By Dr. Jessye Talley
As a junior faculty, it is drilled into you from day one that you are evaluated on teaching, research, and service. As a person who identifies with marginalized or historically excluded groups, I know that this process can be challenging. Some obstacles we face can fall under some of the same categories that relate to our evaluation. Through teaching we are questioned on our performance and competence in our areas of expertise. Through our scholarly work we are often given feedback that is not value-added, or our DEI work is not assessed correctly or accepted by colleagues in our fields of study. Navigating mentorship can be daunting. At times finding allies or advocates are rare on our journey. An overload of service especially with marginalized or minority groups can take away from research activities and even promote tokenism. Many students seeking representation find a safe space to reach out for advisement. This goes outside of our regular duties. Even as women we must navigate through the battle between tenure and starting a family, but they are not mutually exclusive. All these obstacles have the potential to make the process seem insurmountable. The truth is the process can work for you if you plan well. Let’s talk about some pathways to success.
Success Tip #1: Planning for Tenure Success
The first path is to create a tenure plan that aligns with your values. This is important because it makes it easier to navigate request. Your plan should include your overall goals for teaching, research, and service listed out for each year by semester. You can use your yearly evaluations to assess whether you are meeting your tenure goals.
Success Tip #2: Processing Feedback to Assist in Process Improvement
The second path is to develop a plan to process through negative or non-value-added feedback. I utilize a three-step process for this. Take a day before reading the feedback whether it’s from students, a journal paper, etc. to give yourself some mental space from reacting right away. Next, write out the following (1) write out the comment you received in its original form, (2) removing bias and feelings write out what the comment is really trying to say, (3) write out an affirming statement that speaks to who you truly are as a professor. Lastly, determine a plan of action to address what you have learned. This will help you to remain focused and extract the necessary information for process improvement.
Success Tip #3: Creating a Network to Help you Thrive
The third path is to cultivate a healthy network that will provide support at various stages through the process. This network should be broken down into several categories (i.e., professionally, emotionally/mentally, spiritually, financially). The top three people you should include are mentors (guides), sponsors (potential pushers), and advocates. Before connecting with people, it is important to determine what you need and where you want to go. Within your department be strategic about your relationships. Make sure they are in alignment with your tenure plan.
Success Tip #4: Service that is Value-added
Any service or tasks that you take on should be related to two things, your tenure process, or an area you are passionate about. You can establish boundaries that reflect this by having a plan but also being aware of what is happening in your school or department. If you have students outside of your department that seek out advisement you can find a way to incorporate them into your process. This is especially helpful for your research program (i.e., marketing, social media, or research assistant).
Success Tip #5: Know Your Worth
As women it is important to have advocates and allies who can help you navigate various levels through the academic process. Knowledge is power! If you decide to start a family, develop a tenure plan and know that it may not look status quo but it is possible. Remember you are qualified and deserve to be in the room.
Following these tips have helped me to be less stressed and keep my passion of being a professor. Remember your why and what you have to offer in the space. Stay focused and committed to the process.
I wanted to end with a note to our administrators and senior faculty. As a new generation of faculty arise, we are committed to changing the landscape of academia to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. To accomplish this, we owe it to ourselves to defy the status quo and be open to the change that we want to see as our world is ever evolving. There is no better time than now to start the journey!
Resources
Articles/blogs
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/navigating-expectations-cultivating-mentoring-value-talley-ph-d-/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/evaluation-dread-how-process-negative-feedback-jessye-talley-ph-d-/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mentoradvocatesponsor-jessye-talley-ph-d-/
https://destenienock5.wixsite.com/destenienock/post/mentoring-research-assistants
Websites
https://blackinengineering.org/
https://www.facultydiversity.org/
Books
Demystifying the Engineering PhD – Dr. Monica Cox
The Black Academic’s Guide to Winning Tenure Without Losing Your Soul- Kerry Ann Rockquemore and Tracey Laszloffy
Excellence Why Being Average is Never an Option- Dr. Monica Cox
Podcast
Engineering Change Podcast – Dr. Yvette Pearson