Academic Careers

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Academic Careers
Adapted from presentations and slides by T.
Williams - Texas A M University C. Ellis - Duke
University S. Castaneda, Clarke College The
CRA-W Grad Cohort for Women Program
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What does a faculty member do?

• Research
• engage in scientific discovery
• involve students (grad, undergrad)
• obtain research funding
• Teaching
• classroom teaching
• mentoring DO EVERYTHING WELL!
• advising
• Service
• departmental
• university
• professional

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Types of Institutions (US)

• Research universities (Ph.D. program) - research
  is paramount
• Colleges/universities M.S. program - emphasize
  teaching but research is a close second
• Selective liberal arts colleges B.S. program
  emphasize teaching and service, but
  scholarship also counts
• Teaching-oriented colleges B.S. program
• emphasize teaching service
• Within institutions - different priorities can
  exist

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Examples of different expectations

• Research Institution
• 60-80 Research
• 10-35 Teaching
• 5-10 Service
• Teaching-oriented College
• 50-80 Teaching
• 10-30 Professional Development
• 10-20 Service

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Academic Ranks

• Professorial Ranks
• Assistant Professor (untenured) -- 6 years
• Associate Professor (with tenure)
• Full Professor
• Chaired Professor (in CIS Amer)
• Administrative Ranks
• Department Chair
• Dean - in charge of a college
• Provost - chief academic officer
• President
• Instructor or Lecturer teaching service
• Postdoctoral positions - research

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Research - Research University

• Publications journals, conferences, workshops
  
• External research funding - NSF, US Army, NIH,
  NASA,
• Graduate student training (PhD students)
• Reputation
• Maybe
• Undergraduate research mentoring
• Patents, software artifacts,

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Teaching - Research University

• Teaching load generally 11 to 22, but in CS
  12 common
• Audience undergrads, grads, mix
• Course material intro undergrad through core
  grad course, to research seminar
• Teaching assistants

Very good research, bad teaching may not be
promoted Excellent teaching, mediocre research -
will not be promoted
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Research - Undergrad Institution

• Professional Development
• Some combination of these
• Research
• Teaching skills development
• Professional conferences, workshops
• Publishing (sometimes teaching related)
• Work with professional organizations

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Teaching - Undergrad Institution

• Teaching is primary responsibility 22 to 44
  
• Audience is all undergrads
• Teach wider variety of courses
• Teach the same course less often due to smaller
  faculty size
• More office hours
• Closer student interactions
• Research area may be too specialized to teach
  as a course
• Smaller class size
• Teaching assistants, if available, are senior
  undergrads
• Often you grade assignments

10
Service - Research University

• Department committees
• University committees (usually after tenure)
• External Professional Service
• Program committees
• Funding panels
• Conference organization
• Professional society involvement
• Journal editorship program chair, conf
  organization
• Higher in rank, more service (internal
  external)

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Service - Undergrad Institution

• College - committee work
• Department
• Committees
• Advising formal and informal
• Recruiting
• Labs, work study, library acquisitions, clubs,
  
• Community
• Consulting
• Speaking

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Rewards of a Research University

• Love of research and freedom to do research
  that you want
• Working with and training graduate students
• Involving undergraduates in research
• Making friends across the world
• Variety of work
• Can create the kind of career that you want
• you can be very independent (as long as meet
  expectations)

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Rewards of an Undergrad Institution

• Opportunity to teach as a passion!
• Close relationship with undergrads
• You can make a big difference
• Colleagues in various departments
• Chance for leadership and influence early on