Transcript How to Get Promoted - CRA-W

Preparing for Promotion: The
Tenure Process
Julia Hirschberg, Columbia
University
Unusual Career
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PhD in History: Teaching at Smith
Lightning Strikes: Computer Science!
PhD in CS at Upenn
Bell Labs and AT&T Labs
Columbia University
Working for diversity as an MTS,
professor, and department chair
• A husband and 2 Siamese….
The Academic “Ladder”
tenure
Postdoc
Assistant Professor
Associate Professor
Professor
Chaired Professor
Department Head
Associate Dean
Dean
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Tenure Process
Usually a six year “clock”
• Find out the evaluation and tenure process
when you get the job
– Yearly department evaluations
– Mid-tenure review
• Some depts get external letters for this
– Sixth year promotion and tenure review
• External letters (typically 8-15)
• Think about where these will come from
– Extension possible for maternity leave
Understand your Institution &
Find Mentors
• Expectations vary by institution – know
yours!
– Some (good) departments provide mentors
when you arrive
– If not, ask department chair/head, mentor,
colleagues
– Look at CVs of successful, recently tenured
faculty
• Find mentors
– Different mentors for different activities
(teaching, research, dept politics, etc)
• ask for advice, feedback, examples, etc
Teaching
• Understand your institution’s expectations
– General tips
• Goal: do a good job while minimizing effort
• Have an overall teaching plan/goals and update annually
• Try to limit the number of new courses you teach/prepare: if you can,
teach what you love
• Try for a mix of ugrad (honors!) & grad (core, seminar) courses
• Negotiate for release from teaching
– As part of start-up package, for developing new courses
and labs, pre-tenure mini-sabbaticals
• Try for good perceptions – positive evaluations
– Be available, but be careful of your time
• Be on time and don’t end early
• Give extra lectures, review sessions when students need them
• Keep regular office hours
– Don’t be too hard or too easy
• Good learning is not hard teaching
– Don’t do evaluations right after an exam
Research Advising
– Recruit good students
• Review applicants and make offers to top ones (talk on
the phone and get to know them)
• Offer grad level reading courses, projects at Grad level
• Participate in undergrad (summer) research programs
– Learn when and how to say “no”
• A bad student is worse than no student
• See them “in action” first (in class, trial project)
– Balance PhD and MS students
• Try to graduate at least one PhD by year six
• Don’t take on too many MS students
– Help them be productive
• Build a mentoring hierarchy
Publications
• Quality and quantity in publications
• Journal publications
– Understand the importance of publishing in referred
journals
– Understand journal rankings in your field and related fields
that you publish in
– Track special issues for faster turnaround
• Conferences and workshops
– Be visible and well-respected
– Understand conference/workshop rankings
– Keep track of acceptance rates
• Read reviews, revise and resubmit rejected papers
worth salvaging
Funding
• Target funding opportunities
– Visit funding agencies regularly
• Get acquainted with your program managers
• Volunteer to serve on review panels
• Get on funding opportunities’ mailing lists
– Apply for junior faculty awards
• NSF/ONR/ARL CAREER competitions
• Other career development awards (industry, university)
• Seek advice/examples from colleagues
– Ask successful colleagues to review your proposal and
to their feedback
– Borrow sample proposals from successful colleagues
• If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again
Collaboration
• Successful Collaboration is a multiplier
– Helps you achieve more than you can on your own, is fun,
brings you new friends and colleagues
• Unsuccessful Collaboration can be awful: learn to say no
but without burning bridges
– Wastes times, stressful, creates hard feelings
• Advice
– Choose your collaborators wisely - do your research before
saying ``yes’’ & learn when and how to say “no”
• Collaborate with Successful People – look at their CV, papers,
• Some people may be looking for a free ride
– Be a good collaborator
• Pull your weight, be on time with deliverables, reports
• Don’t take on too much – easy to happen at the beginning
• Caveats/Caution
– For your tenure evaluation, people will try to assess *your*
contribution.
• Collaboration good but mix it up: work with different teams
External Evaluators
• External letter writers
– Some selected by you
– Some selected by your department
– Can usually black list one or two people--but do so carefully
– Can informally suggest names
– Some departments exclude/include:
• Thesis advisor
• Close collaborators
– OK (good) to ask someone if you can recommend
them as a letter writer
• Provide them an easy way out -few people say “no” outright
Getting Known
• Network at Conferences
– Go without a paper,ask questions during
sessions, talk to people at poster sessions,
introduce yourself
• Talk tours
– Self invitation (I’ll be in area ….)
• Proposal Review Panels, Journal refereeing,
Conference PCs
– Volunteer
• Host Distinguished Lectures, invite others
to visit and give talks
Service
• Find out what/how much service really
counts
– To the department, to the school/college, to
the University, to the profession, to you
• Learn when/how/why to say no
• Quality and reliability are more important
than quantity
• Do what’s visible and will bring respect
– From your research community
– From your campus and department “elders”
Starting Out
• Find mentors
• Reach out to your peers
• Don’t do too much, too early
– Take time to learn about your environment
– Don’t take every student who walks in the door,
join every grant proposal you are asked to join
• Avoid joining factions
• Practice as a grad student
– Mentor ugrad & junior grad students in
research
– Help write grant proposals
Overall Advice
• The most important thing is to enjoy the
work you do
– Keep in mind the milestones you need to reach to
be successful at what you do
• Strike a balance between your family and
social life and your career
Dos and Don’ts
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Do become someone other
faculty want as a colleague
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Do make a good first
impression
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Do be a team player
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Do get to know leaders in
your field
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Do take
criticism/feedback/complaint
s seriously
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Do find mentors
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Do get along well with staff
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Do keep records
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Do choose your battles wisely
Don’t let your research get
off to a slow start
Don’t be labeled as a bad
teacher
Don’t do too much, too early
– don’t take every grad
student who walks in your
door or join all collaborations
Don’t be viewed as
unsupportive of department
goals
Don’t do anything that is
unethical or makes you
uncomfortable
Don’t brown-nose or be
insincere
Don’t make enemies, but
speak up
CRA-W
Computer Research Association Committee on the Status of
Women in Computing Research
Mission increase the participation and
success of women in computing research
www.cra-w.org
CRA-W Programs
Undergrads: Undergraduate Research Experiences
Undergrads: Distinguished lecture role models
Grad Cohort: group mentoring of grad students
Grad Students: Discipline Specific Research
workshops
PhD Researchers: group mentoring of early & mid
career @ CMW, CAPP, Hopper & Tapia
Academic careers
Undergraduates
Graduate Students
Industry/government
www.cra-w.org
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Complete the evaluation survey
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