current in their respective fields(s) and sharing relevant knowledge with their students. An essential role and responsibility of faculty members thus involves maintaining their current understanding of their fields by continually reviewing the relevant work of others who have been willing to engage in the necessary research to enhance the existing body of knowledge and to share what they have learned with others whose professional interests and responsibilities stand to benefit from their work. Faculty members therefore have a responsibility to engage proactively in research that will enhance their ability to enact their respective roles and responsibilities successfully, both as a teacher and as a researcher. A primary reason for faculty members to engage in research is to enhance their understanding of their disciplines and consequently their ability to incorporate their research discoveries in their teaching, significantly increasing the learning outcomes of their students. Faculty members should also recognize their mission-critical roles and responsibilities to engage proactively in research that has the potential of making a meaningful contribution to the existing body of knowledge within their field. As important as it is for faculty members to engage in research activities that benefit their understanding and expertise, only through their willingness and enthusiasm to share their research projects and findings with others will the full potential and value of their research activities be realized. While sharing research findings when relevant in a faculty member’s class should be a priority of faculty members who are committed to ensuring the preparation of their students for career success, faculty members should also be interested in contributing to the existing body of knowledge. Ideally, as they conceptualize, plan, and conduct research projects, faculty members engage in a conscientious, comprehensive review of the research contributions © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_25

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of others to the existing body of knowledge. They should similarly recognize their responsibility to contribute to the evolving body of knowledge so as to benefit both academicians and practitioners and enable them to more successfully enact their respective professional roles and responsibilities. While there are various avenues that afford faculty members relevant opportunities to share their research with others and make appropriate and relevant contributions to the existing body of knowledge, two primary ways to leverage the contribution of a faculty member’s research are publishing in academic journals or professional publications and delivering presentations at related conferences and professional meetings. These opportunities to share research with others and contribute to the body of knowledge are considered in the next two chapters.

25.2

Role in Career Success

Your success as a faculty member will in many ways be based on your comprehensive and current understanding of the body of knowledge of your discipline. By having a thorough understanding of the previous contributions of other researchers you will be able to prepare to successfully impart the necessary knowledge and skills that will contribute to the career success of your students. A prerequisite to the successful sharing of relevant disciplinary developments with your students will obviously require that you become a student of the body of knowledge in your field in order to be able to skillfully utilize that knowledge as you impart relevant insights to your students. Your success will require that you remember the instrumental role that those who have previously contributed to the existing body of knowledge have played in advancing the theory and practice of their respective fields. Their work has served as the basis for the various concepts and theories that you will be expected to incorporate in the courses that you teach. The textbooks that you select for your courses will incorporate many relevant lessons chronicled in the existing body of knowledge of your discipline. While the existing body of knowledge will have developed and accumulated through the contributions of many researchers over time, it is important to proactively seek to contribute to the current body of knowledge by sharing your research findings as a faculty member as well as to maintain your knowledge of the evolving body of knowledge through an ongoing, proactive commitment to study new developments within your field. Your success as a faculty member will in various ways be enhanced by your willingness to share your research discoveries with others, including your students as well as the students taught by other faculty members at your and other institutions. Sharing your research with other faculty members will allow you to enhance its impact considerably in preparing students for successful careers. Your contributions to the existing body of knowledge will similarly enable other researchers to learn from your work and often to formulate and conduct additional research based on your work. Practitioners in your field will likewise benefit from your

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contributions to the body of knowledge. Understanding and embracing your ability to advance the body of knowledge and practice in your field will enable you to enhance the impact of your research, as well as your recognition and respect as a faculty member, and that of your institution.

25.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the role that the existing body of knowledge has played in your preparation and success as a faculty member. • Appreciate that the body of knowledge in your field should and will evolve over time as additional researchers contribute the insights of their research to expand and enhance the existing body of knowledge. • Recognize the significant role that making appropriate contributions to the body of knowledge can and should play in enhancing the value and impact of your research. • Commit to becoming a student of the existing body of knowledge to maintain your currency and relevance as a faculty member. • Encourage your students to continue to prepare for and engage in successful careers by regularly reviewing relevant information in the evolving body of knowledge in their field.

25.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to stay abreast of evolving developments in your field. • Fail to recognize your responsibility to share appropriate research findings with others. • Seek to contribute to the evolving body of knowledge merely for the sake of doing so, rather than to make a meaningful and lasting contribution to your field.

Academic Journals and Professional Publications

26.1

26

What You Need to Know

Publishing is an essential avenue through which faculty members can effectively and efficiently share their research initiatives and resulting findings with various stakeholders. When selecting potential publication outlets and opportunities it is always important to consider how various publication outlets align with both the findings and outcomes of one’s research and the interests of the audiences who will read and benefit from one’s research and scholarly activities. By publishing in relevant outlets that are read by academics and/or practitioners within their field, faculty members have the opportunity to fulfill their roles and responsibilities in sharing the understandings and insights that they have gleaned through their research and other professional activities. Publication opportunities exist in both academic and professional venues, and both should be conscientiously considered when choosing the most appropriate place(s) to share the findings of a faculty member’s research and other professional activities. While most institutions, particularly those holding or pursuing a research designation, will expect faculty members to publish in relevant and respected peer-reviewed academic journals, it is also important to recognize the essential contribution that faculty members can make by publishing in appropriate professional publications within their field. By skillfully combining their contributions to both academic journals and other professional publications, faculty members can significantly increase their visibility, recognition, reputation, and impact, as well as that of their institution and profession, while contributing to the evolving body of knowledge. In addition to opportunities to publish in the normal editorial issues of various academic journals and other professional publications, there are often opportunities to publish in special issues of these publications. These special issues typically address timely issues and attract significant interest and readership. These opportunities often align with the timely research of faculty members and thus present © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_26

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ideal opportunities to share one’s research with relevant stakeholders as well as make a meaningful and timely contribution to the evolving body of knowledge in their field. Faculty members who have been recognized for their related research and other professional activities are often invited to review related submissions that are under consideration for publication, or to serve in an editorial capacity for regular or special issues of a particular publication.

26.2

Role in Career Success

Your role, responsibilities, and ultimately your success as a faculty member require a proactive commitment to share what you know and continue to learn with others. This reality should be evident in your teaching approach and resulting success, as well as in your commitment to continually engage in research and other learning activities that enhance your knowledge and skills in your chosen field and to leverage this understanding through your willingness to share what you have learned with those who will benefit from that knowledge. As important as envisioning, conceptualizing, and conducting research certainly is, it is only through sharing your research results with others that you can successfully impart your essential, often innovative, discoveries and insights with others. While there are certainly other avenues through which you can successfully impart your knowledge to others, including in presentations at relevant academic conferences and professional meetings, as will be considered in the next chapter, the primary and perhaps most effective and efficient way to share your research insights with other relevant individuals is by publishing in appropriate outlets. It is important always to remember the expectations of your institution and profession with respect to the appropriate means by which to share your research discoveries with others. Decisions regarding where to publish should consider not only which publication outlets are most appropriate in which to place your work, but also the appropriate format in which to present your work. While you will certainly be expected to publish in relevant and respected peer-reviewed academic journals, you should remember that not all stakeholders who stand to benefit from your work in these respected journals will have access to them. It is therefore important to remember the reach and impact that your work will often have by publishing in other respected professional publications that are routinely read by practitioners within your field. Discerning an appropriate balance in making decisions about where to share your work will produce results that, in addition to making your work available to relevant stakeholders, will enhance your visibility, recognition, respect, and impact, as well as that of your institution.

26.3

Things to DO

• Seek to leverage the value of your work as a researcher by publishing in relevant publications.

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• Be intentional and selective regarding the outlets in which you decide to share your work. • Recognize the importance of sharing your work with both academics and practitioners. • Remember that the decision of where to submit your work for publication is an important one in terms of extending the reach and impact of your work. • Recognize the role that publications often play in contributing to the evolving body of knowledge in your field.

26.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to recognize the expectations that your institution will rightfully have with respect to how and where you publish the results of your research. • Focus only on peer-reviewed academic journals, rather than selecting an appropriate combination of publications in which to submit and place your work. • Prepare submissions without following the specific submission guidelines of each publication to which you submit your work. • Give up on submitting your work if it is initially rejected by a journal or if you are asked to revise and resubmit your initial submission. • Simultaneously submit the same article to more than one publication.

Conferences and Professional Meetings

27.1

27

What You Need to Know

There are many reasons why faculty members attend conferences and professional meetings. Participating in conferences and professional meetings related to their field affords faculty members valuable opportunities to learn from others as well as to share their knowledge and work with others. Participation in appropriate conferences and professional meetings similarly affords faculty members valuable opportunities to network with others and to establish long-term friendships and collaborative relationships with like-minded professionals. It is important to acknowledge the distinct difference that exists between merely “attending” these valuable professional opportunities and actually “participating” fully in them. By active participation a faculty member can realize the full potential of these essential professional opportunities. Conference and professional meetings afford faculty members significant opportunities to learn from the work of other researchers and ideally to share their work with others as well, either through presentations or poster sessions. By learning about the research activities of others, faculty members often can more fully conceptualize and plan their own research projects before embarking on a particular project. Presenting at academic conferences and other professional meetings likewise provides a valuable opportunity for faculty members to share their planned research projects as well as research that is already in progress in the interest of receiving valuable feedback, guidance, and suggestions that will serve to enhance their resulting research initiatives. At such events it is often possible to meet colleagues with similar interests that would be interested in collaborating on a particular research project. Both conference and professional meeting presentations are important venues through which to share one’s work. They also have been instrumental as faculty members have prepared to submit their work to academic journals and/or other professional publications. Active participation in appropriate conferences and © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_27

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professional meetings are therefore important strategies that are available as faculty members seek to share their work with others, initially through presentations and subsequently by publishing in recognized and respected publications. Faculty members can also enhance their visibility, recognition, and impact by being willing to serve on conference and professional meeting planning committees and/or by chairing sessions during these events.

27.2

Role in Career Success

There are many advantages to not only attending but actively participating in appropriate conferences and professional meetings related to your professional field. In selecting appropriate conferences and professional meetings to attend you will always want to use discretion in determining the events that will yield the greatest benefit both to you professionally and to your institution. This is particularly important given the often-significant costs involved in traveling to and participating in conferences and professional meetings and the fact that your institution will expect you to make prudent decisions in requesting necessary funding and demonstrate appropriate stewardship in the use of any allocated funds. Fortunately, many conferences and professional meetings now afford attendees the opportunity to participate in-person or virtually, making it possible for faculty members to reduce the travel costs and time of participating in a particular event. While participation in conferences and professional meetings presents valuable opportunities to network with other colleagues with similar interests to yours, these events also can be instrumental to your success as a researcher. You will benefit from sharing your preliminary research interests with others in the interest of receiving the valuable feedback, guidance, and often suggestions that they will typically be gracious in offering. Similarly, through informal sharing with other attendees and ideally presenting your work to-date at conferences and professional meetings, you will have the opportunity to get your research project on the radar of interested individuals who will want to follow the evolution of your work. Last, but certainly not least, presentations at these relevant venues enable you to share your finished research with others in advance of your work being published. Participating in relevant conferences and professional meetings will offer many benefits in your career pilgrimage. In addition to increasing your visibility, recognition, and impact, as well as that of your research and other professional activities, participating in appropriate conferences and professional meetings will also enhance the standing and impact of your institution. Your success will be enhanced through your proactive commitment to sharing your work and that of your institution through these valuable professional opportunities.

27.4 Things NOT to Do

27.3

123

Things to DO

• Recognize the role that participating in appropriate conferences and professional meetings can play in enhancing your success as a faculty member as well as that of your institution. • Acknowledge that, in addition to providing valuable learning opportunities for you as a faculty member, presenting at appropriate conferences and professional meetings represents important venues for sharing your research and other professional activities. • Recognize how you can expand your associations, influence, and impact as a faculty member through networking. • Demonstrate diligent stewardship in requesting and utilizing funding to attend conferences and professional meetings. • Take every opportunity to share your research projects with others both formally and informally. • Seek feedback from other attendees regardless of the present stage of your research projects.

27.4

Things NOT to Do

• Deny yourself the full benefits that accrue from actively participating in a conference or professional meeting, as opposed to merely attending. • Fail to take every opportunity to share your research interests and work with others. • Be unwilling to consider collaborating with others who are interested in your work and research projects.

Part VII Faculty Roles and Responsibilities—Service

This part includes eight chapters (lessons) that relate to the service roles and responsibilities of faculty members. These roles involve interacting with students, colleagues, and others in fulfilling an institution’s mission. Among these roles are those associated with supporting an institution’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Many of the service roles of faculty members involve interacting and collaborating with others within their academic department, college or university, and the community in which an institution is located. Some service roles and responsibilities involve assuming leadership positions within one’s academic department or program, college, or university. The role of a faculty member involves preparing their students for present and future personal and professional success. While this is certainly part of a faculty member’s responsibilities while current students are under their tutelage in classes and through advising and mentoring activities, committed faculty members also play an important role in interacting with both alumni and prospective students considering attending an institution. The engagement of dedicated faculty members who are committed to preparing their students for career success plays an instrumental role in attracting new students, preparing current students, and remaining engaged with graduates. Chapter 28 considers the essential service roles of all faculty members related to student interaction. Faculty members teaching at the graduate level have a responsibility to serve on the research committees of candidates completing the requirements of a master’s thesis or other project, or a doctoral dissertation. This will often involve serving as a faculty member on the committee that guides, oversees, and eventually approves a thesis or dissertation as satisfying the requirements and expectations of an academic program and institution. One member of each research committee is designated and responsible for serving as the committee chair or research advisor. Service roles associated with serving on or chairing research committees are discussed in Chap. 29. The opportunities that faculty members are afforded to work with colleagues both within and outside their institution are essential and meaningful facets of being a college or university faculty member. The academy is unique in many ways, including the fact that it brings together individuals of like interest and fosters an environment where they are expected and afforded opportunities to collaborate as they work together to advance the work and success of their program and institution and to engage in intellectual interests and pursuits in which they

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share a common interest. Collaboration with colleagues from their institution and other faculty members and professionals will frequently involve collaborating on research and scholarship that is shared through publications and presentations. The reality of faculty service as a collaborative activity is examined in Chap. 30. A necessary and essential aspect of a faculty member’s service role is participating in the various meetings and work tasks that contribute to the successful development and delivery of academic programs and other activities that contribute to achieving an institution’s mission and meeting and ideally exceeding the expectations of its stakeholders. This service takes place at all levels of an academic institution, including the departmental, school or college, and university levels. While ensuring that an institution’s academic programs and offerings are robust and responsive to current societal needs, institutional service also involves attending and participating in various governance activities, including those related to institutional policies and procedures. Chapter 31 discusses the various roles and responsibilities of faculty members related to participating in departmental and other institutional committees, meetings, and governance activities. A growing number of colleges and universities expect that faculty members will proactively pursue opportunities for grant funding. This is especially the case when pursuing a robust research agenda is articulated in an institution’s mission statement, as well as in its stated expectations for faculty members. Preparing and submitting grant proposals enables an institution and its faculty to be considered for appropriate grant-funded opportunities that correspond with an institution’s mission and programmatic offerings and the research interests of its faculty. The completion of successful grant projects similarly enhances the body of knowledge and the reputation and visibility of an institution, its academic programs, and its faculty. The importance of researching, investigating, and pursuing grant opportunities is introduced in Chap. 32. While most individuals pursue academic careers as faculty members based on their teaching and/or research interests, rather than the service aspects that are instrumental to the success of any college or university, every institution has the need for individuals who are qualified and willing to serve in various essential leadership positions. Colleges and universities are typically structured in a manner where faculty are assigned to academic departments or programs with each having a respective department or program chair. At various points during their career as a faculty member, some develop an interest in or are encouraged by their colleagues to serve in such a position. There are also many instances where faculty members develop aspirations and accept other institutional leadership positions, often after having served in a departmental or program leadership position. Chapter 33 considers the various leadership positions that faculty members may be called upon to staff at various times throughout their careers. An important stakeholder group that sometimes can be overlooked is the community in which a college or university exists and for which it has a responsibility to utilize its resources and the talents of its faculty, staff, and administration to support when appropriate. Faculty members serve meaningful roles as community resources when they make themselves available to respond to questions from

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community members as well as to participate in community activities, including attending community meetings and serving as a speaker when appropriate. Faculty also serve an important role with respect to contributing to media stories that keep the readers, listeners, and viewers of media stories informed by lending their expertise and insights as the media prepares and delivers stories to the public. These types of activities are all essential aspects of ensuring an institution’s visibility and reputation. Working with the community as a faculty member is discussed in Chap. 34. While the roles and responsibilities of colleges and universities and their faculty have evolved over the years and will continue to evolve in the future, ensuring a learning environment wherein each and every member, including students and faculty members, are valued and afforded learning opportunities that enable them to grow as unique individuals is essential. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are mission-critical attributes of a successful college or university that should transcend and transform all that an institution stands for and proactively pursues. Faculty members play an instrumental role in internalizing and operationalizing these essential attributes of a forward-facing, visionary academic institution. The importance of supporting institutional initiatives related to diversity, equity, and inclusion is advocated in Chap. 35.

Student Interaction

28.1

28

What You Need to Know

A primary role and responsibility of faculty members involves preparing their students for present and future personal and professional success. Through proactive interaction with students committed faculty members involve, engage, motivate, and empower their students for success in their courses and future careers. Interacting with students must therefore be viewed as a mission-critical activity within successful teaching and learning that enables students to prepare for future career success. While interacting with students should obviously take place while students are under one’s tutelage in particular courses, it is imperative that faculty members recognize that their responsibility to interact with students does not end at the conclusion of each class session. Successful interaction should extend beyond the time and space limitations of scheduled, in-person courses with faculty members making themselves available to answer questions and assist students outside the normal class meeting hours. This is particularly essential when faculty members teach courses that are offered online or as hybrid deliveries. Unless a faculty member makes a conscious effort to interact with and engage their students in these courses, it is easy for their students to engage in the minimal required work in a course as well as not take full advantage of the various opportunities to interact with the faculty member that is delivering the course and responsible for facilitating an effective and efficient learning process that leads to fulfillment of course learning objectives and meeting the expectations of students enrolled in a course. Successful faculty members recognize the essential importance of making themselves available to interact with the students under their tutelage both within and outside their courses. This will often involve providing needed guidance, advice, and mentoring. Faculty members should commit to student engagement in both their words and practice. It is not merely enough to indicate that a faculty member is available whenever students need assistance, but in reality, only be available in © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_28

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their office during posted office hours and at times not be in their office when promised due to other commitments and priorities that arise. A faculty member’s commitment to schedule flexible office hours and be available to meet with students as scheduled is both an expectation of students and an obligation that faculty members have to their students and institution. The ability to interact with students remotely through phone calls, emails, and phone or video conferencing has greatly enhanced the ability and convenience through which faculty members and their students can effectively and efficiently interact. Student interaction should not be limited to engagement with only the students currently enrolled in a faculty member’s courses. Enlightened faculty members and their institutions recognize that faculty members should be willing and available to interact with students regardless of whether or not they are currently enrolled in their courses. Dedicated faculty members also recognize the valuable opportunities that they have to interact with students through advising student groups that afford participants opportunities to further prepare for successful engagement in their chosen professions. This will typically involve assisting with student programming of these activities and at times working with students as they prepare to make presentations or submit papers at related academic conferences, including those sponsored by national organizations with which a student chapter is affiliated. Successful student engagement should also involve a willingness to interact with prospective students who are considering one’s academic program, whether current students who have not declared their major or those who are contemplating changing majors, as well as being willing to meet with interested students who have not yet committed to attending one’s institution. Last, but certainly not least, dedicated faculty members should not only recognize their responsibility to interact with alumni who have graduated from their program, but should welcome the opportunity to stay in touch with the students that they have been fortunate to assist in their preparation for successful careers. Student involvement and engagement by dedicated faculty members is thus a mission-critical activity of successful contemporary colleges and universities.

28.2

Role in Career Success

While there are many measures and possible metrics of success as a faculty member, the interactions and resulting engagement that faculty members have with students are significant factors in contributing to the successful preparation of students to engage in meaningful and successful careers after graduation. It is important always to remember that the success of an institution and its faculty is based on its ability to equip students with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and confidence to achieve their full potential and sustainable career success. Your success as a faculty member will therefore be enhanced by your willingness to be there for your students through both your words and actions. Making yourself available to interact with students in a variety of ways will play an instrumental role in determining the success of your students, as well as your success and

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that of your academic programs and institution. Students have a right to expect that faculty members will demonstrate their commitment to students by making themselves available to interact with their students in various essential ways, both within and outside the traditional classroom. As important as it is to make and communicate your commitment and willingness to interact with students to guide and assist them in their learning pilgrimage, making such a commitment and subsequently not delivering on that promise will compromise your integrity and reputation in the minds of students. An essential starting point in visualizing the appropriate role that you should have with respect to students should be remembering the reasons that you decided to become a faculty member in the first place. Ideally, this decision was in large part based on your desire to assist students in their preparation for successful lives and careers. Only through proactive student interaction and engagement will you be able to fully achieve the reasons that you aspired to become a faculty member. Your success and satisfaction as a faculty member will therefore be greatly enhanced through your proactive commitment to your students and willingness to get to know them as individuals that you have the privilege to support in the formative stage of their careers.

28.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the mission-critical role and responsibilities that faculty members have in preparing the next generation of professionals for personal and career success. • Ensure that you are proactively interacting with your students and demonstrating your interest in them as individuals and future professionals within their chosen career. • Realize that, while some students will actively seek interactions with the faculty members teaching their courses, all students deserve your attention and support. • Recognize that logistics can be an essential aspect of being available to interact with and support your students. • Understand that successful student interaction should extend beyond your engagement with students currently in your courses. • Seek opportunities to engage with prospective students as well as graduates. • Be willing to consider serving in an advisory role for student organizations.

28.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to fully recognize the instrumental role that student interaction and engagement can play in both your success and that of your students. • Assume that your obligation to interact with students exists only during the scheduled times of your courses and office hours.

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• Schedule office hours in a manner and at times that are inconvenient for students. • Underestimate the role that demonstrating an interest in and caring for your students can and will play during their academic studies and later professional careers.

Research Committees

29.1

29

What You Need to Know

Many graduate programs require that their students complete a significant research project in their field of study. While these requirements differ between programs and institutions, they frequently involve the successful preparation and completion of a comprehensive research project as well as submitting and defending an appropriate master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation as the culminating requirement of one’s academic program. Variations may exist between the curriculum requirements and expectations of different programs and institutions. It is also important to be aware that the research expectations and deliverables of particular programs and institutions will often also differ by country. Understanding the specifics of each program is an important responsibility of both students completing these requirements and faculty members that supervise and guide their research activities in completing program and degree requirements. Faculty members who teach at the graduate level are often called upon to serve on the research committee of one or more candidates. While the roles and responsibilities of faculty members serving on research committees may vary by program, institution, and the country in which programs are offered, there are typically certain common aspects of serving as a member of a candidate’s research committee. Each committee will typically have a chair that is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the overall research project. The committee chair, often called the research advisor, will be joined by several additional committee members who are selected based on their qualifications and willingness to serve on a given research committee. Each of the committee members should be prepared to enact their roles and responsibilities as they collaborate and work with a research candidate to assist them in completing the various essential steps of a successful research process and project. Typical functions of thesis or dissertation committees include reviewing and approving research proposals, providing assistance and advice throughout © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_29

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the research process, providing conscientious feedback of a candidate’s work and deliverables at appropriate points, reviewing and approving the final draft manuscript, and conducting the oral examination, often called an oral defense. As a faculty member being asked to serve on a research committee it is essential that you fully understand your institution’s policies and procedures for thesis and/or dissertation candidates and those serving on research committees. Understanding the distinct but complementary roles and responsibilities that should be properly delineated will prove essential to your work in this important and somewhat time-consuming role of many graduate faculty members. Establishing a research committee capable of working well together as they utilize their respective unique talents will serve research candidates, your program and institution, and your profession well as you contribute in this significant way to preparing the next generation of professionals in your field as well as ideally enabling candidates to prepare to contribute to the evolving body of knowledge within their field.

29.2

Role in Career Success

Your roles and responsibilities as a faculty member will be based on many factors, including the academic programs and curricula of your institution as well as your academic rank and the level(s) at which you teach. Faculty members who teach at the graduate level and offer courses in an institution’s master’s or doctoral programs will typically be expected to work with and guide students as they engage in required research activities and produce documentation of their research process and findings through preparation and often defense of a thesis or dissertation. While being asked or assigned to serve on a research committee is an important milestone in your career as a faculty member, it is a responsibility that should be accepted with a full understanding of the expectations that will exist as you enact your role, either in chairing a candidate’s research committee, often referred to as a research advisor, or in serving as a member of a research committee. Ideally, you will have been chosen and approved to serve based on your qualifications and willingness to serve in this essential role. You will want to understand the roles of each member of the research committee, particularly the role and responsibilities of the research chair who will manage the overall work of the research committee and afford each member the opportunity to make their appropriate contributions in assisting the research candidate under their supervision to successfully navigate and complete the research process and meet the culminating requirements of being awarded their academic degree. Your success in this often challenging and exciting role of faculty members will require that you approach this responsibility with the same commitment that likely enabled you to previously undertake and complete a similar process in earning your academic degree(s). Your success will require that you understand your respective role and responsibilities as a research committee member as well as those of the other members of the committee. Allocating the necessary blocks of time to properly review work submitted by a candidate under your supervision and

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provide timely feedback is a time management skill that you will want to develop over time. You will need to discover the approach and flow that works best for you. In the end, the success of those candidates under your supervision as well as your success in assisting and supporting them in their research pilgrimage will require that you fully embrace and enact the mission-critical role that you have accepted on behalf of your candidate, program, institution, and profession.

29.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the responsibilities and obligations that you have to research candidates as well as your program, institution, and profession when you serve as a member of a research committee. • Review and follow your institution’s process and procedures for the appointment of thesis and dissertation research advisors and committee members and the enactment of their designated roles and responsibilities. • Properly understand the roles and responsibilities of research committee members before agreeing to serve as a member of a research committee. • Agree to serve on research committees for research projects that align with your interests and qualifications. • Ensure that the composition of a research committee incorporates the necessary knowledge and skills to contribute to successful oversight of each research project. • Consider your current commitments and responsibilities for advising other candidates before agreeing to take on additional research candidates as advisees. • Understand the role and responsibilities of the chair of a research committee and ensure that research candidates do likewise.

29.4

Things NOT to Do

• Agree to serve on more research committees than you have the necessary time to properly enact your roles and responsibilities in an appropriate and timely manner. • Fail to define and agree to the specific roles and responsibilities of each research committee member prior to the appointment of a research committee on which you have been asked to serve. • Fail to set and communicate appropriate expectations for research candidates including the dates that specific deliverables will be due. • Agree to chair a research committee before you have extensive experience directing the work of research candidates through prior service as a research committee member.

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• Agree to serve on a research committee where existing personality or role conflicts between potential committee members are likely to undermine the successful work of a research committee in supporting a candidate’s work and progress towards successful project completion.

Collaborating with Colleagues

30.1

30

What You Need to Know

The academic community is unique in many ways, including the fact that it brings together individuals of like interest and fosters an environment where they are afforded many opportunities to collaborate as they work with colleagues to advance the work and success of their academic programs and institution, and to engage in intellectual pursuits in which they share common interests. Pursuing opportunities that faculty members have to work with colleagues from both within and outside their institutions are not only essential and meaningful aspects of being a college or university faculty member, but also expectations of both their institution and profession. There are many instances where faculty members will both desire and be expected to collaborate with colleagues in the effective and efficient enactment of their roles and responsibilities. Both effectiveness and efficiency are essential aspects through which faculty members successfully enact their roles and responsibilities towards the accomplishment of their institution’s mission and goals. It is important to recognize the essential role that collaborating with colleagues plays in accomplishing one’s roles and responsibilities as a faculty member. Faculty members, their institutions, and various stakeholders benefit from the collaboration of faculty members in performing their roles and responsibilities in the four essential areas of teaching, research, scholarship, and service. Through collaboration with colleagues within one’s institution faculty members can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of their teaching and resulting student learning in preparing their students for career success. Collaboration with colleagues likewise affords faculty members, including those from other academic institutions, valuable opportunities to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency, and thus the success of their work as productive researchers who are committed to leveraging the outcomes of their work by sharing it through © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_30

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appropriate scholarship, including publishing in academic journals and other professional publications and presenting at relevant conferences and professional meetings. Last, but certainly not least, in determining the success and impact of faculty members and their institutions is the mission-critical role that collaboration with colleagues can and should play as faculty members proactively enact their service roles and responsibilities. Collaboration with colleagues within their institution, and at times with colleagues from outside a faculty member’s institution, not only contributes to the success of faculty members and their institutions, but also contributes to the meaningful collegial experiences associated with serving as a faculty member. Academic institutions are unique in that they not only provide opportunities to interact with colleagues but also expect and encourage it. Collaboration affords faculty members the ability to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of their institution as well as the meaningfulness of engaging in service activities. The role that service plays in the effectiveness, efficiency, and ultimately the success of an institution must be recognized, and faculty members should be committed to working with their colleagues to enhance their institution’s ability to achieve its mission and goals while meeting and ideally exceeding the expectations of its various stakeholders. Through the effective and efficient enactment of the service roles and responsibilities of its various faculty members, oftentimes through collaboration, an institution can fully realize its present and future potential and success.

30.2

Role in Career Success

Working with and collaborating with colleagues within and outside a faculty member’s institution can often be among the very meaningful and rewarding aspects of being a faculty member. Collaborating with colleagues can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of your academic programs and institution as well as your productivity and success in the essential areas of teaching, research, scholarship, and service. Successful collaboration with colleagues affords each collaborator the opportunity to utilize their distinct talents in a synergistic manner that results in the successful completion of the various roles and responsibilities that you will have as a faculty member. Ideally, it affords each collaborator the opportunity to make their unique contribution to each initiative while complementing the contributions of other colleagues. While collaboration will frequently involve working with other faculty members from your own institution, it is important to recognize that other professionals from both inside and outside your institution often make appropriate partners with whom to collaborate. Collaboration will prove instrumental to your success in teaching, research, scholarship, and service. In all four of these essential faculty roles and responsibilities, collaborating with the right colleagues will enhance your effectiveness

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and efficiency in not only task completion, but also your overall success as a faculty member. Successful participation in collaborating with colleagues will also enhance your visibility, recognition, and respect within your institution.

30.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the essential role that collaborating with appropriate colleagues can play in your success and that of your institution. • Understand the role that collaboration can play in enhancing your success in the essential areas of teaching, research, scholarship, and service. • Appreciate that the opportunity and encouragement to collaborate with colleagues is unique to academic institutions and communities. • Proactively pursue appropriate opportunities to collaborate with colleagues with like interests, roles, and responsibilities. • Demonstrate your genuine appreciation for the willingness and contributions of colleagues with whom you have the opportunity to collaborate. • Be prepared to make your unique contribution while encouraging others to do likewise.

30.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to recognize the role that collaborating with colleagues can play in the successful enactment of your teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles and responsibilities. • Limit your consideration of potential collaborators to only faculty members within your academic department, program, or institution. • Fail to recognize your obligations to other collaborators and your institution. • Adopt a mindset that collaborating with colleagues is a burden, rather than a great opportunity. • Agree to collaborate on initiatives only because it is expected, and then fail to meet your obligations as a collaborator. • Attempt to take credit for the work of others with whom you have collaborated.

Departmental and Institutional Committees and Meetings

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31

What You Need to Know

A necessary and essential aspect of a faculty member’s service role and responsibilities involves participating in the various committees, meetings, and work tasks that contribute to the successful development and delivery of academic programs and other activities that support an institution’s mission and goals, as well as meeting the expectations of its various stakeholders. Service takes place in many ways at all levels of an academic institution, including the departmental, school, college, and university levels. In addition to ensuring that an institution’s academic programs and offerings are robust and fully responsive to societal needs, institutional service also involves attending and participating in various institutional governance activities, including those related to the development and implementation of institutional policies and procedures. Faculty members should recognize that they will be expected to serve on committees at various levels of their institution. Some of these committees will be standing or permanent committees that will continue to exist for a number of years with members rotating on and off as appropriate. In contrast, other committees at the various levels of an institution may be created for a temporary period of time to address a particular matter or issue, and are often called ad hoc committees. While we have referred to these essential organizational groups as “committees,” it is not unusual for institutions to use different names for these important groups. An example of this would be the appointment of a “taskforce” to study and make recommendations on a particular matter such as reviewing and ensuring that an institution’s academic programs and curriculum continue to be relevant and capable of preparing graduates for the many challenges that they are likely to face in an ever-changing world. Some committees will exist at more than one level within an institution. An example of this would be the existence of curriculum committees at the departmental, school, college, and university levels.

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It is important to understand how faculty members are selected and named to serve on various committees. This will often differ not only between institutions, but also within them. In some instances, particularly for committees that are responsible for addressing issues that are of significant importance, interest, and/ or timely, interested faculty members will be solicited and an election will be held to determine the faculty members that will be elected and subsequently named to serve on the committee. In other cases, appropriate volunteers will be solicited and appointed to serve on particular committees. While some committees will be formal, others will be informal. An important factor in appointing committee members is to ensure that there is appropriate representation within each committee. Faculty members will also be expected to attend and actively participate in a number of meetings convened at the various levels of their institution. It is important to recognize that committee service will normally be an expectation of an institution that will be considered when the time comes for the institution to make important personnel decisions, such as those related to awarding tenure and promotions. Being willing to serve on appropriate committees will therefore contribute to not only the success of your institution, but also yours as a member of its faculty.

31.2

Role in Career Success

Your success as a faculty member will be measured by many factors including your performance in enacting the essential roles and responsibilities of faculty members in the important areas of teaching, research, scholarship, and service. While it can be argued that teaching, research, and scholarship are obviously the most important areas, it is imperative that you remember the mission-critical role that service plays in keeping an institution’s trains running and in accomplishing the mission and goals of an institution, while meeting and ideally exceeding the expectations of its stakeholders. It is important to recognize that you will therefore be expected to engage in ongoing service activities in accordance with the needs of your institution and that your service will typically be evaluated and considered in making important personnel decisions, including those related to tenure and promotion. Most institutions articulate their expectations with respect to the service of faculty members during related human resource activities including recruitment, selection, hiring, onboarding, and performance evaluation. Many institutions provide an expected ranking of the four areas of teaching, research, scholarship, and service within their tenure and promotion procedures and documentation. New faculty members discover that, while their institution will have certain expectations that they engage in appropriate service to their institution, there are typically many opportunities for faculty members to engage in service activities at the departmental, school, college, and/or university level. You will want to explore and discern the service opportunities that are most appropriate for you and offer

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the greatest opportunity for you to use your talents in advancing the work of your institution. While being proactive in service throughout your career should be a responsibility that you take seriously, it is important not to make the mistake of some faculty members who seek and accept as many service opportunities as possible. A balanced approach to discerning the service opportunities that will best serve you and your institution is both appropriate and prudent. Decisions regarding which service opportunities to pursue and accept should be balanced in light of your other roles and responsibilities as a faculty member and incorporated in a professional development plan. Professional development plans will be considered in a later section of this book.

31.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the essential role that service by faculty members plays in the ongoing success of a college or university. • Take time to learn about the service expectations of your institution. • Explore and develop an understanding of the various service opportunities that exist within your institution. • Consider how your qualifications and talents align with various service opportunities within your department, school, college, or university. • Recognize your responsibility to your institution to serve in appropriate service roles. • Seek service opportunities on committees that align with your qualifications and interests as well as the needs of your institution.

31.4

Things Not to Do

• Pursue and accept service opportunities and assignments without fully understanding the expectations for those serving in these capacities. • Become involved in too many service areas thus impacting your ability to fully and successfully enact your teaching, research, and scholarship roles and responsibilities. • Become frustrated when you are not elected or appointed to a committee on which you are interested in serving. • Fail to fully participate in committees to which you are appointed, or fail to attend and participate in appropriate meetings of your department, school, college, and/or university. • Not be willing to take one for the team when your service on a committee or other group is needed.

Pursuing Grant Opportunities

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What You Need to Know

A mission-critical challenge of contemporary colleges and universities is ensuring the sustained adequacy of essential funding. The reality is that both operating and capital costs of most institutions have significantly increased in recent years and that trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. The inability to secure necessary funding has challenged the continued success and, in an increasing number of instances, survival of many institutions. Successful institutions and their leaders recognize the importance of diversifying the funding sources of their institution. While tuition revenues will continue to represent a signification percentage of the budgets of most institutions, securing additional funding sources is essential, particularly in the highly competitive environment in which most contemporary institutions exist and seek to attract and retain both students and necessary funding. Public institutions typically receive funding allocations from governmental entities, while both public and private institutions solicit donations and gifts from committed benefactors. Grants represent an essential and significant funding source for many institutions, while others pursue and receive grants from a limited number of funding sources, and some institutions receive no grant funding. Missing opportunities to pursue appropriate grants is a crucial miscalculation on the part of institutional leaders and faculty. While pursuing grant funding has always been both an expectation and reality in some institutions, a growing number of institutions now expect that faculty members will proactively and aggressively pursue opportunities to secure grant finding. This is especially the case when pursuing a robust research agenda is articulated in an institution’s mission statement, as well as in its stated expectations for faculty members. Preparing and submitting grant proposals enable an institution and its faculty to be considered to receive grant funding that corresponds with an institution’s mission and programmatic offerings and the research interests and activities of © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_32

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its faculty. Securing and successfully completing grant projects can provide valuable financial support for an institution and the research projects of its faculty. Success in grantsmanship by securing and fulfilling grants similarly contributes to the evolving body of knowledge and enhances the visibility and reputation of an institution, its academic programs, and its faculty.

32.2

Role in Career Success

A growing number of colleges and universities rely on grants to provide essential funding as well as to enable them to advance the mission and programs of their institution. While your institution may have professionals whose role and responsibilities involve identifying and pursuing appropriate grant-funded opportunities, faculty members routinely play an instrumental role in participating in an institution’s activities related to pursuing, being awarded, and fulfilling grants. Grant funding and the outcomes that result from the successful completion of awarded grants can play an important role as you seek to fulfill your responsibilities with respect to teaching, research, and/or scholarship. You will want to learn about potential grant opportunities that align with your current and anticipated future roles and responsibilities as a faculty member. You will discover that there are often grant opportunities that closely align with and are designed to support research and professional interests similar to yours. Taking the time to become aware of and proactively pursue appropriate grants will play an important role in your success as a faculty member, as well as that of your institution. Increasingly, academic institutions expect faculty members to investigate, pursue, secure, and fulfill relevant grant funding opportunities. Your success in pursuing and securing appropriate grants will be enabled by taking time to learn as much as you can about successful grantsmanship. In addition to exploring available opportunities for funding, you will greatly benefit from taking advantage of resources of your institution that have been provided to assist faculty members in the preparation of well-written, effective grant proposals. Together, you and the grant writers should be able to prepare responsive grant proposals, secure grant funding, and ensure successful completion of awarded grants. Your efforts and success in securing and fulfilling grants will be appreciated by your institution and will often play an instrumental role in your career advancement and success, as well as in enhancing your visibility, recognition, respect, and impact as a faculty member.

32.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the mission-critical role that grant funding can play in the success of a contemporary academic institution and its faculty.

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• Realize that grant funding can enable colleges and universities not only to sustain their present programs and activities, but also to pursue new and innovative mission-driven initiatives. • Recognize that pursuing and being awarded grant funding in support of your research interests, agenda, and activities can be instrumental in ensuring that you have appropriate funding in support of your research activities. • Seek grant writing assistance from experienced grant personnel that your institution has provided to assist you in identifying, pursuing, securing, and successfully enacting relevant grants. • Proactively pursue grant funding opportunities that align with your research agenda and the mission, programs, and initiatives of your institution. • Take advantage of training opportunities that will enhance your preparation and success in grant writing. • Seek opportunities to serve on grant review panels (obviously when you or your institution is not applying for a grant during that grant funding cycle), in the interest of learning how to prepare a successful and responsive grant proposal.

32.4

Things Not to Do

• Assume that the only reason for an academic institution to pursue grants is to provide necessary funding to contribute to the continued success and survival of your institution. • Apply for grants for which you lack the necessary qualifications or motivation to successfully complete. • Fail to understand and comply with all requirements of both your institution and respective funding sources when applying for and completing grants. • Fail to fulfill the provisions of an awarded grant in a professional and timely manner.

Leadership Positions

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What You Need to Know

While most individuals pursue careers as faculty members based on their teaching and/or research interests, rather than the service aspects that are instrumental to the success of any college or university, every institution needs individuals who are qualified and willing to serve in various essential leadership positions. Only through successful leadership can an institution achieve its full potential with respect to its mission and the expectations of its stakeholders. Together, formal and informal leaders contribute to the overall success of an institution. Successful leadership involves formal leaders who agree to serve in positions with designated roles and responsibilities for ensuring the effectiveness, efficiency, and success of their organizational unit. Formal leaders must be able to rely on informal leaders who are willing to step up and encourage others to do their part to move their organizational unit and institution forward towards accomplishing its mission and goals. Colleges and universities are typically structured in a manner where faculty members are assigned to particular academic departments or programs with each having a respective department or program chairperson. Successful enactment of a department or program’s responsibilities requires both formal and informal leaders. An example of these essential roles in successful leadership would be department chairpersons serving as formal leaders of their academic departments with the support of informal leaders, or followers, who as faculty members lend their support appropriately to advance the work of their department. At various points during their career as a faculty member, some individuals develop an interest in or are encouraged by their colleagues to serve in a formal leadership position at the department/program or other organizational levels within their institution. There are similarly many instances where faculty members develop aspirations and accept other institutional leadership positions, often after having served in a departmental or program leadership position. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_33

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33 Leadership Positions

Role in Career Success

While, like many of your colleagues, you likely aspired to join the faculty ranks at your institution based on your interests in teaching and/or research, it is not unusual that at some point you may entertain the idea of accepting a formal leadership position within your institution. Typically, this will involve serving, at least initially, as the chairperson or in another formal leadership role within your academic department or program. Ideally, you will have been interested, willing, and perhaps even enthusiastic about assuming this position and the roles and responsibilities that accompany it. In some cases, while you may not have aspired to assume such a position, you will have graciously agreed to serve in this capacity based on the staffing needs of your department or program. Serving as a department or program chairperson is the initial formal leadership position in most institutions and affords faculty members an opportunity to experience serving in a formal leadership position. While you will want to be proactive in enacting your commitment to any leadership position in which you agree to serve, you will likewise want to learn about formal leadership roles and your interest in continuing to serve in such a position beyond the period for which you were elected or appointed. You may discover that, while you have served with distinction in such a position, your abilities and/or interests are more aligned with resuming the normal roles and responsibilities of a faculty member. Ideally, your service in this position will have been a valuable learning experience and will encourage you to lend your support to others who subsequently serve in this position. Conversely, you may discover that you have thoroughly enjoyed leading your department or program and desire to continue to serve in this role with the support of your faculty. You may be surprised to discover both your abilities and interest in serving in a formal leadership position and actually aspire to pursue additional leadership positions that may become available in your institution. In reality most academic leadership positions, including deans, are filled by highly qualified candidates who previously served as department or program chairs. Serving in a formal leadership position will afford you as a faculty member an opportunity to grow and utilize your talents on behalf of your institution and its stakeholders. While you are certainly encouraged to consider serving in a formal leadership position at an appropriate time in the future, as a new faculty member you will want to focus on the teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles and responsibilities to which you agreed when you accepted a faculty appointment. That being said, there will likely be many opportunities in the future should you aspire to a formal leadership position. You will find that a professional development plan can be an effective tool for charting and preparing for your future roles within your institution and ensuring that when the time comes that you accept such a position you will have prepared to succeed in that role.

33.4 Things NOT to Do

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151

Things to DO

• Recognize the essential role that formal leaders play within your institution. • Recognize that successful leadership requires both formal leaders and informal leaders (followers) who support the work of formal leaders. • Realize that serving as a department or program chair will afford you not only the opportunity to serve your department/program and institution, but also an opportunity to gain experience and develop skills as a leader while discovering your abilities and interest in continuing to serve in such a position or other positions that become available within your institution. • Ensure that you fully understand the associated roles, responsibilities, and expectations before agreeing to serve in any formal leadership position. • If you agree to accept a formal leadership position, make sure that you understand how doing so may affect your standing and progression with respect to being awarded tenure and/or promotions. • Realize that as a department or program chairperson you will typically still be expected to engage in your roles and responsibilities with respect to teaching, research, scholarship, and service.

33.4

Things NOT to Do

• Agree to accept a formal leadership position for which you are not qualified or interested. • Accept a formal leadership position without having the support of other faculty members within your department or program. • Allow your formal leadership responsibilities to distract you from fulfilling your teaching and/or research responsibilities. • Continue to serve in a formal leadership position if you discover that you lack the ability and/or interest to continue to serve in such a position. • Fail to honor the commitment that you made to serve for a specified period of time.

Community Resource

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What You Need to Know

A sometimes-overlooked stakeholder group is the public and community in which a college or university exists. In addition to recognizing the expectations of this stakeholder group, higher education institutions should acknowledge their responsibility to utilize their resources, including the talents of their faculty, to support the community in which they exist. Just as colleges and universities count on the support of the public and communities in which they exist and provide educational services, these institutions should similarly recognize their responsibility to support their community when appropriate. While the role of an institution is frequently categorized in terms of that organization as a collective entity, faculty members and other employees of an institution typically operationalize and enact an institution’s commitment to community service. While community service includes the delivery of educational programs and other related activities, serving as a community resource should be envisioned as a more expansive commitment to the communities that an institution serves and from which it draws students, support, and benefits in various tangible ways. Faculty members of higher education institutions are often uniquely positioned in terms of their experience and expertise to serve a meaningful and essential role as a community resource. They can make themselves available to answer questions from members of the public and community groups, as well as participate in various community activities, including attending community meetings and serving as a speaker when appropriate. In so doing it is always important that faculty members fully understand the role that they are being asked to play as a community resource, and ensure that before accepting any request to serve as a community resource they ascertain that they are qualified to do so and that their proposed involvement aligns with the expectations of their institution with respect to community and public involvement and engagement.

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Faculty members also serve as subject matter experts in contributing to media stories and coverage designed to keep the readers, listeners, and/or viewers of media coverage properly informed through the provision of information that is accurate, complete, credible, professional, and timely. It is imperative that faculty members ensure that their qualifications properly correspond with a planned media story and that they have the blessing of their institution to accept appropriate media opportunities. Institutions will rightfully expect that faculty members, while crediting their institutional affiliation, will ensure that it is understood that they are not representing their institution unless they are specifically authorized to do so. In addition to fulfilling an institution’s obligations to support their community when and where appropriate, making faculty members available as community resources as appropriate enhances an institution’s visibility, reputation, and respect in the public. Faculty members that support their institution through their willingness to serve as community resources likewise have the opportunity to enhance their respect and reputation within both the community and their institution. Community engagement is also an expectation that many funding organizations and accrediting agencies have for contemporary colleges and universities, and their faculty members.

34.2

Role in Career Success

Serving as a community resource as a faculty member can afford you many meaningful opportunities to utilize your experience, expertise, and talents as a representative of your institution. These opportunities have the potential of enhancing both your and your institution’s visibility, recognition, respect, and impact. Agreeing to appropriate opportunities that support your institution and community is therefore worthy of your consideration as a faculty member. It is important to recognize that while community involvement by faculty members can typically benefit both an institution and participating faculty members, there are instances when accepting and engaging in the wrong opportunities as a community resource can unfortunately diminish the standing of involved faculty members and their institution in the eyes of the public. It is therefore imperative to fully understand the nature and expectations of every request to serve as a community resource before agreeing to serve in this capacity. Before accepting any invitation or request to work with the community, you will always want to ensure that you have the necessary qualifications to properly represent your institution and that the role that you are being asked to enact is fully compliant with your institution’s policies, procedures, and expectations with respect to involvement and engagement as a community resource. Having approval in writing from your institution is always a prudent move before accepting any requested community engagement. Although your willingness to serve as a community resource will be appreciated by both the community and your institution, it is important to consider your ability to engage in certain activities in a professional manner. Given that there may be

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times that you are not the right faculty member to contribute or are not comfortable doing so, you should never be reluctant to turn down particular requests as long as you communicate to your institution why you are doing so. Ideally, your institution will have designated individuals whose responsibilities include receiving community requests and as appropriate securing appropriate and willing faculty to service these requests.

34.3

Things to DO

• Recognize that there will be times that your institution will receive requests to support their community in various ways, including providing appropriate faculty members to serve as community resources. • Recognize that being willing to serve as a community resource when and where appropriate falls within the service roles and responsibilities of faculty members. • Refer community requests for your assistance as a resource to the appropriate individuals within your institution for review and approval. • Agree only to requests that you are both qualified and comfortable accepting. • Recognize that some requests received from the public or community will be inappropriate and therefore not approved by your institution. • Recognize that the successful fulfillment of community requests can play an instrumental role in enhancing your visibility, recognition, respect, and impact within both the community and your institution.

34.4

Things NOT to Do

• Be willing to accept every community request for your assistance as a resource regardless of your qualifications and comfort level with respect to each request. • Fail to professionally enact all community requests that you agree to accept. • Feel that you must accept every community request that is received. • Fail to secure appropriate review and approvals before agreeing to any request. • Accept so many requests to assist and support the community as a faculty resource that you do not have the necessary time to devote to your primary responsibilities in the areas of teaching, research, and scholarship.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

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35

What You Need to Know

While the roles and responsibilities of colleges and universities and their faculty have evolved over the years and will continue to evolve in the future, ensuring a learning environment wherein each and every member, including students and faculty members, are valued and afforded learning opportunities that enable them to grow and prosper as unique individuals is essential. Such a commitment to valuing all individuals engaged in an institution’s learning activities and experiences provides the underlying foundation for the successful delivery of academic courses and programs. Each and every individual involved in an institution’s programs and activities has a right to expect that they will be valued and treated respectfully at all times and in all instances. Diversity, equity, and inclusion, commonly referred to using the acronym DEI, are thus mission-critical attributes of a successful contemporary college or university. While an institution’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion should certainly be referenced in its mission statement, an institution’s commitment in reality needs to be more than simply politically correct words on paper or language included in an institution’s catalog and in the course syllabi of all of its courses. An institution’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion should transcend and transform all that a higher education institution stands for and proactively pursues. Faculty members play an instrumental role in internalizing and operationalizing these essential attributes of a forward-facing, visionary academic institution. Only through a genuine commitment of its faculty to these important issues can courses and other institutional activities be delivered in a manner that not only attests to the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion but models this commitment of both an institution and its faculty in their words and conduct. As a faculty member

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you will hopefully recognize the important role, responsibilities, and opportunities that you have in preparing your students for the related challenges that they may face throughout their careers.

35.2

Role in Career Success

Your success as a faculty member will necessitate that you demonstrate not only an understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion, but also more importantly a genuine interest and commitment to ensuring that each and every student with whom you interact, whether currently in your classes or not, is treated with the utmost respect that they both expect and deserve. It is therefore imperative that your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion be more than simply echoing and complying with the expectations of your institution. The reality is that the contemporary world in which we live, work, and travel recognizes the mission-critical importance of ensuring that all stakeholders of an organization are valued and treated with appropriate respect. Higher education institutions have an essential role in preparing students for career success wherein they understand, commit to, and put into practice their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout their careers. Successful faculty members recognize their role, responsibilities, and obligation to ensure that their classes incorporate and embody a learning environment that affords every student an inclusive environment wherein they have the opportunity to fully experience course content and experiential activities so as to ensure that they have the necessary opportunities to prepare for career success. Faculty members play an essential role in ensuring the inclusion and effectiveness of the learning environment and thus the resulting learning outcomes of not only courses, but of each of the enrolled students. This can be a challenging task as faculty members incorporate team activities and assignments in their courses, as well as when courses are delivered online or through blended delivery. As well as the expectations that your institution will have that you ensure appropriate inclusion in your courses, you will likewise be expected to value the diversity of the members of your classes and to ensure that all students receive fair and equal treatment. Diversity, equity, and inclusion should thus be incorporated in two missioncritical ways in your courses. The first is to ensure that appropriate coverage is given to this essential issue within the contemporary world, while the second is to ensure that you model your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in your design and delivery of courses. Your commitment to preparing your students to embrace, value, and enact their commitment to this mission-critical area will contribute to your success as a faculty member and the preparedness of your students to enact their professional responsibilities in a manner that demonstrates their respect for all individuals that they have the fortune with whom to interact throughout their careers.

35.4 Things NOT to Do

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Things to DO

• Recognize the mission-critical role that diversity, equity, and inclusion play within contemporary society. • Acknowledge that higher education institutions and particularly their faculty have an important role to play in incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion in their classes and other educational activities. • Review and commit to your institution’s expectations related to ensuring that every member of your institution is valued and treated with appropriate dignity and respect. • Learn about diversity, equity, and inclusion by participating in professional development programs offered by your institution for its faculty. • Demonstrate your genuine commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the way you structure and deliver courses.

35.4

Things NOT to Do

• View diversity, equity, and inclusion in a token manner that demonstrates to others that you are not committed to ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion in your work as a faculty member. • Fail to ensure that all of your students are treated with dignity and respect. • Fail to recognize your role as a representative of your institution in ensuring that its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is achieved.

Part VIII Navigating Faculty Career Stages

Seven chapters (lessons) are devoted to navigating one’s career as a faculty member. A successful faculty career requires management throughout its various phases, beginning with the time that one prepares for and enters an academic profession. As well as requiring adequate advanced preparation, successful faculty careers begin with selecting a faculty position and institution that aligns with one’s qualifications, interests, and aspirations. Several of the chapters will emphasize the mission-critical role that a professional development plan plays throughout the various stages of a successful faculty career. Achieving success as a faculty member involves preparation before accepting an initial faculty appointment and that subsequently should continue throughout their faculty career. Those who succeed in this challenge recognize that they are preparing for a career, rather than just accepting a job. This mindset will serve you well as you prepare for and pursue a meaningful long-term career as a faculty member. Preparation begins with the completion of appropriate graduate coursework and typically the awarding of an appropriate terminal degree in the field in which you plan to teach. There are instances where coursework and research requirements such as a thesis or dissertation may be completed after accepting a position. It is crucial to recognize that preparation is not a “one and done” thing at the start of one’s academic career but rather should continue throughout one’s career as a faculty member. The importance of proper preparation in advance of becoming a faculty member is emphasized in Chap. 36. While it is obviously important to make an informed and conscientious decision to become a faculty member, it is equally important to secure an appropriate initial faculty position. This will ideally be at an institution with a mission, vision, academic programs, and teaching, and other roles and responsibilities that properly align with one’s qualifications and interests. While this is certainly desirable, there are times that an individual aspiring to embark on their career as a faculty member finds it necessary to accept a position that affords them the opportunity to gain valuable experience and marketability before later pursuing more desirable employment opportunities. It is important to recognize that among the many learning opportunities available in higher education, one is to learn about yourself throughout your early faculty experiences. Chapter 37 discusses strategies associated with securing an appropriate faculty position. While securing a faculty position is a monumental accomplishment in the career of a faculty member, it is only an initial step in one’s pilgrimage in achieving a

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successful faculty career. All institutions have expectations of faculty members that must be met as a prerequisite for retention as an employee of the institution. While personnel processes and practices differ between institutions, institutional requirements to be awarded tenure and promotion exist within all institutions and should be thoroughly understood by members of their faculty. The essential matters of tenure and promotion are considered in Chap. 38. Having a realistic professional development plan will serve faculty members well throughout their career pilgrimages. This plan should be well thought-out and conceived and should be reduced to writing in a manner that provides a realistic roadmap that they can follow. A viable professional development plan should be reviewed and revised throughout their career and may change in focus at various stages of their career. It should delineate planned goals and corresponding strategies to achieve each goal towards fulfillment on their overall career aspirations. The essential role that professional development plans should serve throughout one’s faculty career is explored in Chap. 39. The early career of a new faculty member can be both meaningful and challenging. It is meaningful in that it affords a new faculty member the opportunity to embark on the career to which they have aspired and prepared. It is challenging in that it involves developing their initial teaching skills and abilities, as well as learning the expectations of their students, institution, and other stakeholders and related policies and procedures of their institution. While most institutions afford new faculty members the opportunity to focus on developing their skills in teaching during the first few years as a faculty member, the successful demonstration of other institutional expectations—including research, scholarship, and service— will be required in order to comply with institutional expectations associated with employment retention. Chapter 40 discusses challenges that faculty members face early in their careers. An essential aspect of one’s faculty career is developing an understanding of one’s genuine academic and intellectual interests. This understanding is instrumental as a faculty member refines their professional development plan to reflect their teaching, research, scholarship, and service interests during a significant portion of their career. While a faculty member’s professional interests and activities will and should evolve during their mid-career stage, so as not to become stagnant in thinking and expectations nor miss out on new professional opportunities that will present themselves, it is important that they refine their professional trajectory during this significant career stage during which their credentials, visibility, and reputation are established. Strategies for addressing mid-career challenges that faculty members typically face are related in Chap. 41. Faculty members who have enjoyed a productive and meaningful career have an opportunity to achieve their remaining career aspirations during their later-career stage. While most faculty members look forward to preparing for retirement and the additional opportunities that it presents to continue to be an active contributor to their profession, developing a realistic and meaningful post-retirement career plan is extremely important as it provides the structure to which they have become accustomed as a productive faculty member and affords an opportunity to remain

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engaged and active in their personal and/or professional activities. It is during this career stage that most faculty members recognize that their decision to enter the academy was prudent and enabled them to achieve the aspirations and expectations that led to their career as a faculty member. Chapter 42 considers the unique challenges that faculty members face later in their careers, and strategies to ensure a continued meaningful role as a seasoned faculty member.

Preparing for Career Success

36.1

36

What You Need to Know

Achieving success as a faculty member involves appropriate preparation before accepting a faculty appointment that subsequently should continue throughout one’s faculty career. The nature of the work, roles, and responsibilities of faculty members necessitates that, as well as encouraging their students to become “students of learning” committed to enhancing their preparedness throughout their careers, faculty members who aspire to continually enhance their success and ability to serve their students, institution, and other stakeholders with distinction recognize that they too have an obligation to engage in continuous preparation. Those who aspire to success as faculty members recognize that they are preparing for a noble career, rather than just to accept a job. This mindset will serve you well as you prepare for and pursue a meaningful long-term career as a faculty member. While it is possible to achieve mediocre success as a faculty member by failing to commit to proper preparation before and after pursuing and accepting a faculty position, highly successful faculty members recognize that, like the students they labor to prepare for successful careers through preparation in and beyond their classes, as committed faculty members they should be following the advice that they give to their students in terms of the essential importance of continuous learning and preparation throughout their career. Successful preparation begins with the completion of appropriate graduate coursework and typically the awarding of an appropriate terminal degree in the field in which an aspiring faculty member plans to teach. There are some instances where coursework and research requirements may be completed within a reasonable, specified period of time after accepting a position. Real world practical experience before and after accepting a faculty position likewise represents an important way in which faculty members enhance their preparedness. Preparation is not only relevant and important before accepting a faculty position, but should continue throughout a productive faculty career. It is therefore © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_36

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crucial to recognize that preparation must never become a “one and done” thing at the start of one’s academic career as a faculty member, but rather must continue throughout one’s career. A commitment to career-long preparation will ensure your continued success as a dedicated faculty member and will serve your students, institution, and other stakeholders well. Highly successful faculty members similarly recognize that their preparation must prepare them to more effectively and efficiently enact not only their teaching roles and responsibilities, but also their corollary roles and responsibilities in the essential areas of research and scholarship. An often-overlooked aspect of successful preparation is developing the necessary time management skills to both balance and manage expected roles and responsibilities in teaching, research, scholarship, and service.

36.2

Role in Career Success

Success in any venture in life is in large part determined by appropriate advanced and ongoing preparation. While important in many aspects of one’s life, appropriate preparation is particularly important as one embarks on and pursues their chosen career. While there are many instances where individuals merely seek a job that they are qualified to perform, you must never let such a mindset influence your decision to pursue a position as a faculty member. You should only pursue opportunities as a faculty member after conscientious consideration of your professional interests as well as your qualifications to serve with distinction whether in a full-time, part-time, permanent, or temporary faculty position. In reality, many individuals seek and accept part-time teaching positions, often called adjunct positions, to test the waters regarding their interest and ability to pursue a full-time faculty career. Preparation for a successful faculty career begins with engaging in the necessary academic preparation through completion of appropriate coursework and being awarded an appropriate academic degree in the field in which you plan to teach. Having an appropriate, often terminal, degree is important in that institutions will typically consider this as a necessary prerequisite to receive further consideration during the recruitment and selection of appropriate candidates for available positions. Institutions are also interested in an individual’s demonstrated interest in and commitment to engaging in appropriate continued professional development that will enable them to sustain their success as a faculty member. Faculty members often pursue additional coursework and at times additional academic degrees, and in a growing number of instances take advantage of available professional development programs and certifications. In doing so faculty members are pursuing what have become called “stackable credentials.” Many colleges and universities now encourage their students to consider the value of pursuing stackable credentials that supplement their academic degrees. As a faculty member you will often have the unique opportunity to conveniently and often at no or low-cost audit or take for credit some of your institution’s academic or non-credit courses.

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You will similarly have opportunities to participate in many professional development opportunities offered or sponsored by your institution. The various professional development programs that institutions have traditionally offered in areas such as course development and delivery, as well as those currently being offered by many institutions in diversity, equity, and inclusion are among the valuable opportunities that you will want to consider as you chart your professional development plans. Other examples of preparation opportunities would be those related to preparing faculty members to use technology and social media effectively in interacting with their students, and opportunities designed to prepare faculty members to successfully engage with the public, community, and the media. A continuing commitment to the essential importance of preparation will enable you to be able to fully attain the successful career that attracted you to become a faculty member.

36.3

Things to DO

• Develop an understanding of the preparation that institutions with which you would like to affiliate will expect as they make hiring decisions for faculty positions. • Understand the crucial role that appropriate preparation plays in contributing to your initial and continuing success as a faculty member. • Commit to engaging in continuous preparation throughout your career as a faculty member. • Avail yourself of all appropriate means and opportunities to enhance your preparation available through your institution or other entities such as conferences and professional organizations. • Fully understand the expectations related to continued professional development that institutions have for their faculty. • Develop and utilize a professional development plan to guide you as you seek to enhance your qualifications and preparedness throughout your career.

36.4

Things NOT to Do

• Adopt a mindset wherein you consider preparation as a necessary aspect of securing a faculty position, but one that is significantly less important during subsequent service as a faculty member. • Approach preparation as a “one and done” activity that is important only during the early stages of your career as a faculty member. • Fail to recognize the impact that failing to maintain and enhance your preparedness to successfully continue to enact your roles and responsibilities can play in important personnel decisions that can determine your continued retention and success as a faculty member.

Securing a Faculty Position

37.1

37

What You Need to Know

While it is obviously important to make an informed and conscientious decision to become a faculty member, it is equally important to secure an appropriate initial faculty position. This will ideally be at an institution with a mission, vision, goals, and academic programs that align with your qualifications and interests. It will similarly be essential that you find an appropriate institution whose expectations for the teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles and responsibilities also correspond with your interests and qualifications. While in an ideal world aspiring faculty members would be able to identify and secure the perfect faculty position for them, there are obviously many instances where that may not be feasible. This may be because that institution is not currently searching for a faculty position in a given field. It may also be that the institution is looking for a different experience set at the present time. This might also result from the fact that in hiring for the upper ranks of associate or full professor, an institution will expect candidates to have appropriate time and experience at one or more lower academic ranks. These are just some of the reasons why the ideal position may not initially be possible. Aspiring faculty members therefore often find it necessary to accept positions at institutions other than the one that would be their first choice. These positions nonetheless provide essential opportunities to gain valuable experience as a faculty member and increase their credentials and marketability should they later decide to pursue other opportunities. It is important to recognize that among the many learning opportunities available in higher education, one should always be to learn about oneself throughout one’s early and later faculty experiences. The importance of conducting the necessary research to thoroughly understand potential institutions and their expectations for faculty members in the essential areas of teaching, research, scholarship, and service should be recognized. It is also important to ascertain the courses that one would be assigned as well as © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_37

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the expected teaching load. Most of this information will be available in position announcements on an institution’s website. If there are questions that are not answered in recruitment announcements, it is important to contact the appropriate individuals to have those questions answered. Securing a faculty position will involve participating in an institution’s normal recruitment and selection processes. This will begin with submitting all requested materials when initially applying for a position. Individuals who are determined to meet the qualifications for a particular position are prioritized and a reasonable number of potential candidates are typically selected and invited to participate in interviews. These individuals are often asked to submit additional documentation beyond the cover letter and curriculum vita that they earlier submitted when first applying for the position. While it is now often customary to conduct some interviews virtually, interviews with the final round of candidates are typically conducted in person, affording candidates the opportunity to visit and experience an institution’s campus and to meet colleagues with whom they would work if they were awarded and accept the position. Individuals who are offered a position will have the opportunity to learn about its associated salary and benefits and in some cases negotiate with respect to these and other factors related to an employment offer.

37.2

Role in Career Success

Your success as a faculty member begins with securing a faculty position that will enable you to utilize your talents in service to that institution, its students, and other stakeholders. It is therefore imperative that you invest the necessary time to identify and research institutions that are currently searching for faculty members in your field of interest and qualification. Given the competitive environment that often exists and the significant number of candidates that may be interested in and apply for a position(s) in which you are interested, it is imperative to submit applications for open positions in a timely manner that is responsive to the position announcement. It is important to realize that your initial submission as an applicant will usually be limited to a cover letter and accompanying curriculum vita (CV). If you are unfamiliar with the expected content and format of a curriculum vita, you will want to take the necessary time to understand these expectations before preparing and submitting your curriculum vita. It is likewise important, as appropriate, to customize both your cover letter and curriculum vita to be responsive to the specific roles and responsibilities that have been delineated for a particular position as well as the qualifications that an institution is seeking as they conduct their search activities. While it is typically prudent to apply for more than one position, you should not waste your time and that of an institution’s search committee by applying for positions for which you are clearly unqualified. Submitting materials in the requested format on or before the advertised submission date is imperative to being

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considered for any faculty position. Prior to being offered a position you may be requested to submit additional supporting materials, such as teaching evaluations. If you are fortunate enough to make the cut and be selected for an interview, you will want to be responsive in acknowledging and accepting the interview invitation, and in preparing for the interview. As qualified as you may be, it is important to realize that, while your credentials on paper may get you a desired interview, it is only through a successful interview that you will stand a realistic chance of being offered a position. Initial interviews may be conducted virtually, whereas institutions will typically want to conduct an in-person, on-campus interview before selecting a candidate to which a job offer will be extended. It is important to realize the role that your appearance and conduct can play in influencing a selection committee during an interview. Given the growing issue of casualization in the academic workforce and the associated challenges faced by job applicants, it is important to ensure that you come appropriately dressed and behave professionally in all aspects of the selection process. While most candidates recognize the importance of preparing and acting professionally during in-person interviews, it is important not to come across as too casual and relaxed during virtual interviews. Your success in securing the right faculty position will serve as a foundation on which you will ideally be afforded the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to an institution and its stakeholders for a number of years. The time and effort that you devote to securing an appropriate position is therefore of mission-critical importance in preparing you for a long-term successful career. It is thus important to approach your search for a desirable faculty position as a consummate professional prepared to demonstrate your qualifications in a manner that convinces search committee members that you are clearly the professional that should be offered the position for which you applied and they are currently searching. A successful faculty search will thus benefit both you and the institution that has offered you the opportunity to join their institution as a faculty colleague.

37.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the importance of being appointed to the right position as a foundation for career success as a faculty member. • Invest the necessary time to identify available positions that correspond with your qualifications and interests. • Consider the expectations of each institution with respect to teaching, research, scholarship, and service before determining institutions to which you should apply. • Prepare and submit all requested materials in accordance with the requested content and format. • Recognize that in a highly competitive search environment you should not limit your efforts to applying for only one position if other appropriate positions are available.

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• Be professional and gracious in interacting with search committee members and others at institutions where you seek employment. • Recognize that if you are the successful candidate, your employment offer may be extended by either the search committee or another organizational representative such as a department/program chairperson or academic dean.

37.4

Things NOT to Do

• Apply for numerous positions, including those for which you are clearly not qualified. • Fail to accept interview invitations in a timely manner. • Submit materials that are not responsive, in either content or format, to those requested by a search committee. • Allow perceptions of your appearance and behavior during an interview or other interactions with search committee members to suggest that you are either unprofessional and/or not really interested in a particular position.

Tenure and Promotion

38.1

38

What You Need to Know

While there are many points along the way in a faculty member’s career that represent significant achievements, being awarded tenure and being promoted are critical milestones in a successful faculty career. These monumental accomplishments are reasons for celebration in that being awarded tenure means that an institution has committed to retaining a faculty member as an employee, while receiving a promotion attests to the contributions that a faculty member has already made and is expected to continue to make in the future. While the focus in this chapter is on the essential topics of tenure and promotion, it is important that we also introduce the concept of “recontracting.” As a personnel activity that precedes the awarding of tenure as well as being awarded a promotion, this process involves the evaluation of a faculty member’s work and contributions at various points before a tenure decision is made. During the recontracting process, a faculty member’s progress and contributions to date are reviewed and evaluated and a decision is made with respect to whether a faculty member should be retained for one or more additional years. The feedback received during recontracting is designed to assist faculty members as they prepare for a later tenure decision. While there will often be similarities between various institutions in terms of their expectations and processes utilized in making recontracting, tenure, and promotion decisions, it is imperative that faculty members fully understand the associated expectations, requirements, policies, procedures, and processes of their institution. This will definitely involve understanding the expectations that their institution has with respect to a faculty member’s roles, responsibilities, and performance in the important areas of teaching, research, scholarship, and service. The criteria that an institution utilizes in making these important personnel decisions with respect to the retention and advancement of faculty members should be clearly stated in appropriate policies and procedures that, among other things, © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_38

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communicate the weighting that will be utilized as an institution considers a faculty member’s performance and contribution with respect to the areas of teaching, research, scholarship, and service. This information should be available and serve as a guide to faculty members as they plan and enact their respective roles and responsibilities with respect to teaching, research, scholarship, and service. It is also important that faculty members familiarize themselves with their institution’s policies and procedures with respect to granting sabbatical leaves after a faculty member has been awarded tenure, as well as any post-tenure review policies and procedures that may exist within their institution. The awarding of sabbatical leaves is typically a competitive process designed to enable faculty members to be released from their normal roles and responsibilities for a period of time—typically one or two semesters—to pursue research projects that require that they have the necessary dedicated time to complete a proposed project. Posttenure review is a growing trend in many academic institutions that is designed to ensure that faculty members continue to make a meaningful contribution to their institution beyond the point when they receive tenure.

38.2

Role in Career Success

An instrumental first step in a successful faculty career will involve being offered and accepting a faculty appointment at an academic institution that will ideally provide many opportunities for you to make a meaningful contribution to the institution, its students, and other stakeholders. As a new faculty member, you will be eager to get started, and your institution will expect you to hit the ground running as you embark on what will hopefully be a successful faculty career that meets both your expectations and those of your institution. While your initial focus, particularly during your first year as a new faculty member, will typically be on enhancing your teaching skills and effectiveness, you must also consider the expectations that your institution will have will respect not only to teaching, but also to research scholarship, and service. As important as it may be initially to devote most of your attention and efforts to becoming an effective teacher, procrastinating with respect to the additional three areas of your roles and responsibilities as a faculty member can prove problematic when the time comes that your institution will consider your effectiveness in these other areas. It is therefore critically important that you become familiar with the expectations that your institution will have, as at periodic points during your service they evaluate your performance as a basis for making essential personnel decisions that will determine your retention as an employee of your institution as well as subsequent decisions with respect to the awarding of promotions if and when appropriate. You will benefit from developing and following an appropriate professional development plan that will enable you to successfully enact your roles and responsibilities in the areas of teaching, research, scholarship, and service in a manner consistent with the expectations that your institution will have regarding your teaching,

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research, scholarship, and service productivity and accomplishments. A conscientiously crafted and implemented professional development plan that includes appropriate goals, strategies, and timelines will prove instrumental to your initial and overall success as a faculty member. The crucial importance of recognizing and addressing your institution’s expectations with respect to the retention and promotion of faculty members should be obvious and should guide your work as a dedicated faculty member. It is important to realize that, while your institution will typically have certain general expectations with respect to teaching, research, scholarship, and service, the specific manner in which you address and fulfill your roles and responsibilities in each of these areas will to a certain degree be left up to you. In addition to ensuring that your work and contributions result in being retained as a faculty member as well as advancing in the faculty ranks, you will also want to become familiar with your institution’s provisions for granting sabbaticals as well as any expectations and requirements it may have with respect to post-tenure reviews.

38.3

Things to DO

• Recognize that your institution will have expectations that will influence their decisions regarding both the retention and promotion of faculty members. • Review your institution’s policies and procedures regarding the retention and promotion of faculty members. • Understand the expectations that your institution has with respect to teaching, research, scholarship, and service as it makes important personnel decisions regarding faculty retention by the institution and advancement within its academic ranks. • Ensure that your work supports the mission and goals of your institution and academic program as well as meeting the weighting criteria that your institution has established for making recontracting, tenure, and promotion decisions. • Develop and utilize an astutely crafted professional development plan to keep you on track in meeting the expectations and criteria that your institution will use in making decisions with respect to faculty retention and advancement.

38.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to take time to review and fully understand your institution’s expectations, policies, and procedures with respect to the retention and promotion of faculty members. • Procrastinate in addressing certain expectations that your institution will have, particularly those related to research and scholarship. • Fail to recognize that it takes time to conduct research and share it with interested parties through publications and presentations.

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• Fail to deliver on expectations that your institution may have with respect to the quantity and quality of publications in respected peer-reviewed academic journals.

Professional Development Plans

39.1

39

What You Need to Know

A professional development plan is designed to provide essential guidance as a professional in any field seeks to pursue and attain a successful career. Having a realistic professional development plan will serve faculty members well throughout their career pilgrimage and enable them to effectively and efficiently pursue their career aspirations and goals. This plan should be well thought-out and conceived, and should be reduced to writing in a manner that provides a realistic, achievable roadmap that a faculty member can follow. While soliciting suggestions and feedback from others can be useful when one is developing a professional development plan, it is important to remember that the purpose of such a document is to provide insightful guidance for the faculty member that authored this essential career development tool. A viable professional development plan should be developed only after conscientious consideration of an institution’s mission and goals, as well as those of the faculty member preparing such a career guidance document. It should articulate goals for a realistic planning period, often five to ten years in duration, as well as the necessary strategies or actions through which each goal will be accomplished. The plan must also include a designated timeline for the planned implementation of strategies and the resulting achievement of goals. Strategies serve as the means by which the desired results delineated as goals are expected to be accomplished. It is imperative that a professional development plan is developed in a manner that will enable a faculty member to realize their professional goals while ensuring that the goals and expectations of their institution are likewise accomplished. Properly balancing one’s roles and responsibilities for teaching, research, scholarship, and service must be a mission-critical attribute of the development and successful implementation of a faculty member’s professional development plan. It is important to realize that, while an effective and efficient professional development plan should delineate planned goals and corresponding strategies to © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_39

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achieve each goal towards fulfillment of a faculty member’s career aspirations for a given period of time, a viable and useful professional development plan should be reviewed and revised when appropriate as a faculty member’s roles, responsibilities, and/or interests, and thus their professional development goals change at various stages of their career.

39.2

Role in Career Success

The skillful development and successful implementation of professional development plans will serve you well in charting and achieving your desired career as a faculty member. Many contemporary higher education institutions recognize this and expect faculty members to prepare and submit a professional development plan that outlines their plans to fulfill their teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles and responsibilities. The fact that many institutions require faculty members to prepare and submit such a document attests to its importance and value. Regardless of whether you are required by your institution to prepare and submit such a document or not, you are wise to recognize the instrumental role that a sound professional development plan can play in keeping you on track towards realizing your career goals as well as the expectations of your institution. The development of a sound professional development plan is a great example of the importance of thinking first and then reducing your thoughts into a well crafted document that, while specifically tailored to your professional interests and career aspirations, also ensures that your planned activities will enable you to fully meet and ideally exceed the expectations that your institution will have regarding your work performance in the essential areas of teaching, research, scholarship, and service. Your professional development plan should identify your professional development goals, as well as the strategies that you plan to use to achieve each goal. This might involve participating in a particular training session or conference to enhance your knowledge and skills in a particular area. Your plan should likewise delineate the specific goals that you plan to achieve during the period covered by your plan. While there are many avenues to realizing success as a faculty member, having a well-planned roadmap to follow will prove essential to your career success in terms of achieving your professional goals and expectations as well as those of your institution. Similar to a roadmap that you would use in planning a fairly extensive trip, a sound planned and implemented professional development plan will enable you to delineate your planned destination and route of travel. In addition to serving as a valuable guidance tool, a professional development plan can also serve an invaluable role in encouraging and enabling you to evaluate your progress along the way, thus enhancing your overall career success as a faculty member.

39.4 Things NOT to Do

39.3

179

Things to DO

• Recognize the value of preparing and following a professional development plan as you chart your career aspirations and plans. • Ensure that your professional development plan addresses both your goals and expectations and those of your institution. • Delineate both your goals and planned strategies to achieve each goal in your professional development plan. • Include a timeline for implementing strategies and accomplishing goals in your plan. • Make sure that your plan addresses how you plan to continue to successfully enact your roles and responsibilities in teaching, research, scholarship, and service. • Use your professional development plan to track your progress. • Review and revise your plan when necessary and appropriate.

39.4

Things NOT to Do

• Incorporate goals and strategies in your professional development plan that likely cannot be accomplished during the planning period covered in your plan. • Fail to recognize the importance of not procrastinating in certain essential roles and responsibilities that by their nature can be time-consuming, such as those related to research and scholarship. • Become frustrated when you fall behind on the planned progress that you had anticipated and incorporated in your professional development plan. • Become so focused on accomplishing your roles and responsibilities as a faculty member that you fail to plan for and take time to actually engage in appropriate professional development opportunities and activities.

Early Career Challenges

40.1

40

What You Need to Know

The early career of a new faculty member is often both meaningful and challenging. It is meaningful in that it affords a new faculty member the opportunity to embark on the career to which they have aspired and for which they have prepared. At the same time, it is challenging in that it involves developing their initial teaching skills and abilities, as well as learning the expectations of their students, institution, and other stakeholders, along with related policies and procedures of their institution. New faculty members obviously need to learn and understand many new things. Ideally, much of what they will need to know in this initial stage of their career will have been covered during their institution’s orientation and onboarding activities, but there will always be additional things that they will learn from their colleagues and through experiences during this early stage of their career. Understanding the expectations that their institution will have regarding their teaching, research, scholarship, and service is essential as a new faculty member embarks on their career pilgrimage towards what will ideally prove to be a highly successful career. Effective teaching that contributes to successful learning outcomes for students should be an early focus of new faculty members. Most institutions recognize the mission-critical importance of teaching and afford new faculty members the opportunity to focus on developing their skills in teaching during the first few years of service. It is, however, important to recognize that the successful demonstration of other institutional expectations—including research, scholarship, and service—will be required in order to comply with an institution’s expectations related to retention as a faculty member. The early stage of one’s career as a faculty member is in many ways an exploratory stage during which faculty members have the opportunity to fully experience the world of higher education and the roles and responsibilities of faculty members. This stage in one’s faculty career affords a faculty member the © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_40

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opportunity to learn about not only their chosen profession and institution, but equally important to learn about themselves and their professional interests as a faculty member. During this career stage faculty members also have the opportunity to develop an understanding of the aspects of being a faculty member that they enjoy as well as those that they dislike. This understanding can play an instrumental role when they are later afforded opportunities to chart their course in terms of their teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles and responsibilities. Many faculty members have discovered the essential role that developing and following a professional development plan can play in contributing to their success during this early career stage. A skillfully developed and orchestrated professional development plan can prove instrumental in contributing to a faculty member’s early career success, including being retained by their institution. Following a well-crafted professional development plan will ensure a faculty member’s success in enacting their teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles in a manner that enhances their visibility, recognition, reputation, and respect as a valued contributor within their institution. An essential goal of faculty members during their early career and service to their institution is obviously to be retained as a faculty member by their institution. This will typically involve demonstrating success in meeting their institution’s expectations with respect to teaching, research, scholarship, and service. A faculty member’s work, contributions, and accomplishments in each of these essential areas will typically be reviewed at various points during their early service to an institution, as an institution makes critical personnel decisions with respect to recontracting faculty members for additional years of employment and later determining whether tenure should be awarded to a faculty member. Understanding and earnestly seeking to meet their institution’s expectations prior to being awarded tenure is critical in determining their retention as a faculty member and must therefore be an overriding goal during the early stage of their faculty career. It is important to realize that many institutions have a policy that if a faculty member does not earn tenure they can no longer be employed by that institution.

40.2

Role in Career Success

Your success as a faculty member will ideally occur throughout the various stages of your career. It is therefore important that you develop and pursue appropriate goals for each stage of your career. In addition to goals which will identify the results that you plan to achieve during each phase of your faculty career, you will need to determine the strategies or actions that you plan to implement in the interest of achieving each goal. While every stage or phase of your career will be instrumental in the accomplishment of your overall career goals, achieving success during your early career will establish a solid foundation on which to build your subsequent career success. You will find that taking the time to envision your overall career goals and how

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your early work and goals as a faculty member will contribute to your continued success during the later phases of your career will be time well spent. You will likewise benefit from reducing the short-term plans for your early career into a realistic professional development plan that will serve you, your institution, and its stakeholders well. It is important to remember that you will ideally have a fairly extensive career during which to accomplish your many interests and aspirations as a faculty member. It will, however, be crucial that you focus on the manageable tasks and goals that your institution will expect from you during the initial years of your career. Doing so will enable you to be well prepared when your institution reviews your progress and accomplishments in making retention decisions such as those related to recontracting and the awarding of tenure. Your success during this stage of your career pilgrimage as a faculty member will require that you have a plan that ensures that you will not only meet but ideally exceed the expectations of your institution when the time comes to decide whether your work and commitment to the institution justifies your continued retention as a valued faculty member.

40.3

Things to DO

• Review the expectations that your institution has for its employees as delineated in its policies, procedures, work rules, and/or code of conduct. • Understand the specific expectations of your institution with respect to successfully enacting your teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles and responsibilities as a faculty member. • Understand the process that your institution will use to evaluate your interim performance and in making tenure decisions. • Determine the appropriate priorities that you should have in your initial years of service with your institution. • Develop and follow a professional development plan designed to contribute to your early success as a faculty member. • Recognize the consequences of procrastination that results in not devoting appropriate attention to all four areas of your roles and responsibilities as a faculty member. • Take time to appreciate the fact that you have been appointed as a faculty member and to enjoy engaging in your chosen profession.

40.4

Things NOT to Do

• Feel that you need to plan your entire career at this point in your faculty career. • Fail to recognize the expectations that your institution will have in making recontracting and tenure decisions.

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• Fail to develop and utilize a professional development plan to guide your professional activities. • Fail to fully understand the career implications of not being recontracted or awarded tenure.

Mid-Career Challenges

41.1

41

What You Need to Know

As a faculty member transitions from their early career into a mid-career stage, the understandings and insights that they ought to have gleaned during the previous stage should prove invaluable as they make career decisions in this next phase of their career. Ideally, by this point in time a faculty member has developed at least a preliminary understanding of their genuine academic and intellectual interests. This understanding is instrumental as a faculty member refines their professional development plan to reflect their current and likely future teaching, research, scholarship, and service interests during the next significant phase of their career. A faculty member’s professional interests and activities should evolve during this career stage, so as not to become stagnant in their thinking and expectations. It is similarly important to have an appropriate plan that will ensure that they do not miss out on appropriate professional opportunities that align with their professional interests and goals. The importance of reviewing and revising their earlier professional development plan as appropriate should be recognized given the reality that their goals will likely change after their institution has committed to their retention by the awarding of tenure. Once a faculty member has been awarded tenure and their institution has committed to their retention as a valuable contributor to its mission and goals, a faculty member’s new goals will oftentimes involve pursuing promotion beyond their current academic rank. In the case of a faculty member currently serving at the assistant professor rank, this would typically involve being promoted to the associate rank, and in many cases at some point being promoted to the rank of full professor. Promotions can also involve advancing within and beyond the instructor or lecturer ranks. While institutions expect that faculty members will continue to demonstrate the work ethic and results on which a tenure decision was based, they

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also anticipate that faculty members will enhance their teaching, research, scholarship, and service, thus demonstrating that their institution made a prudent decision in granting them tenure. They will likewise expect and encourage their post-tenure faculty members to continue to use their talents to even more fully support their institution. While the criteria used in making promotion decisions will be similar to that used previously in making tenure decisions, the criteria and institutional expectations for advancement in the academic ranks will typically be more stringent. This will be the case particularly when faculty members are being considered for promotion to the terminal rank of full professor, where demonstrated and sustained success in teaching, research, scholarship, and service will be imperative in supporting a positive promotion decision. Demonstrated, sustained leadership on the part of a faculty member is a typical expectation for most institutions in promoting faculty members to the rank of full professor. Successful enactment of a faculty member’s roles and responsibilities, in addition to supporting the mission and goals of their institution, will position a faculty member as a visible, recognized, and respected member of the academic community both within and outside their institution. It will likewise enhance their recognition and standing within their profession and community. During this stage of a faculty member’s career, they will be able to make valuable and unique contributions to their institution and its stakeholders, as well as to their profession and society. It is during this stage in a faculty member’s career that they reach their full potential as a faculty member.

41.2

Role in Career Success

Being awarded tenure represents a significant milestone in a faculty member’s career. While previously being appointed as a faculty member was a cause for celebration, being awarded tenure is both well-deserved and a cause for even greater celebration. Your success as a faculty member will be enhanced by likewise acknowledging that you are making a significant transition from the non-tenured to tenured faculty ranks. You are in reality transitioning to the next phase of what will ideally be a productive and successful faculty career. While much of your focus and attention prior to being granted tenure was naturally on enacting your roles and responsibilities in a highly professional and successful manner, it was always important to make sure that your work was measuring up to your institution’s expectations as well as the criteria that would be used when the time arrived to make crucial tenure decisions. As you enter this next phase of your career, you must continue to enact your roles and responsibilities successfully and preferably with distinction. Ideally, you will have discovered and implemented strategies to enhance your effectiveness and success in all areas of your roles and responsibilities as a faculty member. You should be continually committed to enhancing your contribution to your students and institution.

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It will be natural and expected that during this stage of your career you will consider and likely aspire to attaining a promotion in academic rank. It will be important in pursuing this next milestone in your faculty career to recognize the expectations that your institution will have for promotions to various ranks within the academic hierarchy. You will need to become well versed in the current expectations that your institution has with respect to being considered for promotion. These requirements should be documented in your institution’s policies and procedures. It is imperative to realize that these requirements may change over time, so it will be essential to make sure that you have a current copy of these important guidance documents as you prepare for and apply for promotion. You should acknowledge that preparing for promotion(s) takes time and dedicated work and that you will typically be awarded your next promotion only after the passing of sufficient years to demonstrate that your work justifies the decision to be promoted in academic rank. As important as seeking and receiving a promotion should be, it is equally important to pursue interesting professional opportunities during this phase of your career. Many of these opportunities will involve sharing your expertise and insights in various ways and through various forums as a subject matter expert (SME). This will also be a phase of your career where you will be expected to engage in further research, scholarship, and service. It is essentially a time that you will be building your “brand” as a respected and sought-out professional in your field. Many faculty members at this stage of their careers pursue and accept opportunities to contribute to media stories and coverage. In summary, this stage of a faculty member’s career is an exciting stage during which you can make significant, meaningful, and lasting contributions.

41.3

Things to DO

• Recognize that the awarding of tenure typically triggers the transition to a new career stage for faculty members. • Take time to conscientiously consider your goals for this next phase of your faculty career. • Review and revise your existing professional development plan to provide appropriate guidance as you pursue your present and future goals. • Acknowledge the new roles and responsibilities that your institution and its stakeholders will expect of you once you have been awarded tenure. • Recognize that, in addition to enhanced roles and responsibilities in teaching, research, scholarship, and service, your institution will expect you to assume a greater leadership role in your department/program, school or college, and/or institution. • Take time to fully understand your institution’s expectations, policies, and procedures regarding the promotion of faculty.

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• Ensure that by successfully enacting your roles and responsibilities you are working towards meeting your institution’s expectations and requirements to be promoted as a faculty member. • Develop realistic expectations about the effort and time required to be seriously considered for promotion.

41.4

Things NOT to Do

• Reduce your productivity after being awarded tenure. • Assume that being promoted is a given based on one’s years of service as a faculty member. • Fail to recognize that the four categories of faculty roles and responsibilities will be significantly more stringent as an institution makes promotion decisions. • Submit an application for promotion that is not fully responsive in format and/ or content to that expected by your institution, including the submission of required supporting documentation. • Become frustrated and demoralized if you are not promoted the first time you apply.

Later-Career Challenges

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42

What You Need to Know

At some point most faculty members reach the career stage where they begin to anticipate and prepare for retirement. Similar to the earlier stages of their faculty career, retirement is actually a time to take stock of and celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of one’s career as a faculty member. Faculty members who have enjoyed a productive and meaningful career have an opportunity to achieve their remaining career aspirations during this career stage. The value of planning and preparing for the various phases of one’s faculty career has been emphasized in the previous two chapters with respect to a faculty member’s early and mid-career. Taking the time to plan and prepare for this career stage is no less important than preparing for the previous stages, and could be argued to be even more important in that it is during this career stage that faculty members have the opportunity to fulfill their various remaining professional aspirations and goals. Unlike many professions, the goals that faculty members envision and seek to fulfill during this phase of their careers typically involve both personal and professional goals as well as goals related to continuing to contribute in some meaningful way to the institution where they have enjoyed a meaningful, productive, and successful career. While most faculty members look forward to preparing for retirement and the additional opportunities that it presents to continue to be an active contributor to their profession and institution, developing a realistic and meaningful postretirement career plan is extremely important as it provides the structure to which they have become accustomed as a productive faculty member and affords the opportunity to remain engaged and active in their professional activities. The fact that a faculty member will be freed from their previous work demands as well as the normal expectations of their institution affords faculty members the opportunity to chart their own course with respect to a new set of interests and aspirations and the freedom to pursue their remaining personal and professional goals in the © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_42

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manner in which they choose. The relevance and importance of developing a professional development plan for this final stage of a faculty member’s career may not be as obvious as it was in preparing for the previous career stages, but without question is similarly important. It is during this career stage that most faculty members recognize that their decision to enter the academy and devote their life’s work to preparing students for successful careers was prudent in that it enabled them to achieve the aspirations and expectations that led to their career as a faculty member. While their accomplishments as a teacher will most often be the cause for celebration during this career stage, it is also a time to reflect on and value the many mission-critical ways in which the faculty member has contributed to the success of their students, institution, and profession over the years. As faculty members recount their work, accomplishments, and achievements to date they typically recognize that their career has been a cause for true celebration when one considers the fruits of their labors in the essential areas of teaching, research, scholarship, and service. For the faculty member, approaching and planning for retirement is therefore different than retiring from other jobs and professions. While in other instances walking away from one’s previous work is both customary and anticipated, the same is rarely true in the case of having served as a productive and engaged faculty member within one’s institution and profession. Maintaining one’s relationship with their institution and profession as well as the various stakeholders with whom they have interacted over the years is a desired and treasured aspiration of most faculty members that is often provided for through their institution bestowing on them an emeritus status that affords them various opportunities to sustain their institutional affiliation while participating in ways that they desire. This career stage affords faculty members many opportunities to further fulfill their personal and professional aspirations. It provides time to travel and engage in many new discoveries while enjoying and learning from all of them. For many faculty members this will involve having the time to travel to new places and experience new adventures. Many faculty members will often desire to continue to interact and engage with students by periodically teaching classes or by serving as a guest lecturer. Others will desire to continue to engage actively in research and scholarship, often in new and different areas than their previous work as a faculty member whose activities in these essential areas were in many ways driven by the needs and expectations of their institution. This career stage likewise provides many opportunities to continue to engage in various professional activities including serving as a recognized and respected subject matter expert in one’s field.

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Role in Career Success

While it is possible to view this career stage as the conclusion of one’s faculty career, enlightened faculty members instead recognize that in reality it can be an opportunity to experience a wealth of new personal and professional opportunities and challenges. Your success as a faculty member during this stage of your career will be enhanced and fully realized through the same proactive approach that ideally will have served you well throughout your faculty career. While it might seem unnecessary, taking the time to understand your continuing career aspirations can be as beneficial as it was during the previous stages of your career. A professional development plan will similarly serve you well as you chart your aspirations, activities, and adventures during this meaningful stage of your career as a faculty member. Without such a plan it is easy to fail to recognize and pursue appropriate ways to remain engaged with your institution and profession. An astutely crafted plan will serve you well both prior to and after your well-deserved retirement from the institution that has afforded you many fulfilling opportunities to realize your aspirations and dreams as a faculty member. You will likely want to continue your affiliation with your institution and profession and their stakeholders throughout this career stage and beyond it as you avail yourself to the many new opportunities and challenges that you will face after retiring. While you will want to remember and value the important contributions that you have made throughout your distinctive faculty career, you will likewise want to envision and as appropriate pursue the new opportunities and adventures that will present themselves.

42.3

Things to DO

• Recognize that this career stage will continue to afford you many opportunities to achieve your aspirations and goals as a faculty member and as an individual. • Acknowledge the importance of developing and following a professional development plan during this stage of your career. • View retirement as a new beginning that will afford you new and exciting opportunities and challenges, as well as the time and flexibility to pursue and achieve them. • Focus on both your personal and professional aspirations and goals as you envision and plan for your future. • Avail yourself of the opportunities and benefits of being bestowed emeritus status by your institution. • Continue to seek learning opportunities. • Take time to enjoy this stage of your career.

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Things NOT to Do

• Underestimate the valuable and meaningful opportunities that you will have during this stage of your career. • Underestimate the importance of remaining engaged with your institution and profession. • View retirement as an end, rather than an exciting new beginning. • Fail to recount and value the many ways in which you have contributed to your institution and its students, as well as your profession.

Part IX Career Advancement as a Faculty Member

This part of the book contains eight chapters (lessons) related to career advancement as a faculty member. Each of these chapters incorporates the importance of understanding the role that professional development plays throughout a successful faculty career. They similarly illustrate the importance of having a professional development plan that outlines appropriate goals and strategies that align with one’s interests, qualifications, and aspirations. Collaboration with others and the essential importance of fully complying with an institution’s expectations, including its personnel policies and procedures, are likewise emphasized in this series of chapters. Success as a faculty member involves recognizing the importance of continuous professional development and growth throughout one’s career. Seeking and engaging in appropriate professional development opportunities enables faculty members to continue their own learning experiences and their ability to share what they have learned with their students and others who benefit from their enhanced knowledge and expertise. A faculty member’s commitment to this aspect of professional responsibility similarly sets an important example for both students and colleagues. Chapter 43 highlights the importance of professional growth and development in a successful faculty career. Numerous learning opportunities are available to faculty members both within their institution and externally. However, it is important to be inclusive in considering available learning opportunities and selective in determining those that align with a faculty member’s current and planned future professional roles and responsibilities. In a sense, faculty members become “students” as they participate in various learning opportunities, including those available through collaboration with colleagues and related professionals. It is beneficial to pursue opportunities to enhance one’s disciplinary knowledge as well as opportunities to enhance skills and abilities related to one’s roles and responsibilities as a faculty member, including effective instructional development, delivery, and the utilization of enabling technology. The importance of investigating and pursuing appropriate learning opportunities within and external to one’s institution is discussed in Chap. 44. Faculty members who have completed a comprehensive research project such as a thesis or dissertation appreciate the importance of properly identifying and selecting a research topic. Often the topic that they pursued during their thesis or dissertation research will continue to interest and guide future research interests and activities. In other cases, faculty members discover and pursue new areas of

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research interest throughout their careers. Identifying and pursuing an appropriate research stream is an essential aspect of becoming a seasoned faculty member with a recognized and respected area(s) of research and professional engagement. Chapter 45 considers the essential role that determining and pursuing one’s intellectual and research interests plays in success as a faculty member. While there often are numerous individuals, including colleagues and administrators, who will suggest appropriate professional activities in which a faculty member should engage, only the involved faculty member can and should chart their own aspirations and appropriate professional activities. Preparing a sound professional development plan and updating it periodically will provide essential guidance regarding appropriate professional activities to pursue at various times during one’s career as a faculty member. Chapter 46 challenges faculty members to determine and pursue appropriate present and future professional activities. Both goals and strategies are essential components of a realistic professional development plan. Goals represent results that a faculty member purposes to accomplish, whereas strategies delineate the actions or means that will be employed to achieve each respective goal. By the successful implementation of a set of realistic strategies, the goals of a professional development plan can be realized. Professional goals should be challenging but also realistic, should be stated in specific and measurable terms, and should be time-referenced. The goals for each planning period of a professional development plan should align with the overall career goals of a faculty member. The importance of developing and pursuing a manageable set of professional goals is examined in Chap. 47. Productive faculty members recognize the merit of collaborating with other like-minded professionals on the various initiatives and projects that they proactively pursue throughout their careers. This collaboration may align with a faculty member’s roles and responsibilities with respect to teaching, research, and/or scholarship. Identifying appropriate collaborators is crucial to ensuring the success of collaborative activities, and typically significantly enhances both the pleasure of the collaborative process, as well as its results and impact. The importance of collaboration and strategies for faculty collaboration are discussed in Chap. 48. The contemporary world is continuously evolving in many ways, including the availability and access that students and faculty members have to new technologies that serve as essential and expected teaching/learning tools within institutions of higher education. It is not unusual for many students to have more familiarity with particular technologies than their professors. It is therefore essential that faculty members recognize the mission-critical importance of maintaining their technological knowledge and skills. This should include devoting the necessary time to learn about new technologies that their institution plans to implement. Chapter 49 emphasizes the mission-critical importance of faculty members maintaining necessary technological knowledge and skills. Colleges and universities, like most contemporary organizations, have numerous human resource policies, procedures, and practices with which their employees are expected to be familiar and comply if they expect to retain their employment and advance within their institution. It is essential for faculty members to take the

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time to understand these personnel processes and related activities associated with retaining their position as a faculty member and advancing within the academic ranks. While there are common aspects such as expectations related to recontracting, awarding of tenure, and being promoted, it is important to understand and fully comply with the policies, procedures, practices, and expectations of one’s institution. The importance of fully understanding and complying with all personnel policies, procedures, and practices related to faculty members is discussed in Chap. 50.

Professional Growth and Development

43.1

43

What You Need to Know

Success as a faculty member involves recognizing and embracing the essential importance of continuous professional development and growth throughout one’s career. As faculty members we strive to instill in our students the importance of professional development while engaged not only in their current academic pursuits, but likewise throughout their subsequent careers. It is important that faculty members heed their own advice to their students and pursue appropriate opportunities for professional development and growth throughout their faculty careers. There are two important aspects to consider in identifying and pursuing appropriate professional development opportunities as a faculty member. The first is obviously to maintain and enhance their qualifications to successfully enact their roles and responsibilities as a faculty member. In selecting appropriate, value-added professional development opportunities to pursue it is therefore mission-critical to incorporate those opportunities that will enable a faculty member to continue to enact their roles and responsibilities with respect to teaching, research, scholarship, and service with distinction. It is therefore important to ensure an appropriate balance between professional development opportunities in these four essential areas. The second important aspect is that by their example as a faculty member, they are serving as role models in reinforcing the importance of professional development and growth throughout one’s career. The importance of developing and implementing a skillfully crafted professional development plan should be obvious in the interest of ensuring that the professional development opportunities that a faculty member plans to pursue properly correspond with their professional qualifications and interests as well as the mission and goals of their department/program and institution. While the goals and corresponding strategies of a faculty member’s professional development plan will typically be stated in somewhat specific terms, the plan should allow for © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_43

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and encourage pursuing new professional development opportunities that arise. It is therefore important to incorporate appropriate flexibility into one’s professional development plan and to review and revise the plan when new opportunities present themselves.

43.2

Role in Career Success

Seeking and engaging in appropriate professional development opportunities enables faculty members valuable opportunities to continue their own learning pilgrimage and their ability to share what they have learned with their students and others who stand and desire to benefit from their enhanced knowledge and expertise as a highly-qualified, committed faculty member. Your commitment to this essential aspect of professional responsibility should similarly serve as a role model and example for both your students and colleagues. Achieving success throughout your faculty career will require that you recognize and proactively embrace the continued importance of pursuing and engaging in available and appropriate professional development opportunities throughout your faculty career. The same commitment to professional development that will serve you well in your early career will be likewise instrumental as you continue to strive to ensure excellence throughout your career. Developing and following the guidance provided by your professional development plan will serve you well throughout your career as a faculty member in that it enables you to determine an appropriate set of professional goals that will contribute to your present and future professional growth. Your plan should also identify the supporting strategies that you anticipate implementing in support of the goals that you have selected and committed to achieve during the planning period specified in your professional development plan. You will want to remember the importance of periodically reviewing and revising your plan, particularly when new professional development opportunities present themselves and/or when changes in your roles and responsibilities as a faculty member suggest that you review, rethink, and when appropriate, revise your professional development goals and strategies.

43.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the instrumental role that professional development will play throughout your career as a successful faculty member. • Acknowledge the importance of balancing professional development activities to ensure your continuous preparation in enacting your teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles and responsibilities. • Consider the mission and goals of your department/program and institution in selecting appropriate professional development opportunities.

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• Ensure that the professional development opportunities in which you choose to engage align with your professional interests and goals. • Prepare and follow a professional development plan that incorporates appropriate professional development opportunities that will contribute to your growth and success as a faculty member.

43.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to recognize that engaging in appropriate professional development activities is instrumental in ensuring your continued success as a faculty member in supporting your institution’s mission and goals and meeting its expectations and those of its students. • Only consider professional development opportunities related to teaching. • Fail to use discretion in selecting appropriate professional development opportunities in which to engage. • Overlook the various professional development opportunities that may be available through your institution or professional associations with which you are affiliated. • Fail to recognize the importance of reviewing and revising your professional development plan when you learn of new opportunities that more fully align with your professional interests and goals.

Learning Opportunities

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44

What You Need to Know

When one thinks about learning opportunities in the context of colleges and universities, the natural assumption is that this is a reference only to the learning opportunities that are afforded to students of an institution. Limiting our thinking in this manner fails to recognize the many valuable learning opportunities that are constantly available to other stakeholders of academic institutions. Numerous learning opportunities are available to faculty members both within their institution and externally. While some of these learning opportunities are formal, such as enrolling in an institution’s courses or professional development activities, many informal learning opportunities exist as faculty members process what they have learned through their teaching experiences and through engagement in their roles and responsibilities related to research, scholarship, and service. It is important to be inclusive in considering available learning opportunities and selective in determining those that properly align with a faculty member’s current and planned future professional roles and responsibilities. In a sense, faculty members become “students” as they participate in various formal and informal learning activities, including those available through collaboration with students, colleagues, and related professionals. It is beneficial to pursue opportunities to enhance one’s disciplinary knowledge as well as opportunities to enhance skills and abilities related to one’s roles and responsibilities as a faculty member. Highly successful faculty members recognize the many daily learning opportunities that they have as they enact their roles and responsibilities, and interact and engage with the various stakeholders who are positioned to afford valuable learning opportunities to the faculty members with whom they interact, including their students, faculty colleagues, and others.

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Role in Career Success

One of the significant ways that highly successful faculty members continually distinguish themselves is through their passion to engage in life-long learning. There are many benefits to adopting a mindset driven by your interest, curiosity, and inquisitiveness to learn as much as you can each and every day. You will ideally want to do this so as to enable you to share with your students and others the appropriate things that you have learned. While there are many formal opportunities for faculty members to enhance their knowledge and skills as they seek to satisfy their quest for knowledge, the astute faculty member will also benefit from valuable informal learning opportunities. Examples include the formal learning that takes place by attending a conference or professional meeting presentation, while the opportunity to interact with presenters and other attendees can offer even more valuable informal learning opportunities. Reading a scholarly article or an article appearing in a professional publication would represent a formal learning opportunity, while taking the opportunity to reach out to its author to discuss the article often presents similar valuable informal learning opportunities for faculty members, often resulting in offers to collaborate with future research, scholarship, or consulting activities. While you will have many roles and responsibilities with respect to teaching, research, scholarship, and service that you will be expected to properly enact as a faculty member, you should always view your work in each of these essential areas and activities as opportunities to enhance your knowledge, skills, and understanding. Highly successful faculty members who are in demand to share what they have learned with others also recognize the reciprocal value of learning from others and through various experiences. Your success will be significantly enhanced by your genuine desire and willingness to engage in continuous learning as you enact your roles and responsibilities as an exceptional faculty member.

44.3

Things to DO

• Recognize that academic institutions exist to provide opportunities for members of society to learn in both formal and informal ways. • Acknowledge that, in addition to their role and responsibilities in providing and facilitating learning opportunities for their students and other stakeholders with whom they engage, faculty members also have numerous valuable opportunities to learn from others. • Recognize that learning opportunities for faculty members often derive from their research and scholarship activities as well as by learning from the research and scholarly activities of others within and outside their institution. • Realize that conferences and professional meetings offer many formal and informal learning opportunities for faculty members.

44.4 Things NOT to Do

44.4

203

Things NOT to Do

• Limit the learning opportunities that you pursue to only those within your academic discipline or field. • Fail to appreciate and take advantage of the many opportunities that faculty members have to learn from others and through numerous experiences. • Underestimate the significant opportunities that faculty members have to learn from their students through formal student evaluations, student feedback, and observing and interacting with students in their courses. • Fail to commit to learning every day.

Intellectual and Research Interests

45.1

45

What You Need to Know

The intellectual interests of faculty members are typically among the motivating factors that influence their decision to pursue a career as a faculty member. Aspiring faculty members recognize the unique opportunities that serving as a faculty member will afford them to determine and explore their intellectual interests while preparing to enact their roles and responsibilities as a faculty member. Among the many meaningful and empowering aspects of serving as a faculty member is the ability, freedom, and encouragement to engage in exciting intellectual pursuits that align with a faculty member’s roles, responsibilities, and professional interests. Faculty members have many unique opportunities to engage in professional activities throughout their careers to enhance their knowledge, understanding, and insights related to their professional and personal intellectual interests. As well as the opportunity to enhance their intellectual understanding by engaging in related research initiatives, faculty members have many unique opportunities to share their research discoveries with others, including by publishing their research findings and by sharing their research results in presentations at relevant conferences and professional meetings. A faculty member’s intellectual interests will often evolve over time, as will their research interests. Identifying and pursuing an appropriate research stream is thus an essential aspect of becoming a seasoned faculty member with a recognized and respected area(s) of research and professional engagement. The importance of periodically reviewing, rethinking, and when appropriate revising one’s research interests and consequently a faculty member’s planned research stream should be apparent. Faculty members who have completed a comprehensive research project such as a thesis or dissertation recognize and appreciate the importance of identifying and selecting an appropriate research topic. The research topic that they pursued during their thesis or dissertation research will often continue to interest and guide © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_45

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a faculty member’s future research interests and activities. In other cases, faculty members will discover and pursue new areas of research interests throughout their careers. The essential importance of periodically reviewing their professional development plans with respect to pursuing their evolving intellectual and research interests as a faculty member is demonstrated by highly productive and successful faculty members.

45.2

Role in Career Success

Most successful faculty members are driven by a passion to continuously learn new things and subsequently share their newly discovered insights with their students, colleagues, and others. An ongoing commitment to pursuing your intellectual interests will empower your success as a faculty member recognized for your commitment to maintaining relevance and currency within your field. While there are unfortunately some instances where faculty members pursue learning opportunities based primarily on the expectations of their institution and its various stakeholders, approaching your roles and responsibilities in this manner denies you the opportunity to fully experience the pleasure and benefits of learning to enhance your own preparedness as well as the ability to make a meaningful and lasting contribution to the evolving body of knowledge within your field. You may find that, while your institution and various stakeholders will often have expectations for you as you formulate your intellectual interests and chart the various appropriate ways you can pursue related discoveries, it is imperative that you adopt and pursue interests that align with your professional interests. While conducting, analyzing, and reporting your findings to others through relevant publications and presentations is an essential way that you can pursue your interests, it is similarly important to recognize that exploring your intellectual interests can and should also involve learning from other like-minded professionals in your field by reading their published work and attending relevant presentations. Your success in exploring your intellectual interests should involve an evolutionary process beginning in your early career and transitioning throughout the various stages of your faculty career. Your intellectual and research interests will likely evolve over time based on new developments in your field, prompted by both your professional activities and that of others within and outside your institution. A particularly rewarding and empowering aspect of your research activities will be when others reach out to you indicating their interest in further contributing to the evolving body of knowledge by building on your work and/or collaborating with you. A key to success in pursuing your intellectual and research interests will involve taking the necessary time to conscientiously consider your interests and the most appropriate ways to pursue your present intellectual and research interests. While you may have many areas that interest you as a researcher, it is important to identify and pursue an ongoing set of manageable research projects, rather than to feel that you should engage in a massive undertaking that will potentially become

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frustrating and deny you opportunities to make ongoing contributions to the body of knowledge in your field and to share your discoveries with your students, colleagues, and other interested stakeholders.

45.3

Things to DO

• Recognize that faculty members have the unique opportunity to pursue their intellectual and research interests with the encouragement and support of their institutions. • Realize that a faculty member’s intellectual and research interests are likely to evolve over time. • Acknowledge the value of a professional development plan in articulating and pursuing your evolving intellectual and research interests. • Consider your present and future roles and responsibilities as a faculty member in charting your evolving intellectual and research interests. • Recognize and value opportunities to contribute to the existing body of knowledge through your evolving research and scholarship.

45.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to recognize the instrumental role that your evolving intellectual and research interests and activities can play in enhancing your career success as well as the success of your students and institution. • Fail to share with your students and colleagues relevant discoveries of your research. • Assume that you have a responsibility to sustain your present research stream, rather than pursuing new appropriate areas of inquiry. • Fail to recognize the role that other researchers can play in addressing your intellectual interests. • Limit the effectiveness of your research studies by not recognizing the value that collaboration with others can play in enabling you to more fully contribute to the body of knowledge in your field of interest. • Fail to delimit your research to a series of manageable topics, rather than attempt to undertake a massive project.

Future Professional Activities

46.1

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What You Need to Know

Engaging in appropriate professional activities underpins the success of faculty members throughout their faculty careers. By identifying and pursuing appropriate professional development opportunities and activities a faculty member can prepare to effectively and efficiently enact their roles and responsibilities with respect to teaching, research, scholarship, and service. While most faculty members recognize the role that professional activities play in their early careers, some faculty members fail to recognize the continued importance of engaging in appropriate professional opportunities and activities throughout their careers. Selecting the most appropriate professional activities to pursue during one’s career is essential to fully achieving success as a faculty member. While there are often numerous individuals, including colleagues and administrators, who will suggest the appropriate professional activities in which a faculty member should engage, only the involved faculty member can and should chart their own professional aspirations and corresponding professional activities. While there are numerous professional development opportunities available to faculty members, it is important to be selective in identifying the professional activities that best align with a faculty member’s present and anticipated future roles, responsibilities, and professional interests. Although there are various professional development opportunities available to faculty members, it is important to avoid engaging in numerous professional activities simply for the sake of doing so—a tendency of many new faculty members—but instead identify and pursue those professional activities that best align with a faculty member’s present and planned future professional aspirations and goals. Preparing a sound professional development plan and updating it periodically will provide essential guidance regarding appropriate professional activities

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_46

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to pursue at various times during one’s career as a faculty member. Pursuing appropriate professional activities throughout one’s career will prove instrumental to realizing a meaningful and successful long-term career as a faculty member.

46.2

Role in Career Success

Achieving success as a faculty member should be viewed as a career-long pilgrimage. The same intellectual inquisitiveness and aspirations that attracted you to pursue a faculty career will ideally continue to motivate you to engage in appropriate professional activities to ensure your continued preparedness to successfully enact your teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles and responsibilities. You will discover that pursuing relevant and appropriate professional development activities will empower you as a faculty member and encourage you to recognize the value of engaging in continued professional development. While there are numerous professional development opportunities that will present themselves to you as a faculty member, it is important to identify and select the most appropriate opportunities for you to proactively embrace and pursue. You will benefit from researching and identifying available professional development opportunities, always being prudent in determining and selecting the most appropriate opportunities to pursue. Selecting the most appropriate opportunities to pursue will require that you conscientiously consider available professional development opportunities in light of your present and anticipated future roles, responsibilities, and professional interests as a faculty member. It is essential to recognize that, in addition to preparing you to more successfully enact your current roles and responsibilities, engaging in astutely selected professional development opportunities can be instrumental in further preparing you to assume new and exciting roles and responsibilities during your faculty career. A wisely crafted professional development plan will serve you well as you identify and pursue appropriate professional development opportunities throughout your career. You will want to ensure that the professional activities that you pursue correspond with your evolving roles, responsibilities, and interests as a faculty member. By participating in appropriate professional activities, you will be prepared to more fully contribute to your institution’s mission and goals and the expectations of your institution and its various stakeholders. Engaging in appropriate professional activities throughout your career will prove essential to your career success and meaningfulness as a committed and respected faculty member.

46.4 Things NOT to Do

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Things to DO

• Appreciate the instrumental role that pursuing professional activities plays in a faculty member’s career success. • Recognize that while there are many professional development opportunities available to faculty members, selecting appropriate opportunities is essential to achieving career success. • Acknowledge that faculty members have both formal and informal professional development opportunities. • Resist the inclination to continually engage in the same professional development opportunities, rather than engaging in new opportunities and activities that will more fully prepare you as a faculty member for a productive, meaningful, and exciting career. • Recognize the essential importance of a skillfully crafted professional development plan in identifying and pursuing appropriate professional activities throughout one’s faculty career.

46.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to explore and consider the numerous professional opportunities that are available to faculty members. • Underestimate the professional value of engaging in new professional development opportunities. • Engage in professional activities for the sake of doing so, rather than selecting and engaging in a manageable set of activities that will best serve you, your institution, and its stakeholders.

Pursuing Manageable Professional Goals

47

Abstract

The success of academic institutions as well as that of their faculty is in many ways determined by formulating and pursuing appropriate goals and supporting strategies. Goals are the results that an institution strives to accomplish through the implementation of appropriate strategies. Strategies are the actions or means that are necessary to successfully achieve stated goals. Institutions utilize strategic planning to formulate an organizational mission and goals, while faculty members and others within an institution support their institution’s mission and goals as they enact their respective roles and responsibilities.

47.1

What You Need to Know

The success of academic institutions as well as that of their faculty is in many ways determined by formulating and pursuing appropriate goals and supporting strategies. Goals are the results that an institution strives to accomplish through the implementation of appropriate strategies. Strategies are the actions or means that are necessary to successfully achieve stated goals. Institutions utilize strategic planning to formulate an organizational mission and goals, while faculty members and others within an institution support their institution’s mission and goals as they enact their respective roles and responsibilities. Faculty members similarly determine their respective goals and the necessary strategies that will contribute to achieving their goals. These goals typically relate to a faculty member’s present and likely future roles and responsibilities, as well as their professional interests. By formulating and pursuing their professional goals and strategies to achieve those goals, faculty members support the work of their institution, including the achievement of its mission and goals. Whether planning for an institution or the professional goals of its individual faculty members, there are recognized principles and practices of sound planning. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_47

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Faculty members should engage in appropriate planning to ensure their present and future success as contributing members of their institution. As faculty members engage in planning for their present and future success and that of their department/ program and institution, it is important to determine a manageable set of goals and related strategies to achieve these goals. Whether stating an institution’s goals or the goals of an individual faculty member, goals that are formulated should conform with a number of expected characteristics. Well-written goals should be stated in specific, measurable terms. They should be challenging, but also realistic. They should address important issues. Lastly, they should be time-referenced. Goals for a faculty member will typically address goals related to being retained by their institution and subsequent advancement within their institution. Examples of well-written goals could include, “Be awarded tenure within the next five years,” “Receive promotion to associate professor within the next three years,” or “Publish three articles in peer-reviewed journals within the next five years.” An essential aspect of sound goal setting as a faculty member is to ensure that goals support their institution’s mission and goals as well as their own professional goals. Given the realities of the expectations that their institution will have in making retention and advancement decisions, it is essential to ensure that an institution’s expectations are properly incorporated as a faculty member formulates their professional goals and reduces them to writing through the development of a professional development plan. While being proactive and assertive in this goalsetting process is certainly important, it is likewise essential that a manageable set of appropriate goals are development and pursued.

47.2

Role in Career Success

Both goals and strategies are essential components of a realistic professional development plan. Your success throughout your career as a faculty member will be determined by your ability to formulate and pursue an appropriate set of professional goals and the necessary strategies to achieve each goal. Only through the development and successful implementation of realistic strategies will it be possible to achieve the goals that you have delineated in a viable professional development plan. Your professional goals should be challenging but also realistic. They should be stated in specific and measurable terms, and they should be time-referenced. Your success as a faculty member will be significantly enhanced by developing a realistic professional development plan and following this essential guidance document as you prepare for and enact your professional roles, responsibilities, and goals as a faculty member. Your professional development plan will serve you well throughout your career and should be comprised of a number of sequential plans developed at various stages of your career. Such an iterative process of preparing, reviewing, and as appropriate revising your professional development plan will enable you to develop and follow a viable plan towards achieving your career aspirations and goals.

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Approaching your professional goals in this manner will enable you to develop and implement a manageable set of goals for each period covered in your professional development plan. A manageable plan will prove to be a key to your early and ongoing success as a faculty member.

47.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the instrumental role that developing and pursuing a realistic and manageable set of goals plays in the success of a faculty member and their institution. • Develop professional goals that are specific and measurable, address important issues, are challenging but also realistic, and are time-referenced. • Utilize well-written professional development plans to chart your goals as a faculty member and an appropriate set of strategies to achieve each goal. • Prioritize your goals so that they align with your roles, responsibilities, and professional interests as a faculty member. • Ensure that your goals and strategies to achieve them align with the expectations of your institution in terms of being retained as an employee and advancing within the academic ranks of your institution.

47.4

Things NOT to Do

• Approach your professional goal-setting in a reactive, rather than a proactive manner. • Fail to incorporate the expectations that your institution will have in terms of teaching, research, scholarship, and service. • Fail to recognize the crucial importance of developing a manageable set of goals that are attainable within the planning period. • Underestimate the importance of setting iterative sets of manageable goals and strategies throughout one’s faculty career.

Collaborative Initiatives and Projects

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48

What You Need to Know

While faculty members often undertake and complete various initiatives and projects on their own, there are many occasions where collaborating with others is a prudent choice. Collaboration may involve working with colleagues within one’s institution or from other institutions. There are also instances where collaboration with related professionals from outside the academy may be a wise choice. Productive faculty members recognize the merit of collaborating with other like-minded professionals on various initiatives and projects that they proactively pursue throughout their careers. This collaboration may align with a faculty member’s roles and responsibilities with respect to teaching, research, scholarship and/ or service. Through collaboration faculty members can enhance the teaching/ learning experience for their students by partnering with other faculty members with complementary knowledge and skills, or with professionals from outside the academy. Many faculty members engage in collaboration with other professionals who share their interests with respect to conducting and sharing their research with others. The fruits of their collaborative labors are often shared through academic and/or professional publications, as well as in presentations at conferences and professional meetings. Through appropriate collaboration faculty members are able to leverage the impact of their research by working with others who are qualified to enhance their research approach and findings, and more fully contribute to the evolving body of knowledge in their field of interest. Identifying appropriate collaborators is key to ensuring the success of collaborative activities, and typically significantly enhances not only the pleasure of working together with one or more collaborators, but more importantly the results and impact of a collaborative initiative. The importance of selecting an appropriate collaborator(s) cannot be overstated. Successful collaboration requires that each collaborator has the talents and motivation to work together in planning and © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_48

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completing a particular project. Each party must be prepared to fully contribute to the successful completion of the collaborative project. Effective collaboration is based on bringing together the synergistic talents of the collaborators in a manner that significantly enhances the outcomes and value of a collaborative project.

48.2

Role in Career Success

While there are many instances throughout a successful faculty career that you will embark on and complete various initiatives and projects with respect to your teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles and responsibilities, you will discover that there are numerous times that collaborating with others will serve you and your institution well in enhancing both the outcomes and impact of particular initiatives. In addition to collaborating in conducting research and sharing research findings with interested parties through publications and presentations, collaboration in enacting one’s teaching and service roles and responsibilities can also be an effective and efficient way to enact one’s responsibilities in these two essential areas. Team teaching affords involved faculty members opportunities to share their unique expertise and insights not only with students but also with their teaching colleagues. Collaboration in this essential area can also involve delivering guest lectures in each other’s classes. While this type of collaboration typically involves working with others from within your academic department, program, or institution, it is beneficial to consider the value that faculty members from other areas of your institution or from other institutions can contribute through the collaborative development and delivery of courses. The ability to collaborate with others in this manner is greatly enhanced through the use of technology which allows faculty members at different institutions to virtually convene their courses facilitating involved faculty members and students learning from each other in a synergistic manner. Collaborating with other faculty members from both within and outside one’s institution is a typical practice as faculty members plan and conduct research and subsequently share their learning discoveries with others through publications and presentations. In reality, collaborating with the right individual(s) can greatly enhance the successful outcomes and impact of a particular project. You will find that, while working on your own on many projects is a prudent approach, there will be various initiatives and projects throughout your career that will present appropriate opportunities for meaningful, productive collaboration wherein the results of your collaborative work will be significantly enhanced through your synergistic collaboration. Your success in enacting your various roles and responsibilities as a faculty member will benefit from your openness to considering collaboration as a viable option when appropriate. While identifying projects where collaboration makes sense is an essential starting point, selecting the right collaborator(s) is even more important. You will want to select individuals who not only have the requisite

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qualifications to contribute substantially to your project, but also share the enthusiasm, passion, and work ethic to successfully enact their roles and responsibilities in a professional and timely manner. Collaborating with the right individuals on the right projects will enhance your effectiveness and success as a faculty member and the impact of your work in preparing your students and contributing to the evolving body of knowledge in your field.

48.3

Things to DO

• Select appropriate initiatives and projects whose outcome and impact can be enhanced through collaboration. • Recognize the potential to collaborate with respect to teaching, research, scholarship, and service projects. • Identify collaborators with the potential of enhancing the outcomes and impact of a particular project. • Carefully consider what each collaborator is capable and prepared to contribute before agreeing to collaborate on a particular project. • Ensure that each party to the collaboration is prepared and eager to fully enact their respective share of the collaboration.

48.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to consider professionals from outside the academy as valuable collaborators. • Agree to collaborate on a project without properly designing and agreeing to the scope of work and responsibilities of each collaborator. • Agree to collaborate on a project with an individual who is known for being difficult to work with or for their failure to complete designated tasks on time. • Agree to collaborate with a colleague who does not share your interest in a particular project just to help them fulfill the professional expectations of your institution.

Technological Knowledge and Skills

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49

What You Need to Know

Contemporary colleges and universities utilize many resources as they strive to fulfill their mission and goals while meeting and ideally exceeding the expectations of their students and other stakeholders. Their success in achieving their mission and goals as well as in meeting the expectations of their stakeholders requires that academic institutions skillfully assemble and utilize various resources, including the many available technological resources that enable them to succeed as institutions committed to preparing the next generation of professionals to achieve success within their chosen fields and society. Success as a contemporary academic institution is based on having both necessary resources and competence in skillfully utilizing these resources. While there are many resources that these institutions employ, including technological resources and tools, the most important resource of any contemporary organization is its human resources. In the case of academic institutions, faculty members serve a primary role in preparing their organizations to successfully deliver academic programs and other services in fulfillment of their missions and goals. Appropriate technology in the hands of skilled faculty members serves to achieve the mission and goals of the institution. The successful enactment of an institution’s mission and goals, as well as the roles and responsibilities of faculty members requires the availability of an appropriate set of technological resources and tools. This requires ensuring that necessary supporting tools are both available and that faculty members and other staff are knowledgeable and skilled in the use of these instrumental tools. The success of colleges and universities, similar to that of other contemporary organizations, involves ensuring that these institutions have the necessary hardware, software, peripherals, networking systems, and data management tools to effectively and efficiently achieve their mission and goals, and that their personnel are proficient in the use of these invaluable tools. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_49

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The contemporary world continues to evolve in many ways, including the availability and access that students and faculty members have to new technologies that serve as essential and expected teaching/learning tools within institutions of higher education. Faculty members rely on the availability of evolving technological resources and tools to enable them to achieve success as they enact their teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles and responsibilities. In reality, technological tools and resources support not only an institution’s productivity, but also its ability to prepare students whose career success will require that they are skilled in the use of existing and evolving technologies and tools in their future career pursuits.

49.2

Role in Career Success

Your success as a faculty member as well as that of your institution will require that you are provided the necessary technical resources and tools to successfully enact your various roles and responsibilities related to teaching, research, scholarship, and service. Merely having these invaluable resources available, however, is not sufficient. It is imperative that faculty members possess the necessary knowledge, skills, and competence in their use in order to support their work in enacting their respective roles and responsibilities. Unless you have these capabilities, you will be limited in your ability to successfully embrace and utilize these invaluable tools in enacting your respective roles and responsibilities as a faculty member. The importance of being skilled in the use of available technology tools and resources in support of your teaching and preparation of students should be obvious, including the use of tools that provide for alternative course delivery modes. It is likewise important to be aware of and skilled in the use of technologies that support and enable the successful enactment of your research, scholarship, and service roles and responsibilities. The availability and skillful use of evolving technologies are mission-critical to the success of both you as a faculty member and that of your institution. You and your institution would therefore be remiss to not fully embrace and utilize available technologies. Maintaining awareness, knowledge, and skills regarding available technologies that your institution has provided to support your work as a faculty member will prove instrumental to your success. You will benefit from committing the necessary time to ensure your proficiency as new technologies become available and current technologies are revised, including when operating systems and applications software packages are updated. You will benefit from availing yourself of technology training and IT support provided by your institution. Developing an awareness and skills in the utilization of available library databases will also prove instrumental to your success in teaching, research, and scholarship. Given that many institutions update their technologies during the summer when fewer classes are being offered, you will find that summer provides an ideal time to ensure your current technological knowledge and skills. Many faculty members similarly commit to periodically enhancing their existing knowledge and skills

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regarding the various capabilities and features of software products that they current utilize without recognizing and taking advantage of their full features. Your success as a faculty member can likewise be enhanced by taking time to become knowledgeable and proficient in appropriate software products that you have not previously utilized in your work.

49.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the mission-critical roles that technological resources play in determining the success of contemporary academic institutions, their faculty members, and their students. • Acknowledge that technological resources and tools exist that can effectively and efficiently support the enactment of your teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles and responsibilities. • Recognize the role that knowledgeable and skilled faculty members play in optimizing the use of technology resources to enhance student learning. • Commit the necessary time to maintain and enhance your knowledge and skills in the use of available technology resources and tools. • Commit to remaining current as existing software packages are updated and new software tools are added to those available through your institution.

49.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to recognize the importance of maintaining your awareness, knowledge, and skills as your institution updates the technological resources and tools that are available to you as a faculty member. • Underestimate the importance of learning new technological skills that will enhance your effectiveness, efficiency, and success as a faculty member. • Fail to take advantage of the training and support resources available through your institution’s IT team.

Institutional Personnel Processes

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50

What You Need to Know

Like most contemporary organizations, colleges and universities have numerous human resources policies, procedures, and practices with which their employees are expected to be familiar and comply if they expect to retain their employment and ideally advance within their institution. These expectations are made available and reviewed during one’s orientation and onboarding activities, and at various points throughout one’s employment with an institution. These subsequent briefings are necessary in the interest of reviewing and reminding employees of the importance of understanding and complying with existing policies, procedures, and practices, and when appropriate to introduce new guidance documents or the revision of existing ones. Policies, procedures, and practices provide essential behavioral guidance in that they clarify the expectations that an organization has for its personnel as they enact their general and specific roles and responsibilities. Policies provide general or broad guidance with respect to decision making, whereas procedures support policies by delineating specific actions that employees are expected to follow in enacting their various roles and responsibilities. Practices summarize how an organization actually operates in accordance with its established policies and procedures. Work rules and/or rules of conduct likewise provide essential guidance regarding an organization’s behavioral expectations for its employees. Faculty members are expected to enact their respective roles and responsibilities in the areas of teaching, research, scholarship, and service in the manner delineated in their institution’s policies and procedures. In teaching this would be illustrated by compliance with an institution’s policy of ensuring that every student is valued, respected, and afforded learning opportunities to achieve their full potential. The means by which an institution accomplishes this important mission-critical policy should be delineated in its supporting procedures and their successful implementation. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_50

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In addition to understanding and fully complying with an institution’s policies and procedures with respect to teaching, research, scholarship, and service, faculty members are also expected to fully comply with all of their institution’s general expectations for all employees as stated in its work rules and/or code of conduct. An example of this would be complying with an institution’s specific policies and procedures with respect to conducting and publishing research, while also ensuring that all such activities are conducted in accordance with their institution’s general ethical code of conduct. It is essential to the success of an academic institution and that of its faculty members, that faculty members understand and act in accordance with all existing policies, procedures, and practices, as well as new or revised guidance documents that are developed and promulgated during their service as faculty members. It is important that faculty members take the necessary time and effort to fully understand all relevant personnel policies, procedures, and practices related to retaining their current position as well as advancing within the academic ranks. While faculty members typically recognize the critical importance of their institution’s expectations and processes with respect to recontracting, tenure, and promotion, it is likewise essential to understand and fully comply with all of the policies, procedures, practices, and expectations of one’s institution.

50.2

Role in Career Success

While there are many things that are instrumental in establishing and pursuing a successful faculty career, one that you should be careful not to underestimate is ensuring your continuous understanding of and compliance with your institution’s personnel policies, procedures, and practices. By fully embracing the importance of the essential guidance that they articulate, you will be able to fully realize your career aspirations and goals as a faculty member, including those associated with being respected, valued, retained, and promoted by your institution. You will need to understand that, while you will typically have significant latitude and discretion in enacting your teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles and responsibilities, your institution has both the right and responsibility to ensure that faculty members enact their roles and responsibilities in a manner that contributes to accomplishing their institution’s mission and goals while properly serving and supporting its stakeholders. While you will be afforded the benefits of academic freedom, you will have a mission-critical responsibility to enact your respective roles and responsibilities in a manner that supports the mission and goals of your institution while enhancing its reputation and respect. You will never want to underestimate the role that understanding and complying with the policies, procedures, and practices of your institution will play in its present and future success. You will likewise need to recognize the role that compliance with relevant personnel policies, procedures, and practices will play in your continued success as a faculty member. The importance of understanding and fully complying with specific policies, procedures, and practices related

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to recontracting, tenure, promotion, and other human resource activities should be obvious. In preparing and submitting your materials for retention or promotion within your institution, it is imperative to ensure that you fully respond to the expected submission scope, including ensuring that you provide all requested supporting materials and submit all of your materials in advance of established due dates. Your continued success as a faculty member will require that you ensure that you accept and address your responsibilities with respect to your institution’s personnel policies, procedures, and practices in a manner that further demonstrates your commitment to your institution and its stakeholders, and attests to the true professional that you are.

50.3

Things to DO

• Understand the mission-critical role that policies, procedures, and practices play in contributing to the success of an academic institution and its faculty members. • Take the time to fully understand and comply with all relevant policies, procedures, and practices of your institution. • Recognize the serious consequences of non-compliance in terms of your retention and advancement within your institution. • Seek clarification of your institution’s policies, procedures, and practices when necessary. • Recognize that there will likely be times that your institution will develop and implement revised or new policies, procedures, and/or practices.

50.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to recognize the importance of understanding and complying with revised and/or new policies and procedures issued by your institution. • Focus only on specific policies and procedures such as those related to recontracting, tenure, and promotion, rather than ensuring your understanding and compliance with all expectations that your institution has for its employees. • Fail to acknowledge the crucial importance of being in compliance with your institution’s behavioral expectations for faculty members throughout your faculty career.

Part X Achieving a Meaningful and Rewarding Faculty Career

The seven chapters in this final part are devoted to considering mission-critical aspects of pursuing and achieving a meaningful and rewarding faculty career. Each of the lessons in these chapters involves strategies designed to enhance a faculty member’s success throughout the various stages of their career. They similarly constitute the attributes that will typically determine a faculty member’s professional satisfaction throughout their career. The importance of dedication and passion for one’s chosen career are obvious factors in determining one’s career satisfaction. Faculty members who realize a meaningful and rewarding career, like their students, become motivated, engaged, and empowered in their passion for continuous learning and sharing their knowledge with others. An unfortunate fallacy regarding the role and responsibilities of college and university faculty members is that they teach only a limited number of classes each week and thus are expected to work many less hours than most employees. Nothing could be further from the truth, and it is important that individuals who aspire to faculty positions fully understand, recognize, and respect the expectations that their institutions and other stakeholders rightfully have regarding their work ethic and performance. Hard work that is driven by commitment, dedication, and passion is instrumental in ensuring success throughout one’s career as a faculty member. The essential importance of hard work, commitment, dedication, and passion is considered in Chap. 51. Achieving an appropriate balance between one’s personal life and work, while important in any occupation, is particularly important as a faculty member. While the teaching schedule of faculty members is predictable, there are many professional responsibilities that occur outside the classroom and in addition to teaching responsibilities that faculty members must appropriately plan for and accommodate in their scheduled activities. It is important to ascertain not only the right balance between their work and life activities, but also to determine and implement an appropriate time management approach to ensure that their work roles and responsibilities are fully accomplished while contributing to a meaningful personal life. Chapter 52 examines the importance of determining and being guided by an appropriate life/work balance. Success in any professional endeavor is based on recognizing one’s limitations. It is important that a faculty member understands their current level of qualification and preparedness in determining appropriate professional activities in which to engage. This involves respecting their own limitations, as well as ensuring that

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others do not expect them to engage in professional activities that are outside their expertise or comfort level. Accepting teaching assignments for which they are not currently qualified and prepared, or media engagements that fall outside their expertise illustrate the pitfalls of not knowing one’s limitations. The importance of recognizing one’s limitations in knowledge and skills is introduced in Chap. 53. Throughout their careers, faculty members should expect to face many new and exciting challenges. It is important to anticipate and prepare for these new challenges in advance and always to maintain one’s current awareness and thus relevance in evolving areas of teaching, research, and scholarship. The missioncritical importance of maintaining agility and resilience was illustrated as most faculty members found it necessary to pivot to new instructional delivery modes during the recent pandemic. This lesson in the essential importance of maintaining agility continues to serve faculty members well as they plan for and implement innovative measures in their work. Chapter 54 emphasizes the importance of maintaining your currency, relevance, agility, and resilience throughout your career as a faculty member. Among the most meaningful and rewarding aspects of serving as a faculty member is the ability to engage in a learning pilgrimage with others. While this will routinely involve facilitating the learning of students, often through mentoring, at times it will similarly involve sharing one’s expertise with others within and outside one’s institution. It is also important to recognize the learning opportunities that faculty members experience every day as they engage in their chosen profession and interact with their students, colleagues, and others within their profession. Faculty members should approach every day and activity as a valuable opportunity to both impart and benefit from learning opportunities. The essential importance of engaging in collaborative learning is considered in Chap. 55. Every contemporary faculty member, regardless of their faculty rank or academic discipline, has a responsibility to contribute to the present mission and future vision of their institution. The daily activities of faculty members should enhance both their professional standing and respect as well as that of their institution. The collective and collaborative work of every faculty member therefore plays an essential role in enhancing their institution’s visibility, respect, and the impact that it has within the community that it serves and in society. Impact is a primary factor on which most accrediting organizations now focus and that an institution’s various stakeholders consider in making decisions regarding their support of a particular college or university. Chapter 56 discusses the importance of maintaining professional and institutional visibility, respect, and impact as a faculty member and on behalf of one’s institution. The various lessons in this book have been designed to offer useful guidance throughout one’s career as a college or university faculty member. We trust that the reader will benefit from the insights shared throughout these lessons as they prepare for and navigate one of the most meaningful and exciting careers that exist in contemporary society. Preparing our next generation of leaders and challenging them to make their unique contributions is a novel opportunity available to faculty members. In addition to imparting essential knowledge to their students, faculty

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members serve as role models in preparing the graduates who will be entrusted with our societal future. Chapter 57 presents some final thoughts and words of encouragement to those individuals who aspire to and accept the challenges of a career as a college or university faculty member.

Hard Work, Commitment, Dedication, and Passion

51.1

51

What You Need to Know

An unfortunate fallacy regarding the roles and responsibilities of college and university faculty members is that they teach only a limited number of classes each week and thus are expected to work many less hours than most employees. This fallacy further includes inaccurate perceptions regarding the comprehensive roles and responsibilities that, while they complement and support a faculty member’s teaching roles and responsibilities, involve much more than merely teaching. When one considers the various typical roles and responsibilities of faculty members in the essential areas of not only teaching, but also research, scholarship, and service, the full extent of a faculty member’s roles and responsibilities are more accurately understood. It is important that individuals who aspire to and accept faculty positions fully understand, recognize, and respect the expectations that their institutions and other stakeholders rightfully have regarding their work ethic, commitment, and performance. Individuals who join the faculty ranks of an academic institution but do not fully understand the extensive roles and responsibilities of faculty members and/ or are unwilling or unprepared to embrace and successfully enact these responsibilities are doomed to failure. A lack of full commitment to these roles and responsibilities of faculty members and the expectations that their institution and its various stakeholders will have regarding their work performance will typically result in a faculty member not being retained or promoted within their institution. Success as a faculty member must begin with being willing to continuously work hard in service to their institution and its various stakeholders. This success must be driven by commitment, dedication, and ideally passion, to fulfilling the mission and goals of their institution and fully meeting and ideally exceeding the expectations of students and other stakeholders who rely on the successful enactment of the teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles of faculty members. This will in turn prove instrumental in ensuring success throughout one’s career as © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_51

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a faculty member. As important as hard work is in contributing to the success of an institution and its faculty members, ensuring success throughout one’s career as a faculty member must be driven by the commitment, dedication, and ideally the passion, of a faculty member.

51.2

Role in Career Success

While there are many aspects of your work as a faculty member that will contribute to your recognition, respect, and success, the importance of hard work, commitment, and dedication should never be underestimated. Ideally, these essential attributes of successfully enacting your respective roles and responsibilities will be accompanied by an underpinning passion for the treasured opportunity that you have been afforded to serve as a faculty member. Your success in this regard will require that you fully understand, embrace, and enact your roles and responsibilities not only in teaching, but also in duties related to research, scholarship, and service. Establishing appropriate priorities with respect to each of these essential areas will serve you, your institution, and its various stakeholders well throughout your career as a productive faculty member. While you will most certainly have various priorities related to developing and delivering informative and persuasive instruction, it is imperative that you develop and utilize effective time management skills in balancing your various professional roles and responsibilities, as well as your personal responsibilities, interests, and activities. Although most faculty members find that having a limited and manageable teaching schedule is a desirable thing, many quickly discover the time and effort involved in skillfully developing and preparing to deliver effective and meaningful instruction within their courses. In addition to underestimating the underlying commitment and time that is necessary, some faculty members, particularly early in their faculty careers, have difficulty in properly allocating and managing their time in the interest of ensuring the success of their work in all expected areas. You will fully appreciate the importance of adequate preparation when you successfully deliver an institutional segment within a course or deliver a conference presentation that is well received by attendees. On the other hand, you will never want to discover that you were unprepared as you enact your respective roles in teaching, research, scholarship, or service. Ideally, your passion as a faculty member will drive your success by contributing to your hard work, commitment, and dedication. The fruits of your labors in this regard will be apparent to your students, institution, and other stakeholders and will attest not only to commitment to your institution’s mission and goals but also to those of your department or program. You will likewise discover the reciprocal relationship that will exist between your job performance and job satisfaction given the role that your job performance will play in contributing to your satisfaction as a faculty member, and consequently the role that job satisfaction will play

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in your continued commitment, dedication, passion, and work performance as a faculty member.

51.3

Things to DO

• Understand and fully embrace your roles and responsibilities as a faculty member in the essential areas of teaching, research, scholarship, and service. • Recognize that while you will likely have significant flexibility in planning and enacting your responsibilities other than scheduled classes, it is imperative that you utilize effective and efficient time management to ensure that you successfully complete all of your roles and responsibilities as a faculty member in a timely and professional manner. • Seek to develop and utilize effective and efficient time management skills that align with your time management habits and preferences. • Recognize the role that commitment, dedication, and ideally passion will play in your continued success as a faculty member and the success of your institution. • Acknowledge the essential role that being appreciative of and passionate for your work plays in your success as a faculty member and that of your institution.

51.4

Things NOT to Do

• Procrastinate in planning and enacting your responsibilities as a faculty member. • Fail to recognize and allocate the time and effort required to enact your faculty roles and responsibilities. • Demonstrate inflexibility with respect to being available for scheduled meetings and activities of your department/program and/or institution, and with colleagues with which you agree to collaborate. • Enact your roles and responsibilities in a manner that suggests to others that you are not really fully invested in and committed to your work as a faculty member and that of your institution.

Appropriate Life/Work Balance

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What You Need to Know

Achieving an appropriate balance between one’s personal life and work, while important in any occupation, is particularly essential in enacting one’s roles and responsibilities as a faculty member. While the teaching schedules of faculty members are predictable, there are many other professional responsibilities that occur outside of the classroom and often outside of normal work hours. Therefore, in addition to their teaching responsibilities, faculty members must appropriately plan for and accommodate these activities in their work plans and schedules. The reality that time is a limited resource is a challenge that we all face in life. It is therefore essential that faculty members and others ascertain the most productive ways to utilize time while achieving their work responsibilities as well as their personal interests, aspirations, and goals. Developing and utilizing skills in effective and efficient management of time, while important in enacting the roles and responsibilities of any occupation, is particularly important given the unstructured nature of the roles and responsibilities of faculty members. While it is possible to view the significant flexibility that faculty members have in enacting their expected roles and responsibilities related to teaching, research, scholarship, and service as a desirable aspect of serving as a faculty member, completion of the extensive tasks required in these four essential areas can prove problematic as a faculty member attempts to successfully balance their professional roles and responsibilities, as well as their personal interests, aspirations, and goals. Success as a faculty member requires discerning an appropriate balance in all things. It is important to ascertain not only the right balance between one’s work and life activities, but also to determine and implement an appropriate time management approach to ensure that their work roles and responsibilities are fully accomplished in a professional and timely manner while contributing to a meaningful and satisfying life. This requires developing goals and related strategies in both essential aspects of one’s life in a manner that finds an appropriate balance © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_52

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within their professional roles and responsibilities as well as the right balance between their roles in both essential aspects of a faculty member’s life.

52.2

Role in Career Success

While there are numerous meaningful and rewarding aspects of being a faculty member, learning how to properly balance one’s work and life is a challenge that many faculty members face. This is often particularly challenging in one’s early years as a faculty member when, in addition to developing and perfecting the essential skills of their profession, faculty members are also expected to engage in all of the expectations that their institution will have when the time comes to make important retention decisions, typically involving recontracting and tenure. Faculty members and their institutions frequently refer to the “tenure clock” under which faculty members serve and operate in the years prior to an institution making the crucial decision of whether or not to award a particular faculty member tenure and the rights and responsibilities that come along with this important designation in the lives of both faculty members and their institutions. Faculty members are expected to demonstrate success in enacting their roles and responsibilities in the areas of teaching, research, scholarship, and service. The role of a skillfully crafted professional development plan in charting a faculty member’s goals and the necessary strategies to achieve each goal, in addition to providing a necessary roadmap or guidance, also serves to ensure that faculty members stay on track in enacting their respective roles and responsibilities, as well as satisfying the expectations of their institution. An often-overlooked role of a professional development plan is that it can be instrumental in developing appropriate goals and strategies related to ensuring an appropriate life/work balance. Failing to strike an appropriate balance between your work and life responsibilities can have many undesirable consequences, including limiting your success in both important aspects of your life. This can also contribute to decreased job and life satisfaction, and unnecessary stress and frustration. Your success as a faculty member will be greatly enhanced by determining an appropriate balance between your life and work, and identifying appropriate strategies to enable you to achieve a desirable balance early in your faculty career. Your success and satisfaction with both your work and personal life will similarly be enhanced by periodically reviewing and as appropriate rethinking your present life/work balance. Doing so is something that you owe to yourself and others who are affected by your success in this essential aspect of your life and work.

52.4 Things NOT to Do

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Things to DO

• Recognize the essential importance of determining the right life/work balance. • Realize that, as well as you, your institution and other stakeholders including significant others in your life stand to benefit from your discerning and achieving an appropriate life/work balance. • Utilize effective and efficient time management in ensuring that you realize your life/work priorities and goals. • Acknowledge the crucial importance of managing various tasks and properly balancing your teaching, research, scholarship, and service, as well as your activities outside of work. • Utilize a professional development plan as you chart your course as a faculty member and ensure that you have not overlooked realizing your personal aspirations and goals. • Resist the urge which many faculty members have in their early careers to volunteer for everything. • Periodically take the time to appreciate and enjoy your personal and professional lives.

52.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to recognize the role that procrastination can play in not achieving an appropriate life/work balance. • Adopt an overly aggressive set of work goals and priorities in your early career resulting in frustration and lack of productivity. • Fail to incorporate your institution’s expectations with respect to retention and promotion as you develop your life/work priorities, goals, and strategies. • Become so consumed with your work roles and responsibilities that you fail to have and take time to enjoy your work as a faculty member and your life outside of work.

Knowing One’s Limitations

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What You Need to Know

Success in any professional endeavor is based on recognizing one’s limitations. This is especially important as faculty members assess their current level of preparation to undertake various aspects of their roles and responsibilities. It is essential that they understand their current comfort level and preparedness in determining appropriate professional activities in which to engage, including those related to their roles and responsibilities with respect to teaching, research, scholarship, and service. This is not to say that a faculty member should be excused from fulfilling their roles and responsibilities in each of these essential areas, but rather should determine the most appropriate avenue through which to address each of these areas at various points throughout their career as a faculty member. It is important to recognize and respect one’s own limitations, as well as to ensure that others do not expect a colleague to engage in professional activities that presently fall beyond their qualifications and/or comfort level. Accepting teaching assignments for which one is not currently qualified and prepared or media engagements that fall outside one’s area of expertise, illustrate the pitfalls of not knowing and respecting one’s limitations. Recognizing and respecting one’s current qualifications and associated limitations must be a responsibility of not only the faculty member, but also of their institution. This would be illustrated by a department chairperson ensuring that newer faculty members are assigned appropriate courses and schedules during their early years with an institution. It is assumed that, with experience and by availing themselves of appropriate professional development opportunities, all faculty members will enhance their qualifications and preparedness over time and will therefore be successful in addressing many of their earlier limitations. In assessing their present limitations, faculty members should consider not only their current knowledge and skills, but also their confidence and comfort level with respect to enacting their various roles and responsibilities as a faculty member. A primary area that should be considered in a faculty member’s initial © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_53

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year of teaching involves ensuring that they are prepared to successfully deliver their early course assignments. Astute institutions and their leaders recognize the importance of considering the present qualifications and limitations of faculty members during recruitment and selection activities in order to ensure that all parties to a faculty position offer properly understand a faculty member’s current qualifications, as well as areas in which they are committed to enhancing their professional qualifications and consequently addressing some of their present limitations once on the job. While it is important to understand these essential issues when extending an employment offer, it is similarly important that an institution, its leaders, and faculty colleagues are fully prepared and committed to support and assist new faculty members in enhancing their qualifications and preparedness. Faculty members should be asked what courses they are presently prepared to successfully deliver, those courses that they would be prepared to deliver if given appropriate time to prepare, and those courses that fall outside their areas of interest and expertise that they will likely never be appropriate candidates to teach. An example of the latter would be faculty members who would be more suited to teach non-quantitative courses, often called “soft subjects,” rather than highly quantitative courses. While it is important that faculty members, their colleagues, and institutions recognize and accept a faculty member’s current qualifications and preparedness, it is mission-critical that together they commit to a plan to afford faculty members various opportunities and support to enhance their qualifications with respect to their roles and responsibilities in not only teaching, but also research, scholarship, and service. This should be a commitment of all parties designed to prepare a faculty member for continued and increased success throughout their career. An essential tool in this regard is obviously a skillfully developed, conscientious professional development plan that attests to a faculty member not being willing to accept their current limitations as they continually strive to enhance their present and future qualifications, preparedness, and success.

53.2

Role in Career Success

While there are many attributes that contribute to a faculty member’s success in enacting their various roles and responsibilities, the crucial importance of recognizing and respecting one’s present limitations should never be underestimated. New faculty members often assume that their institutions, colleagues, and other stakeholders will expect them to be fully up to speed to proficiently enact all of their roles and responsibilities on the first day of employment as a faculty member. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth, as we are all works in process as faculty members and therefore should be committed to continuously enhancing our qualifications throughout our faculty careers. Only by making a proactive commitment to addressing your present limitations will you be able to better prepare to enact your present and future roles and

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responsibilities as a faculty member. In doing so you should never allow yourself to become frustrated or discouraged as you consider your present limitations. Instead, you should view recognizing these limitations as a valuable starting point and opportunity to confront and address them through proactive strategies over an appropriate period of time. This is a perfect illustration of the familiar saying that “Rome was not built in one day.” You will fund that your institution and faculty colleagues will want you to succeed and that they have likely faced some of the early challenges and struggles that you may face. It is important to persevere and utilize a skillfully crafted professional development plan in your quest to enhance your qualifications and consequently begin to address your present limitations. In doing so, your initial focus will likely be on enhancing your teaching skills and perhaps the repertoire of courses that you are prepared to teach. Most institutions will recognize the importance of focusing on teaching during your first year or two as a new faculty member. You will also need to remember that you will want to begin to address any current limitations that you may have with respect to research, scholarship, and service. You will ideally discover that you have faculty colleagues who are interested and eager to collaborate with you as you embark on the perhaps new but always exciting world of conducting meaningful research and sharing it with interested parties. The importance of valuing your current qualifications and preparedness while seeking opportunities to enhance them as you address any current limitations that you have identified should be obvious. By developing and employing strategies to address your current limitations you will be well on your way to achieving success as a faculty member. In so doing it is imperative that you never allow yourself to fall into the natural trap of viewing your limitations as weaknesses, but instead you will always want to consider them areas for improvement as a dedicated and committed faculty member.

53.3

Things to DO

• Recognize that all faculty members, even the most seasoned and respected faculty, will often have certain limitations that they recognize and seek to appropriately address by engaging in appropriate professional development opportunities. • Acknowledge your present limitations and pursue strategies to address them. • Utilize a professional development plan as you identify appropriate goals and strategies to enhance your effectiveness and success in all areas of your responsibilities as a faculty member. • Purpose to address your current limitations in a professional and timely manner. • Avail yourself of the resources and support of your institution and faculty colleagues as you seek to enhance your qualifications and preparation to successfully enact all aspects of your teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles and responsibilities.

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• Recognize that your institution and faculty colleagues want you to succeed and are prepared to do their part in making your success a reality.

53.4

Things NOT to Do

• Be reluctant to admit your present limitations as a faculty member to yourself and your faculty colleagues. • Feel that you are the only faculty member who has ever had to recognize, respect, and address their present limitations. • Fail to seek out and take advantage of appropriate professional development opportunities and assistance from colleagues as you seek to address your present limitations. • Feel that seasoned faculty members should never have limitations which they seek to address. • Assume that you have to address any and all limitations immediately, rather than through a proactive and manageable plan over a reasonable period of time.

Agility, Currency, Relevance, and Resilience

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54

What You Need to Know

Throughout their careers faculty members should expect to face many new and exciting challenges. One of these challenges has always been to ensure that their courses are properly designed and delivered in the interest of preparing their graduates for successful careers. Ensuring that courses and faculty members succeed in preparing their students for the many challenges that they will face in the future must begin by ensuring that every course is both current and relevant, and that they encourage students to engage in the necessary activities to ensure that their knowledge and skills continue to be current and relevant beyond the courses that they take while enrolled in an academic institution, and throughout their careers. Maintaining currency and relevance of an institution’s courses demands that its faculty members continuously engage in appropriate professional development activities to ensure their current awareness, knowledge, and skills within the fields in which they teach. By maintaining their currency and relevance, a faculty member can succeed in likewise preparing their students by facilitating essential learning experiences and outcomes for their students. Faculty members similarly enhance their current knowledge and skills by engaging in relevant research and scholarship. Additionally, successful faculty members serve as persuasive role models of the importance of engaging in appropriate professional development opportunities and activities necessary to maintain currency and relevance in one’s respective field(s). While the essential importance of maintaining one’s currency and relevance has been recognized for many years, faculty members and their institutions discovered the mission-critical importance of maintaining their agility and resilience during the recent pandemic. The importance of maintaining agility and resilience was illustrated as most faculty members and their institutions found it necessary to pivot to new instructional delivery modes during the recent pandemic. Faculty members who had already expanded their teaching repertoire prior to facing © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_54

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the challenges associated with the pandemic, to include not only the delivery of courses through traditional face-to-face classroom instruction but also virtually through online and/or blended (hybrid) course delivery methods, benefited from already having the necessary skills and experience to easily pivot to necessary changes in delivery modes. While the need to pivot to new instructional delivery modes in a fairly short period of time was challenging for many faculty members, the good news is that most faculty members, often with the assistance of their faculty colleagues and their institution’s instructional technology resources, found it possible to successfully make the transition to respond to the challenges of preparing and delivering their courses through these now mission-critical delivery modes. The important lesson that faculty members and their institutions learned through the unanticipated necessity of transitioning to new instructional delivery modes was the essential importance of being prepared and willing to be agile and flexible to respond to new challenges that will no doubt present themselves in the future. Resilience is a word that summarizes the essential importance of maintaining currency, relevance, and agility. While much has been said about the importance of these essential attributes of a successful contemporary higher education institution, in reality ensuring currency, relevance, and the resiliency of an academic institution can only be realized through an institution’s faculty’s commitment to maintain the necessary skills to support its mission and goals, and the expectations of its students, in these essential areas. Successful faculty members therefore recognize the importance of being prepared to skillfully plan and implement innovative measures whenever the need arises.

54.2

Role in Career Success

Your career success as a highly valued and respected faculty member will require that you maintain your qualifications and preparedness to ensure the effectiveness and success of your teaching, research, scholarship, and service throughout what will ideally be a promising and rewarding faculty career. The same dedication, commitment, and enthusiasm that motivated and empowered you in your early career will serve you, your students, and institution well throughout the various stages of your career. You will want to ensure that through appropriate professional development you not only maintain, but ideally enhance, your abilities as a respected teacher, researcher, and scholar. You should never allow yourself to become unaware or stagnant regarding the many new developments that will likely transpire within your field. You will likewise want to take advantage of every opportunity that you have to share your newly found expertise and insights with your students and others who look to and rely upon you to have a state-of-the-art awareness of any and all new developments in your field. By making a commitment to pursue continuous professional engagement and professional development opportunities, you will

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be prepared to deliver information that is both current and relevant to the students under your tutelage as well as others under your sphere of influence. Given the many challenges that may present themselves in our evolving world, including those that require an ability and willingness to pivot in your work and approach when necessary, recognizing the need and being prepared to pivot when appropriate will prove to be an essential tool in your toolbox. While hopefully you will not find it necessary to do so with the urgency of the recent pandemic, you and your institution will likely encounter more that one situation that will require you to rethink your approach and pivot in the interest of continuing to fulfill your institution’s mission and goals while continuing to provide the exceptional learning opportunities and outcomes that your students both expect and deserve. You will thus discover that contingency thinking is an essential tool in a contemporary faculty member’s toolbox that plays an instrumental role in contributing to the resilience and resulting success of both you as a faculty member and that of your institution.

54.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the mission-critical role and responsibilities that faculty members and their institutions have to ensure that the courses they offer are always designed and delivered so as to ensure that course learning goals and outcomes ensure that students gain current, relevant knowledge and skills that will prepare them for career success. • Acknowledge that faculty members have a responsibility to ensure that they maintain their currency and relevance in their respective fields, and demonstrate your commitment as a faculty member to maintaining your own knowledge and skills amidst the developments and challenges of an ever-changing world. • Acknowledge the mission-critical role that agility on the part of faculty members plays in contributing to an institution’s resilience and success. • Be prepared to be innovative in your teaching content and methods when situational factors dictate the need to do so. • Recognize the importance of being prepared and willing to pivot in your instructional mode and approach when situational factors dictate the need to do so. • Recognize that your institution will likely have many available resources to assist you in innovatively pivoting if and when necessary.

54.4

Things NOT to Do

• Fail to commit to maintaining your current understanding and awareness of your field and sharing this knowledge with your students and others throughout your faculty career.

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• Underestimate the importance of embracing new developments in your field and incorporating them into the content of your courses as appropriate. • Fail to regularly review your course content and methodology in the interest of ensuring that it is still effective in terms of supporting appropriate course learning objectives and outcomes. • Be unwilling to embrace and utilize new approaches and technologies in your courses.

Collaborative Learning

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55

What You Need to Know

Among the most meaningful and rewarding aspects of serving as a faculty member is the ability to engage in a learning pilgrimage with others through collaboration. While this will routinely involve facilitating the learning of students often through mentoring, at times it will similarly involve sharing one’s expertise with others within and outside one’s institution, while also learning from them. It is important for faculty members to recognize and take advantage of the collaborative learning opportunities that they experience every day as they engage in their chosen profession and interact with students, colleagues, and others within their profession. Successful faculty members recognize the value of collaborative learning through which they can both share with others and learn from them. Astute faculty members therefore approach every day and activity as a valuable learning opportunity to both impart and benefit from learning opportunities. While faculty members typically recognize and embrace the collaborative learning opportunities that are available with respect to collaborating with colleagues and other professionals, they should also recognize and appreciate the potential learning collaborations that are available as they work with their students. These collaborative learning opportunities can involve collaborating with both undergraduate and graduate students. It is also important to recognize that valuable opportunities for collaborative learning exist within not only teaching, but also within research, scholarship, and service activities. While many collaborative learning opportunities will typically be available to faculty members, their benefits can be realized only as faculty members recognize and acknowledge them, and as appropriate proactively embrace and pursue them. Collaborating on research and scholarly activities provides an outstanding opportunity to enhance one’s professional knowledge and skills through collaborative learning. Sabbatical leaves are often available to further enhance a faculty

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member’s professional preparation while affording them the ability to make meaningful contributions to the evolving body of knowledge in their field by enabling them to devote their full attention to an approved sabbatical project for a designated period of time, typically a semester or a full academic year. Although being awarded a sabbatical is typically a highly competitive process, receiving a sabbatical and successfully completing the specified scope of work can yield many tangible and intangible benefits to faculty members and their institution, including affording them valuable opportunities to engage in and benefit from collaborative learning.

55.2

Role in Career Success

Your decision to become a faculty member was likely motivated by many considerations, including the fact that as a faculty member you would be afforded various opportunities to satisfy your inquisitiveness and passion for learning while engaging in your respective teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles and responsibilities. A unique dimension of serving as a faculty member is that you are expected to engage in continuous learning, as well as contributing to the evolving body of knowledge in your field. Academic institutions, unlike many other employers, will not only expect that as a faculty member you will proactively engage in appropriate learning opportunities, but will in many tangible and intangible ways support your work in this regard. Your success as a faculty member will therefore be enhanced as you seek and pursue opportunities for collaborative learning. In reality you will have many such opportunities on a frequent basis as you interact with your students both within and outside the classroom. While many of these opportunities will be apparent as you work with graduate students under your tutelage, you should never underestimate the potential for collaborative learning that will routinely exist as you enact your teaching roles and responsibilities with respect to your undergraduate courses and students. You should recognize the benefits of collaborative learning to all parties, and purpose to ensure that learning collaborations in which you engage yield mutually beneficial outcomes to both you and the others with whom you have collaborated, including faculty colleagues and other related professionals, from both within and outside your institution. Every research and scholarly activity presents numerous learning opportunities for involved collaborators, if you recognize and take advantage of these valuable learning opportunities. The importance of processing what you have learned in the interest of sharing appropriate insights with your students should be ever-present in your thoughts and actions. Your early and continuing success as a faculty member will necessitate that you proactively identify and pursue any and all appropriate opportunities for collaborative learning. Ideally, you will be able to discern appropriate opportunities for collaborative learning as well as the appropriate individuals with whom to

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engage in collaborative learning. Pursuing, engaging in, and completing appropriate collaborative learning opportunities will prove instrumental to your present and future success as a faculty member, as well as that of your students, institution, and collaborators.

55.3

Things to DO

• Recognize the importance of engaging in collaborative learning as a faculty member. • Seek and pursue all available opportunities to engage in appropriate collaborations. • Incorporate appropriate collaborative learning opportunities into your professional development plan. • Identify appropriate collaboration opportunities as well as appropriate collaborators that can achieve mutually beneficial outcomes through the collaboration. • Ensure that you fully enact the roles and responsibilities that you agreed to with respect to a learning collaboration. • Pursue learning collaboration opportunities that will be beneficial to you as a faculty member as well as to your institution and its students and other stakeholders. • When appropriate, apply for a sabbatical leave that is justified by the nature and value of a proposed research project, as well as the necessary time required to fully and successfully complete the proposed project. • Share with your students, colleagues, and institution what you have learned through collaborations with others.

55.4

Things NOT to Do

• Engage in learning collaborations that are not mutually beneficial to all participants. • Fail to recognize that opportunities for learning collaboration exist both within and outside your institution. • Fail to recognize the opportunities that you have to engage in learning collaborations with your students and colleagues. • Prepare and submit a sabbatical application and supporting materials that do not clearly make your case for why your proposed project is important and deserving of being awarded a sabbatical. • Fail to fully comply with your institution’s submission requirements, including due dates, for sabbatical applications.

Professional and Institutional Visibility, Respect, and Impact

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56

What You Need to Know

Each and every contemporary faculty member, regardless of their faculty rank or academic discipline, has a responsibility to contribute to the present mission and future vision of their institution. Only through the collective efforts and commitment of all of its faculty members can an academic institution sustain and enhance its present and future success in the significantly competitive environment in which these institutions exist as they seek to successfully achieve their mission and goals, including meeting and ideally exceeding the expectations of their various stakeholders. Visibility, respect, and impact are three essential attributes of successful contemporary colleges and universities. While these are important attributes in determining the success and survival of a contemporary academic institution, they should likewise represent important attributes of an institution’s faculty members and academic programs. The daily activities of faculty members as they enact their respective roles and responsibilities in teaching, research, scholarship, and service should enhance both their professional visibility, standing, and respect, as well as that of their institution and its academic programs. The collective and collaborative work and efforts of every faculty member play essential, mission-critical roles in enhancing their institution’s visibility and respect, and the impact that it has within the community that it serves and within society. Institutional impact has become a primary factor on which most accrediting organizations now focus and consider in making mission-critical decisions regarding whether or not to accredit/reaccredit an academic institution and its programs. Both regional accrediting agencies that award accreditation based on the geographic region where an institution is located and accrediting bodies that accredit specific disciplines and programs of an institution now assign high weightings to the impact of an institution and its programs as they conduct accreditation

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reviews and make resulting decisions with respect to awarding initial accreditation or reaccreditation of an institution and/or its academic programs. The various stakeholders of an institution likewise consider the impact of that institution and its programs in making decisions regarding whether to support or continue to support a particular institution. Institutional and program rankings by respected organizations serve an important role as an institution’s stakeholders engage in decision-making regarding whether to support a given institution. This could involve potential students as they make decisions regarding whether to seek admission at a particular institution, as well as donors and funding agencies as they make decisions with respect to providing necessary financial support to an institution. The instrumental role of faculty members in contributing to an institution’s visibility, respect, and impact should be obvious given the role that faculty members play in operationalizing its mission and goals and in delivering and demonstrating its impact. It is therefore essential to remember that only through the dedicated, committed, and passionate work of its faculty will an institution be positioned to successfully achieve its desired visibility, respect, and impact within the contemporary higher education landscape.

56.2

Role in Career Success

As a faculty member, you have many roles and responsibilities to your institution as well as to its various stakeholders. In addition to your teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles and responsibilities, you will be expected to contribute to the enhanced visibility, reputation, respect, and impact of your institution. This makes absolute sense given that it is dedicated, committed, and passionate faculty members who develop and deliver an institution’s courses and related offerings that are mission-critical to your institution’s continued success and survival. In addition to successfully enacting your normal teaching, research, scholarship, and service roles and responsibilities, there will be times when you will be called upon and expected to contribute in additional, mission-critical ways to the success of your institution. An example of this would be serving on important committees or task groups charged with developing essential strategic direction for your institution. Serving on a strategic planning group illustrates such an essential assignment with respect to charting an appropriate strategic direction for your institution. You may also be asked to provide appropriate documentation of your work and how it supports the mission and goals of your institution and academic department/ program. The information that you provide should be provided in an accurate, complete, credible, professional and timely manner so as to furnish the information that members of your institution or program will require in developing an appropriate and accurate self-study document for submission to and review by a relevant accrediting agency. You may likely also be expected to participate in various aspects of a site visit by an accrediting peer review team.

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Your success as a faculty member and correspondingly that of your institution will be determined by your daily work as a faculty member as you prepare for and enact your various roles and responsibilities with respect to teaching, research, scholarship, and service. Your passion as a faculty member and resulting dedication and commitment to your institution will prove instrumental in enhancing not only your institution’s visibility, recognition, respect, and impact, but also yours as a valued contributing faculty member.

56.3

Things to DO

• Recognize that contemporary higher education institutions exist and operate within a highly competitive environment in which they continually compete for resources and other crucial support from various stakeholders. • Acknowledge the fact that some contemporary higher education institutions have faced significant challenges to their continued success and survival in recent years, and more institutions may likely face these challenges in the future. • Recognize that faculty members play a significant role in ensuring the visibility, recognition, respect, and impact of their institutions and academic programs. • Commit to doing all you can to contribute to the present and future success of your institution. • Recognize the mission-critical role that demonstrating impact now plays in evaluating an institution, its academic programs, and the qualifications and work of its faculty members.

56.4

Things NOT to Do

• Underestimate the essential role that you have as a faculty member in contributing to your institution’s present and future success and survival. • Fail to fully support all aspects of your institution’s strategic direction as articulated in its strategic plan. • Underestimate the strategic role that you play as a faculty member in ensuring that your institution and its programs are prepared to undergo a comprehensive and successful accreditation/reaccreditation review.

Final Thoughts

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Over the past forty years, I have had the unique opportunity and privilege to not only prepare my students for meaningful and successful careers but also, through sharing my experience as a faculty member and academic administrator, assist in the preparation of many aspiring and current faculty members, who, like me, sought to become a college or university faculty member to fulfill their passion with respect to preparing graduates to assume and enact their respective professional roles and responsibilities successfully and with distinction. While preparing my students to understand, embrace, and address the many challenges that they will face throughout their careers has certainly been a meaningful and rewarding aspect of my service as a college and university faculty member, the numerous opportunities that I have had to contribute to the preparation of faculty members has been a highlight of my faculty and administrative careers. I want to thank Springer for embracing the importance of this book and affording me the opportunity to share my experience and expertise with respect to the topics covered in its chapters. I welcomed the opportunity to author this book as a continuing commitment to preparing the next generation of college and university faculty members. My purpose in accepting this project was to share my experience with those who aspire to become faculty members as well as those who are currently serving in this noble calling. My goals included ensuring that present and future faculty members were well prepared for both the meaningful and rewarding experiences that they should anticipate as faculty members, as well as the accompanying challenges that they should expect to face throughout a successful faculty career. I have followed a format in presenting the material similar to one that I have used in several other books designed to prepare professionals for career success in their chosen professions. I trust that you will find both the format and sequencing of the material useful as you initially read the book as a preparation tool and later

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 R. S. Fleming, Preparing for a Successful Faculty Career, Springer Texts in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50161-6_57

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consult relevant sections and chapters as a resource throughout your faculty career. You will find that this format will likely align with your goals and strategies as you prepare and facilitate astute instruction that contributes to the preparation of your students to successfully assume and enact their various professional roles and responsibilities. I trust that you have found the four-part format utilized in authoring each of the chapters (lessons) useful as both a preparation tool and resource as you encounter challenges as a dedicated, committed, and passionate faculty member. You will recall that the first two sections of each chapter are dedicated to introducing what you need to know about each topic and its role in achieving success as a faculty member. The remaining two sections provide insights and guidance regarding actions that will enhance your success as a faculty member, as well as those that could potentially compromise that success. While the format that you will follow in your courses may differ somewhat from that followed in the various chapters of this book, you will recognize how it aligns with your success in developing course learning goals and outcomes for your courses and students. In closing, I wish you great success as a faculty member whose dedication, commitment, and passion will serve your students, institution, and others well as you continue the legacy of the many distinguished faculty members whose mantle you will be assuming as a member of the next generation of respected faculty members. I likewise anticipate and look forward to hearing about the many meaningful contributions that throughout your career as a faculty member you will make to our profession. Bob Fleming