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Article e02067 Contributions July 2023 1
How to Get a Job Offer from a Smaller Joint Teaching- Research Mission
University and What to Do Once You Have It
Tom A. Langen
Department of Biology, Clarkson University, 8 Clarkson Avenue, Potsdam, New York 13699 USA
If you are a typical doctoral graduate student or postdoc, you are in a program at a large university that
prioritizes research and doctoral degree graduate training; undergraduate education may be part of the
mission, but not the primary focus. If you are a professor who is training doctoral graduate students and
supervising postdocs, chances are you only have experience as a faculty member at this type of higher
education institution. Whether graduate student or professor, what you are learning or mentoring is what
is expected and valued for career success at a research and graduate education- focused institution.
There are over 3,900 colleges and universities in the United States alone, of which only about 270 are
doctoral degree- granting, research- focused universities (American Council on Education https://carne
). Most jobs in the professoriate are
institution. Unfortunately, I have found that many talented people on the job market for a faculty job are
received their graduate degree.
Here, I will focus on another type of higher education institution— a college or university with a
joint mission of research and education, with an emphasis on undergraduate teaching and research that
involves undergraduates. Such institutions are usually much smaller than doctoral degree- granting,
research- focused universities. They may have no graduate degree program, or if they do, it will be small;
the focus is on undergraduates. The key feature of this type of institution is that there are job expectations
for both excellence in teaching at the undergraduate level and impactful research productivity. Note,
CONTRIBUTIONS
© 2023 The Author. The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Ecological Society of America.
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any
medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Am 104(3):e02067. https://doi.org/10.1002/bes2.2067
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2 Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 104(3) Article e02067
however, that there is much diversity among such colleges and universities in terms of the expectations
of faculty members for research activity, teaching load, student mentoring, community engagement, and
institutional service.
For shorthand, I will refer to universities for both true universities (graduate degree- granting
institutions) and colleges (undergraduate only) and research for any scholarship of discovery or
creativity. When I refer to smaller universities, I mean those with under 5,000 undergraduates. I am
writing to those who are searching for a faculty position in ecology or environmental science or their
primarily undergraduate teaching and research- focused institutions, some of the tips will also apply
to jobs at 2- and 4- year colleges that have an exclusively undergraduate education mission. At these
institutions, there is increasingly an expectation for some research involving students, since research
Community College Undergraduate
Research Initiative. https://www.ccuri.us/).
In the following, I treat four topics: how to apply for a job, what to take into account when considering
and minoritized faculty members. For each, I will provide some things to consider and recommended
best practices. I base this advice on my experience over two decades in higher education, and comments
from many colleagues, who provided their own insights from a diversity of standpoints, perspectives,
and experiences.
Applying and interviewing for a job
than, on the one hand, a research and graduate education- focused university and, on the other hand,
a primarily undergraduate teaching institution. To be competitive, you need to convince the hiring
committee that you can maintain a productive research program that incorporates undergraduates. You
must convince them that you are committed to teaching excellence and student advising and mentoring.
of the university, and for professional and personal reasons are genuinely interested in a position there,
so will likely stay if hired.
new faculty member, the hiring unit (e.g., Department of Biology) and the university’s human resources
department will draft and disseminate the position description and the job ad. A surprising amount
of care and thought can go into drafting the position description, especially in terms of required and
The second step is the initial review of the applications. This is where the committee quickly goes through
Based on a closer look at the remaining applicants, the third step is for the committee to come
up with a list of a dozen or more promising candidates and schedule them for a video call or “phone
Article e02067 July 2023 3
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interview.” This interview step helps the committee understand more about a candidate’s experience and
commitment to excellence in teaching, about whether the candidate can establish a successful research
program at the institution, and about whether the candidate is genuinely interested in the position and
prepared to be successful at it.
The fourth step is to select a few of the most promising phone- interview candidates for the on- campus
interview. Usually, about three candidates are invited to campus. If you are among those with a campus
interview, it means that the hiring committee judges you as a suitable person for the job. During the
campus visit, interviews are scheduled with many people, including members of the hiring committee,
other faculty members within and outside the hiring department, students, and administrators. Minimally,
there will be a research job talk, but there may also be a teaching demonstration required. Other than
the hiring committee, most of the people you will meet will only have a cursory familiarity with your
who attends your presentations, including the department secretary, will have a chance to provide their
opinion about your suitability for the position.
until the contract is signed. This process is discussed in the section .
Things to consider
1. Know where to nd job ads for the type of position you seek. The journals Science and Nature
are the venues where all large research universities advertise faculty jobs. However, The Chron-
icle of Higher Education (https://jobs.chron icle.com/) and Higher Ed Jobs (https://www.highe
redjo bs.com/) are where institutions of all sizes and every mission advertise academic positions.
https://diver sejobs.net/). Some jobs
are advertised in professional society publications (e.g., Ecological Society of America (ESA)
Frontiers in Ecology & the Environment) and professional society or disciplinary listservs (e.g.,
ECOLOG- L, https://www.esa.org/membe rship/ ecolo g/). Social media are used to publicize and
share information on hiring searches, such as wikis for academic jobs (e.g., http://ecoev ojobs.
net/
most productive.
2. Focus your job search on the institutions where you can meet your personal and professional goals.
Before applying for any tenure- track job, think deeply about what your highest priority professional
goals. At smaller research and teaching- intensive academic institutions, you must be committed to
both maintaining a productive research program and being a successful teacher. You must also be
comfortable being perhaps the only faculty member at the institution that has your specialized disci-
-
ogy and environmental science, for example. Location matters— focus on institutions that are located
in places where you can potentially be happy living, though you can be more open to places that are
outside your comfort zone at this stage of the search.
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4 Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 104(3) Article e02067
3. Prepare for such a career. It is likely you have graduate and postdoctoral training that has ade-
quately prepared you for a research career. One of the best ways to prepare for the “teaching side”
of the job is by teaching a course or two as “instructor of record.” Some institutions hire teaching
postdocs which require one to teach a load of courses while also receiving support for research
conventional teaching assistantship (i.e., T.A. experience) is generally not adequate preparation
for a teaching- intensive institution.
To prepare for the “research side,” some experience in supervising undergraduate research is
invaluable while you are a graduate student or postdoc. Have your supervisor mentor you on the
cost and how to budget and track expenditures. You should make yourself familiar with sources
programs intended for supporting research that involves undergraduates or that is conducted at
institutions with a small or no graduate program— make sure to be familiar with some of these
funding opportunities. Get some experience or training in grant writing.
Most importantly, talk with faculty members at institutions of the sort you might consider
making a career at, and ask them about their careers, and what they advise you to do to prepare
for a career at a similar institution. A good place for this is a professional conference like the ESA
Annual Meeting. Ask them what it takes to be hired and successful. Find out what, in their frank
opinion, are the satisfactions and challenges of a career at an institution with a mission similar to
their university.
4. Familiarize yourself with the culture and priorities of the institution and department. Institutions
have their own cultures, values, priorities, and areas of academic distinction. Spend time on the
institution and see what kinds of recent news articles and press releases are published about it. Use
your social network to identify someone who is familiar with the institution and can provide some
insight.
Institutions vary in the student populations they primarily serve: the traditional undergradu-
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dents, or nontraditional students (e.g., parents, working people, active military). Some universities
have mostly residential students, others mostly commuters. Some are MSIs (Minority Serving
Institutions). Some focus on training students for particular professions (e.g., allied health, en-
gineering); some emphasize a “liberal” education. Some promote service- learning, experiential
whereas others mainly provide traditional textbook and classroom lecture- centered courses. Insti-
tutions vary on how important it is for undergraduate research experiences to result in published
research papers. Even at institutions that have a joint research and teaching mission, some weight
teaching more highly, others research.
Some institutions are inward- looking, some outward. For some, service to the department,
university, and community is very important; for others, it is not. At some universities, depart-
mental and interdisciplinary faculty research collaborations are highly valued. Some institu-
tions are supportive of research that takes you away from the university campus, especially if
it incorporates students, whereas others expect faculty members to remain on or near it. Some
institutions and departments value work– life balance and others stress professional achieve-
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ment. When considering whether to apply for a position at an institution, you should think
about whether you can adapt to and adopt its culture and values, and whether you would want
to do so. If the answer is no, do not apply. You will not be happy professionally or personally.
The hiring committee will certainly be looking for indications that you are willing to make a
career at the university, and if it appears that you will not, it will move on to other candidates.
5. Identify what you can add to the department and institution. Smaller institutions have smaller
adaptable faculty members are valued. If your research interests and skills are such that you can
contribute to other faculty members’ research, even if it is unrelated to your research focus, that
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mental or institutional service needs or to “student life” activities, this is another plus.
6. Be realistic about what an institution can provide
resources to provide the size of start- up packages that large research universities can prom-
ise. The economics of scale means that smaller institutions may not have all the resources of
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tion, smaller research labs, etc. There may be no graduate program, or the graduate program
is likely to be small and with limited capacity to support graduate students. You should think
about the sustainability of your research program. Give thought to what you can do to address
challenges and maintain a productive research program. It may include maintaining research
collaborations with colleagues at other institutions. It may mean identifying ways that you
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sity to which you are applying.
Best practices
1. Read the job ad carefully. Position descriptions and job ads are written with great care and much
thought— some of the most animated discussions in academia are over this, since what a job ad
advertised.
2. Find out what you can about the institution and the department. If you do want the job, you need
to invest a little time upfront to learn about the institution and the department to which you are
applying. On the website, look at the institution’s mission and values statement, and note what
know someone who is an alumnus or former faculty member, contact them and ask them about the
institution and department.
3. Tailor your cover letter for the institution. Cover letters are scrutinized more carefully at smaller
why you want a job at that particular institution, what your research and teaching interests are,
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ments yours, it shows you have done your homework if you mention them. If there are university
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you to the university, such as you like the location because it is good for your recreational inter-
and sincerely interested in that particular position, the search committee will carefully read the
CV, statements, and recommendation letters. If the letter is not detailed and convincing, committee
members may not read much further.
4. Indicate in the cover letter and elsewhere that your professional goals and values t the institu-
tion
statement, and any other sources of information about the institution and department’s expecta-
tions and values. Demonstrate that you are familiar with the mission and values, and as a faculty
member would support them.
5. Indicate balanced priorities between research and teaching in the cover letter and elsewhere. At
an institution where both research and teaching excellence are emphasized, make sure to address
both, with about equal weight on each. If it is a primarily undergraduate institution, stress under-
graduate teaching and research opportunities.
6. Consider whether and how to disclose professional and personal setbacks or life events that af-
fected professional progress. There may be things in your CV that potentially raise questions— a
change of graduate adviser, a longish time to completion of a degree, a change in research direc-
tion, an unproductive postdoc, or a publication gap. These can happen for so many reasons, of
course: toxic, unsuitable, or unhelpful supervisors; research setbacks caused by COVID shutdown
or other circumstances out of your control; health issues or parental/family care needs; or other
personal matters that required a break from academia. You can address such matters in the cover
letter if you think they need to be understood to receive a fair evaluation, but if you chose to, avoid
disclosing details that the hiring committee does not need to know. A terse one or two sentence
recommendation writers who is familiar with the circumstances to comment on the matter, if you
wish.
7. Tailor your CV to accentuate your professional credentials. All CVs list basic professional
your professional record that are most likely to be of interest to members of a hiring commit-
tee. The research record is important, but so too is the teaching record (including workshops
and training in pedagogy). Professional and institutional service can indicate someone who is
likely to be a good colleague. Look at the CV of people who have jobs at smaller research and
teaching- centered universities for ideas on what to include and what to emphasize. Even better,
have a colleague, mentor, or faculty member at a similar institution look over your CV, and
professional portrait of you.
8. Tailor the research statement to the institution. A committee comprised of faculty members from
a wide range of disciplines will read your research statement. For example, though you may be
applying for a faculty position in ecology, the hiring committee may be comprised of faculty
members whose expertise is in other areas of biology and include some from other disciplines
Besides explaining the general theme or focus of your research, your scholarly achievements,
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like at the institution to which you are applying. It should be realistic, addressing the constraints
of the institution (e.g., smaller institutions may have no vertebrate vivarium facility and limit-
ed core instrumentation). You should address how you can sustain your research program and
mention appropriate sources of external funding for it. You should be very explicit about how
undergraduates can participate in your research as well as graduate students if the department
has a graduate program. You should address opportunities for developing collaborations with
other members of the department and interdisciplinary collaborations across the institution. Col-
laborations with colleagues at other institutions are good to discuss but avoid sending the mes-
sage that most of your research will be away from the hiring institution unless by doing so you
provide opportunities for students at the institution to participate as well. Your planned research
should show independence from your graduate and postdoc mentors/supervisors and should be
of a scope and depth that will put you on a successful path to tenure.
9. Tailor the teaching statement to the institution and the position. Obviously, if the department’s
teaching mission is primarily or exclusively undergraduate, stress undergraduate not graduate
teaching in the statement. You should provide a list of courses you would like to teach, and courses
Make sure to include any courses listed in the job ad as
courses you would like to teach
gaps in the curriculum; familiarize yourself with what existing department members teach, and
institutions the number of students who are prepared and interested enough to take highly special-
ized courses may be too small to sustain them. ‘Molecular Phylogeography of Mollusks’ may be
a course you would love to teach, but “Biogeography” may be a more attractive and sustainable
course at a smaller, undergraduate- focused institution.
Strong teaching statements demonstrate familiarity with current trends in higher education ped-
statement. Descriptions of courses you have taught as “instructor of record” are quite valuable
(include the syllabus and course evaluations). Considerably less weight is given to courses for
classroom and how you addressed them can strengthen the teaching statement. Most importantly
of all, deliver the message that you like teaching and you like students, you value good teaching,
and you are working toward becoming an excellent university educator.
10. Be honest and specic in a diversity statement. You may be asked to include a diversity state-
ment. If so, you are expected to discuss what diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) mean to
you, and how they apply in your professional practice, including teaching, research, and in-
stitutional and professional service. For some, this is straightforward to write; for others, it is
more of a challenge. If you are one of the latter, consider what kinds of training and activities
classroom and research team. What have you done or will you do to recruit and mentor a di-
-
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sional development activities in which you have participated.
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you can contribute to overcoming them. If you have not thought much about this before, it is time
for you to become informed. Some hiring committees and certainly some institutions take DEI
very seriously, and the number that do are growing, thankfully. Increasingly, institutions, when
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room and institution pertaining to DEI. If the institution does not request a diversity statement,
weave content about your awareness, commitment, and experiences with DEI issues in your
cover letter and other statements.
11. Be honest and specic on a faith statement
may request a faith statement. They use this statement to evaluate whether a candidate will
support the mission and values of the university, understands and shares or is sympathetic to
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sion, values, and how these are put into practice in the classroom and on campus. Then, if you
believe that you would be comfortable at the institution, write a statement that is honest about
your faith beliefs and values and is responsive to what the institution believes and values.
You are not obligated to state that you are a member of the institution’s associated religious
denomination or any other, and I recommend that you do not provide this detail unless you are
comfortable and judge it as relevant.
12. Solicit helpful recommendation letters. At some point, the search committee will want recommen-
dation letters, typically three, from people who know you well. Some institutions want them at the
time you apply— I resent this practice, as it unnecessarily increases the workload on recommend-
ers. It may be a disincentive for some jobseekers to apply to long- shot jobs so as not to annoy their
committees will request once you have been selected as a potential phone interviewee. Let your
recommenders know that they may get a letter request at some point. Do not request a recommen-
dation letter until the search committee requests it.
Be strategic about who provides the recommendation letter, and ask recommenders to in-
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graduate teaching is important, you will want a recommendation letter that can discuss your
who is familiar with how you have mentored undergraduate research to include in the letter
comments about this. The recommender can address your commitment to working at an in-
stitution with an undergraduate teaching and research mission. If there is something in your
record that may raise questions, you can ask a sympathetic recommender who is familiar with
the circumstances to comment on it if you wish. Do not hesitate to provide potential “talking
points” in a recommendation letter— recommenders understand and appreciate the impor-
tance of providing information in a recommendation letter that is sought by the recipient.
13. Phone interviews are professional interviews. In the past, initial interviews were done by tele-
phone but are now typically done online via video chats. Make sure you look professional and are
in a professional- looking environment when you have that interview (e.g., no unmade bed in the
background). Make sure that the technology is unlikely to glitch on your end; be in a place with
reliable, fast internet connectivity. Use a headset so you can hear well and they can hear you.
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You will be asked questions about what you are prepared for and would like to teach at that
institution, what resources you would need to be successful, and why you are interested in the
you might need, and what pedagogical training you have had. The hiring committee will likely
schedule the interview for a half- hour or hour. Write down some talking points beforehand— those
things you want to make sure to remember and mention if asked. Make sure to include some spe-
-
have a number of questions to cover. After answering a question, ask whether your response was
clear and would the committee like any more detail. Make sure you have thought of a couple of
good questions to ask the committee about the position and the university. The committee will
judge your degree of interest and preparedness by whether you have some good relevant questions
for them, and by whether you demonstrate that you have already tried to familiarize yourself with
the department and university. At the phone- interview stage, the hiring committee mainly wants
to meet the real person behind the application and judge whether they are suitable for the position
and are adequately prepared and motivated to be a successful faculty member at that university.
14. Have three elevator speeches ready. If you are invited for a campus interview, have three 3- minute
for faculty members who are highly familiar with your specialized area of research. A second
any deep familiarity with your specialty. The third elevator speech should be for anyone: under-
the research’s importance. Your elevator speech must convey your passion for research and teach
in your area of expertise. A practiced and polished elevator speech can go a long way in making a
favorable impression on a job candidate.
15. Be prepared and motivated to talk with undergraduate students. During the campus interview
process, you are likely to be required to meet undergraduate students and graduate students if the
department has a graduate program. The students are unlikely to be a random sample, so be care-
ful about making generalizations about students as a whole from their responses. Be engaged and
interested in the students, and be prepared to explain your teaching and research interests, but also
be prepared to ask about and hear about their research and course interests, and general experienc-
acting uninterested or behaving rudely to students; the hiring committee will ask the students for
feedback about their interactions with you.
You have to like and respect students if you intend to make a career at an institution that
interact with during the visit, make sure that you communicate that you are prepared and com-
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ing introductory or nonmajors/general studies courses; never refer to these as “baby biology.”
your discipline; if you are interviewing for a faculty job as an ecologist, show that you are as
who have major and career goal focuses on ecology.
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16. Carefully craft your job talk for the institution. Make sure to cover adequately in your job talk
anything the university requests. In general, the job talk should introduce your research theme
and focus, review your achievements, and indicate the direction your research will take if you
are hired. You should show how students have been or will be integrated into your research. Your
audience is likely to include faculty who have no expertise in your specialized research area and
undergraduates. You should try to provide an adequate general explanation of your research such
that all attendees can follow the main points of the talk, while also providing enough depth so that
specialists in your research area can judge the quality of your research achievements and future
research plans. The job talk is a good indicator of a candidate’s ability to deliver a good classroom
lecture, so it is very important that the content, organization and design, and the delivery are all
excellent. Make sure that the talk is deliverable within the allotted time— hiring committees frown
upon candidates whose talks run long, and no one likes a speaker who speeds up dramatically to
cram a lot of material in at the end.
17. Be able to explain how your research program is suitable and desirable for the institution. One
important factor in being competitive for a job is being able to convince the hiring committee that
your research is feasible at the institution and that it adds something valuable to the department
and university. To do so, you should know what each department member’s research is about, and
know what areas are university strengths or priorities (sometimes indicated by Centers or Insti-
tutes). Use these to identify potential disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaborations— how you
undergraduates (or graduate students if there is a graduate program) into your research. Learn
potential ways to make your research possible despite them such as fostering collaborations with
other institutions that have the required instrumentation or other resources. Be able to provide a
5- year general research plan that is feasible at the instruction, including some details on where you
will apply for funding.
18. Deliver an eective demonstration lesson. Some institutions that value teaching will ask you to
related to the courses you might teach at the institution, and which provides the opportunity to
prepare something you have already taught that worked well. Avoid teaching about something that
is too specialized and directly extracted from your research— you want to show breadth. The audi-
over the allotted time for the activity. The demonstration lesson can weigh heavily at institutions
19. Be prepared for dierent types of questions during face- to- face meetings. If you have an on-
campus interview, you will likely meet with department members, some students, the department
chair, the dean or other higher administrator, and perhaps human resources or the research support
unit. The human resources and research- support unit meetings are simply informational, to let you
you receive one.
Students, undergraduate and graduate, will be eager to learn about what courses you might
teach and what research opportunities you would provide— and whether you would be a good
teacher, advisor, and mentor of students like them. Department members will want to know about
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what you are interested in teaching, your research, and how you might be a potential collaborator
for departmental and institutional research, teaching, and other needs; whether you are collegial
making a long- term career there. They will ask about what you need in terms of start- up resources.
institution. Department chairs will outline the path to tenure. They may also ask “What would it
you are, and whether you are likely to be able to meet the university’s tenure requirements.
Administrators will typically also talk about the university’s surrounding community and
maybe ask questions about what you do outside of work. This is intended to provide insight into
an indirect way of opening up a discussion, if you chose, about matters that employers cannot
ask directly. It is illegal to ask whether you have a partner or dependent children, for example,
but they may mention the quality of the local schools and university programs to help faculty
information or ask questions that might disclose such information.
Keep in mind, however, that these meetings are also your opportunity to learn about the institution,
its people, and the surrounding community. Ask students about what they like and dislike about the
institution. Ask them how they like their professors. Ask the faculty members about what they like
about working there— and what they do not. Ask about whether department members socialize,
Ask the administrators what they and the institution do to help new hires adapt and make progress
toward tenure. Of course, these are questions you will need answers to in order to decide whether
that university is a place where you want to make a career. However, such questions also indicate to
faculty and administrators that you are ready to be a faculty member and seriously interested in their
that usually does not happen during the on- campus interview. Instead, this will be disclosed when you
, below).
Often the last on- campus interview activity is a short meeting with the department chair or hiring
committee chair. They will ask you how the visit went from your perspective, whether you have any
remaining questions, and whether you still are interested in the position. They will likely tell you the
next steps in the process and how long it may be until you hear something about the outcome, if they
do not, ask. Make sure to thank them for the opportunity to interview at the university.
20. Be polite and thoughtful. Typically, during the on- campus interview, you will go out for a nice
meal with the hiring committee or other faculty members. This is a less formal way for the can-
didate and committee members to get to know each other. Enjoy yourself and the company of
potential future colleagues, but remain polite and professional; the meals are part of the evaluation
process, too. Do not disclose anything that you do not want the hiring committee to know at this
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department, the university, and the surrounding community.
Send thank- you emails to the department chair, hiring committee members, and faculty and
others with whom you meet during the campus interview. Thank the administrative assistant/
departmental secretary who helped with the logistics of the interview. Polite gestures go a long
way in demonstrating that you are seriously interested in the position and likely to be a good and
permanent departmental colleague.
Evaluating the job offer
After the interviews are completed, though universities vary somewhat the typical process is for the
the candidates, and make a hiring recommendation. The committee evaluates candidates as to whether they
adequately meet the requirements for the position and whether they are likely to be successful, meriting
tenure when the time comes for review; no to either of these and a candidate will not be considered further.
If none of the interviewed candidates meets these requirements, the committee may be permitted to invite
additional people from the phone- interview shortlist for a campus visit. When more than one candidate
is judged minimally suitable, these prospective hires are compared and additional factors are considered
(e.g., other classes they can teach, whether they diversify the department in needed ways, etc.). The hiring
committee submits the top candidate from its perspective to the department chair for their approval, and
university does not want to lose a good prospective hire to another institution.
Once a candidate is approved for hire, the department chair will call the prospective hire and
There may follow a set of negotiations until a prospective candidate signs the contract and the hiring
one that is eventually hired; some prospective hires decide the institution does not suit their needs,
or else a mutually acceptable contract agreement cannot be reached.
one of the few times in an academic career you have some leverage to negotiate, and the contract you sign
career at the institution. While many of the matters discussed here are relevant for any higher education
institution job, there are also some things to consider that are unique to universities with a primarily
undergraduate teaching and research joint mission, especially a smaller one. You should evaluate an
institution from the perspective that accepting a job there is likely to be a lifetime appointment; overall,
the mobility of faculty can often be low. You need to evaluate whether the institution will provide the
resources and professional development you need to be successful at research and teaching, whether
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the institution and its location have suitable opportunities, resources, and amenities for you (and your
partner and family). You should consider these in both the short- term (the pretenure period up to tenure)
and over the length of your career.
Things to consider
1. Do the mission, values, culture, and practices of the institution and department provide a good
t to your own? Is the institution and department’s culture likely to be supportive of you, the
things you personally value, and your lifestyle? You can know how a university perceives itself
and what it aspires to be from its website, and should get a good sense of these in practice during
the on- campus interview. Are you comfortable supporting and advocating for the institution’s
2. Are the faculty members in the department productive, happy, and likely to be good colleagues?
You should have gotten a sense of this during the on- campus interview. Nevertheless, consider
contacting a faculty member who you met and had a good interaction with and ask them about
want you as a colleague, they will be positive, but good potential colleagues will be frank and
honest.
3. Will the department and institution provide adequate resources and support for you to be pro-
fessionally successful? If you are expected to establish a productive research program and be an
excellent educator, the institution needs to invest in you. Lower teaching and service assignments,
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4. Is there structured mentoring and other mechanisms to help new faculty adapt to their profession?
Mentoring and professional development activities are essential for transitioning to a career as a
professor and preparing successfully for tenure review. Ideally, there is mentoring and profession-
5. Are the expectations that the institution and department have for research, teaching, and ser-
vice reasonable and possible for you to meet while maintaining a desirable work– life balance?
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ten or implicit workload policy and the written and implicit expectations for the job, are you
the job.
6. Does the institution provide benets and mechanisms of support that will help you (and your
partner and family) attain a good quality of life?
consider the long term. However, some of the biggest stresses in life are the costs and availability
of health care (including mental health care), partner employment, quality and cost of children’s
daycare and education, and the need to take temporary leave from employment due to health or
personal happiness and career success. Do not just look at the salary and start- up package when
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7. Is the institution located in a place you would like to live, and can you aord to live there on
the income of a recently hired professor? Mobility is low in higher education, and you cannot
count on getting another academic position if the one you accept turns out to be in a location
where you are unhappy living. Does the state in which the university is located have laws and
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especially for women, faculty of color, and LGBTQ+ faculty; if you are single, can you adapt
8. What is the minimum acceptable compensation and start- up must you be oered to accept a po-
sition at the institution?
question, and the answer varies depending on where the campus is located, how many people you
must support with your income, and your personal spending patterns. The start- up must be ade-
quate for jump- starting a research program that will result in tenure. Necessary start- up, of course,
other sources of research support.
9. If the position is not tenure- track, what is the likelihood that it will convert to a tenure- track position
or result in long- term employment as a faculty member? Deplorably, the majority of faculty appoint-
ments in higher education are not tenure- track. One strategy for acquiring a tenure- track position or
a long- term contract is to accept a limited- term (1– 3 years) full- time position and demonstrate your
value to the institution. Universities vary substantially in how likely that strategy is to work out. Some
have continuing teaching- track lines that provide job security, and steps for career advancement,
though not as much security as a tenure- track position.
10. How nancially solvent is the institution— what are the risks of losing an academic appointment due
to university nancial exigency?
Some institutions are eliminating programs or closing altogether and many institutions are evaluating
faculty retention in light of falling enrollment do to changing demographic factors.
11. Are there any red ags that raise concerns? During the interviews, did faculty and students re-
faculty talk positively about their colleagues, the department, and the institution, or was there
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ity, be careful. How about faculty retention— do faculty tend to stay once hired, or has there been
at the university. Is the institution willing, in writing, to commit the space, start- up funds, and
Best practices
1. Ask multiple faculty members with whom you interview what you need to do to get tenure at the insti-
tution. Every university evaluates a faculty member’s teaching and research productivity and quality,
service to the institution and profession, and evidence of continued professional growth. However,
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every institution has its own culture and practices about what adequate achievement in these areas
looks like. At many public universities, the criteria are spelled- out fairly clearly as part of a faculty
union contract. Private universities are virtually never unionized, and tenure and promotion criteria
may be much more opaque. Faculty members can provide a perspective on what is expected (beyond
what it says in the institution’s operations manual or faculty handbook), how tenure criteria are met in
practice, and how frequently (and on what grounds) faculty are denied tenure.
2. Ask faculty members why they are at the institution, and what they see are the institution and the
department’s mission, strengths, and weaknesses
evaluate the health and direction of the institution and department, and whether they, as individu-
als, are happy professionally and personally at it. Is there, generally, a positive outlook by faculty
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Again, keep in mind that there are likely to be a few malcontents at any institution.
3. Are faculty members currently publishing regularly, and are they successful at getting research
funding? Ask faculty members how they fund their research; this can provide insight into whether
it is realistic for you to attain the level of research funding needed to sustain the research activity
you aspire. Obviously, it is a bad sign if faculty members’ publication rates drop substantially
after they are hired or promoted at the institution. Though keep in mind that nearly everyone dips
until your lab starts to be productive.
Note that some universities have ample funding to support faculty and student research— for
example, an internal competitive grants program or student stipends to support summer research.
Others have relatively little, and at these institutions, you will have to seek external grants and
contracts to support your research and to support students.
4. Ask about what mentoring and support you will receive in the pretenure period. Is there a formal
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partment chair or other faculty members provide during the pretenure period, for example, a debrief
receive regular feedback, so you know in what areas you are on track for tenure, and in what areas
you may need to improve— and what to do to make adequate improvement.
5. Carefully evaluate institutional resources to support your research and teaching. Will the institu-
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16 Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 104(3) Article e02067
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6. Evaluate how much intradepartmental and interdisciplinary research goes on at the institution.
Look at the publications and grants of department members. Do they publish and receive grants
with other members of the department and with faculty from other departments at the institution
indicates collegiality and provides ways for new faculty to expand their research program. More-
over, such collaborations are a great way to receive mentorship on research funding and project
management from established researchers at the university.
7. What internal support is there for undergraduate and graduate research? What is the quality of
student– researchers? Is there internal funding to support undergraduate research, and adequate
incentives are there for undergraduates to do research (course credit, paid internship, capstone re-
-
8. Ask both the department chair and other faculty members what the true teaching load and
student mentoring and advising load is. An institution may have a stated teaching load (e.g.,
lecture course count as a separate course, or is it bundled with the lecture course and credited
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Universities with a joint teaching and research mission have typical teaching loads around 2:2
(six contact hours per week for each semester) to 3:3 (nine contact hours for each semester). In
undergraduate teaching institutions. Because of the teaching load, teaching obligations will restrict
usually be restricted to summer, long holiday breaks, and sabbatical leaves. Look at the timing of
academic session beginnings and ends— the academic year starts sometime between mid- August
and the end of September and ends sometime between early May and late June. Evaluate how the
9. Ask faculty members how much departmental and institutional service they do and ask about what
duties they perform beyond teaching and research. Some institutions and departments protect
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tutions expect faculty involvement in student recruiting and encourage ‘outreach’ activities to the
community and alumni. Smaller institutions tend to have higher service demands of faculty— they
have the same committees and the same governance requirements as larger institutions, but with
fewer faculty.
10. Carefully evaluate the benets package and the leave policy. Are the medical and retirement ben-
Article e02067 July 2023 17
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and maternal birth or adoption, healthcare (yours or those you provide care for), and sabbatical
near future, but circumstances change across a career.
career academic, you are in your 30s or 40s and have saved little for your retirement; will the
tuition for partners and children of faculty, and have tuition exchange programs with other
and employment policies before you sign an employment contract.
11. Make sure to talk with people who have personal concerns and needs similar to yours about the
institution and the institution’s surrounding community. Make sure that you have an opportunity
to speak with faculty members or others who would have an informed perspective on issues of
concern to you personally or professionally. Ask the hiring committee chair or department chair
to arrange this. Alternatively, you can contact faculty members directly whom you judge would
provide a frank and informed answer. What are the university and the community’s climates of
whether the institution and surrounding community are such that you, your partner, and other
family members can be happy and have a balanced life.
12. If there has been recent turnover in faculty, try to nd out why
out if anyone has some insight or knows any former faculty members. Look up people who have
used the institutional address on publications but are no longer there, and contact them to ask
about their experience at the institution. Ask the department chair directly why faculty have left,
or ask another faculty member at the institution whom you can trust.
13. Find out from published sources (e.g., The Chronicle of Higher Education) and colleagues an
estimate for salary and start- up at that university. Be realistic and be prepared to negotiate
for what you need
for the institution. Salaries vary by discipline in higher education; ecology and other biology
areas tend to be on the lower end of STEM disciplines. When evaluating the adequacy of a
the job will start at a lower salary than they are prepared to provide. Talk to your professional
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18 Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 104(3) Article e02067
circle (fellow graduate students and postdocs, your PhD advisors and postdoc supervisors, etc.)
to get help with and practice in negotiating salary, startup, and early career accommodations (e.g.
reduced teaching load, early sabbatical). Doing so is worthwhile!
at the institution or around the community. The time to broach that issue is when you receive
Negotiate for a start- up based on what you need to jump- start your research. Again, smaller
institutions usually have less capacity to provide large startup packages, though those with large
endowments may have more capacity for large startups. You should ask for what you need to
support getting your research established: instrumentation, lab supplies, conference or research
travel, and perhaps a graduate student or postdoc. Likely you will be asked for an itemized
spreadsheet of requested startup support. Consider negotiating a course reduction during part of
the pretenure period or guaranteed allocation of a teaching assistantship (from the department pool
of TAs). Perhaps ask for a commitment of a pretenure sabbatical. Ask department members—
your future colleagues— what they think is a reasonable ask. If the institution cannot provide
can attain a level of research productivity that will gain you tenure or else whether it is better to
14. If the position is not tenure- track, investigate whether the position realistically might result in
long- term employment. Never assume that a contingent position (often titled instructor, visiting
excellent. Some institutions routinely convert such positions to tenure- track, while others never
whom this was the case. Do not assume that you will be the exceptional one who eventually will
prospect.
(e.g., 5- year limit), whereas others have renewing contracts and essentially permanent
“teaching- track” faculty members. If the latter is the case, is the workload equitable, although
You may ask whether the institution is pursuing some of the newer trends in higher education:
executive and continuing education, micro- credentialing (short courses that demonstrate mastery
of a specialized topic or skill), and online education. If it is pursuing these, would this potentially
15. Verify the nancial solvency of the institution
of higher education, and smaller institutions are the most severely stressed. Some analysts predict
tightening in higher education. When universities are in dire economic straits, tenure provides
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a search for it in Inside Higher Education and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Look up the
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lic document). Find out what you can about the endowment, enrollment trends, bond rating, and
other indicators of health. Look for articles about turnover among the university’s upper- level
administration. Ask someone familiar with the institution. The good news is that if the institution
is hiring, it is probably in a relatively solvent state.
Adapting to a new tenure- track position
joint undergraduate teaching and research missions may be particularly challenging in this regard: unlike
institutions that emphasize one or the other, you must quickly rise to high expectations in both domains.
In addition, at smaller institutions, the expectations for service and accessibility to students can be high.
It is essential to seek out opportunities for professional development and to ask for and accept the
mentorship and assistance of colleagues.
Things to consider
1. In terms of time management, it is easy for teaching and service obligations to supersede
research; this must be avoided. If you are at an institution that primarily values and evaluates
you must be careful about workload balance. If you let it, course preparation and service
activities will spread into time that you would otherwise allocate to research. If your workload
is supposed to be 45% research, 45% teaching, and 10% service, make sure that over the year,
your time allocation more- or- less matches this. The problem is that when you are just starting
a position, it is likely you must develop new courses; this takes much more time than teaching
courses that have all the materials, lectures, and activities prepared. You may need to allocate
it; you will have years to improve, and indeed tenure committees look favorably at evidence of
improvement over time, and learning about the incremental changes you made across years to
make a course better for student learning.
Keep in mind that though you may only have teaching obligations for about 9 months of the
year, and paid on a “9- month contract,” you are expected to work 12 months. The summer is time
for research, teaching preparation, and professional development. However, many universities of-
fer summer courses, and faculty members usually receive supplemental income for teaching these.
Unless it is a job expectation to teach in summer, do not take on this teaching commitment during
and to take a break.
2. Develop independent research from graduate and post- graduate mentors and labs. While it
during the pretenure period you need to develop an independent research identity that is read-
ily recognized as your own. This does not mean avoid collaboration; one way to develop and
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20 Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 104(3) Article e02067
impactful research program is to become part of a research collaborative network such as
https://erenw eb.org/). Collaboration with colleagues at your institution is a good way
to jump- start new research directions and to cultivate allies who will support you when you
are reviewed for tenure. When doing collaborative research, it is important that you document
contributions.
3. There is little to be gained by jumping into departmental and institutional politics. There is a lot
to be gained by being diplomatic and collegial. At smaller institutions, you will have to interact
among colleagues long- predate your arrival at the institution. Beware of faculty members looking
to recruit allies in some internecine squabble. Collaborators, departmental colleagues, and fellow
early career faculty member is collegial and provides positive contributions to the culture of the
department and institution.
4. Good mentors are invaluable for adapting to an institution and profession. Good mentors help
you understand the culture and expectations of the institution. They can help you solve problems.
They can help you prioritize duties, and give frank feedback on your progress. They can become
meeting with people who may serve as mentors, and ask around about who among long- serving
faculty members has a reputation for providing good advice and kind support to early career
faculty members. Many universities have a formal mentoring program that assigns experienced
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5. Student expectations vary by institution, and you need to adapt your teaching and advising to the
student culture. At some universities, students are most comfortable with traditional courses in the
lecture + textbook reading + exam format and conventional canned lab exercises. At others, hands- on
“active learning” pedagogies are expected. Institutions vary in how accessible faculty members are
vary in how involved faculty members are in curricular and professional advising for students. Your
adaptation to a new position will be smoother if you understand and address student expectations.
Discuss with colleagues what you can expect students to know when they take your courses. You
students had mastered. Find out from colleagues what students expect. Are students taking the course
because they expect it to be a fun elective, or else a challenging course that will prepare them for more
studies curricula— and what students and faculty colleagues expect students to know and be able to
do when they pass your course.
6. Be selective and smart about institutional service. Faculty members are expected to do more that
teach and research: they serve as curriculum and career advisors to students, club advisors, re-
cruiters of prospective students, organizers and attendees of activities that enrich campus life, and
members of the innumerable committees that come with the university’s shared governance. As
service activities come with a monetary stipend, but most service is considered part of a faculty
member’s expected workload.
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You will have many opportunities for institutional service, and if you are collegial and diligent,
word will get around and you will be invited to do more. Talk with your mentor(s) and chair about
what the expected level of service is during the pretenure period, and try to limit yourself to no more
unwise at your career stage. Focus on opportunities that get you known to faculty members and ad-
are involved in contentious issues— leave that to more senior faculty. Look in the mirror and practice
saying “Thank you for the opportunity but no.”
7. Seek service to your discipline. Serving as a manuscript reviewer or on an editorial board, grant
review panel, and professional society committee (especially an education committee) are import-
ant means of demonstrating your engagement and status in your scholarly profession. K- 12 edu-
cational outreach and speaking to the media about topics related to your expertise are professional
any of these as meaningful service at the pretenure level.
8. The rst year is the toughest
courses prepared is arduous. However, once the courses are designed and prepped, and the lab is
running and research underway, the workload— while still heavy— is less stressful. By your third
Best practices
1. Find good mentors, and listen to what they have to say. Ideally, your institution has a formal
mentoring program. If so, use it. However, you should also be proactive and seek out mentors.
Avoid faculty members who have an “agenda” and are looking to recruit you as an ally. It is best
to have multiple mentors— perhaps someone senior within your department, someone in another
a master teacher of courses like yours, or one who is a successful researcher at the institution. It is
helpful to have a mentor who is not a member of your department, who can provide an indepen-
dent perspective of departmental culture and interpersonal dynamics. You should be clear about
what kind of feedback and guidance you need from your mentors.
2. Develop a set of peer mentors. Maintain a set of peer colleagues who are near the same career
critique each other’s work in supportive and constructive ways. Social media make it possible to
have distributed peer mentorship, support, and discussions. This may be especially valuable when
there are few peers with similar needs and challenges at your institution.
3. Learn when to say no, and when to say yes. You will have many opportunities to take on additional
professional service, do professional service, teach over- loads, collaborate on colleagues’ research
projects, and be involved in student life. Time is limited. Know what your institution values, and
strategically and learn politely to say no.
4. Reserve blocks of time for research. Teaching and service eat into time that should be allocated for
research. Plan blocks of time for research, use that time for research, and refuse to schedule ap-
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22 Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 104(3) Article e02067
pointments or meetings during that time. One strategy is to schedule your classes such that there are
teaching- free days and devote at least one whole day a week for research during the semester. Block
that time on your online calendar, so others see that you are not available during research hours.
5. Avail yourself to any professional development opportunities
grant- writing workshops, and other types of professional development provide valuable information.
Annual conferences sponsored by professional societies in your discipline such as the ESA Annual
Meeting are excellent opportunities for professional development of both research and teaching. Ask
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al development. Participation in professional development signals that you are seeking opportuni-
ties for professional growth, an important consideration during evaluations and tenure review. Make
sure you document this on your CV. And make sure to seek out informal professional development
opportunities— seek out colleagues in your discipline who have productive, funded research at your
institution or other, similar institutions, and have them help you locate appropriate funding opportu-
nities and draft competitive funding proposals. There really are a lot of professional tricks to getting
a funding proposal or manuscript submission accepted— be prepared to ask for guidance and tips
from experienced colleagues. Finally, take some opportunity to read about innovative teaching prac-
tices and activities. Every discipline as places where teaching innovations are shared; for ecologists,
these include Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, the ESA Bulletin, Ecosphere, TIEE (https://
tiee.esa.org/), EcoEd DL (https://ecoed.esa.org/), QUBES (https://qubes hub.org/), and 4DEE (https://
www.esa.org/4DEE/).
6. Do not be shy about publicizing your achievements. It is important that people within the institution
for good press- release topics. The press is always looking for interesting science news stories or sto-
Use social media to publicize your work; have students in your lab collaborate with you on this.
7. Find out who the best teachers and advisors are in your department and institution, and learn
what they do to be eective. Identify who these faculty members are, sit in on their classes, and
review their syllabi. Ask them about what learning activities and teaching strategies they have
found work best at your institution— and what works less well in their experience.
8. Solicit peer review of your teaching; do not rely only on student course evaluations. All institu-
tions administer student course evaluations, and many take them seriously. Such evaluations can
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mative and evaluative peer review of your teaching can provide actionable feedback and provide
teaching and have a formalized structure to conduct it, whereas, at others, it is optional. Make sure
to get regular peer reviews throughout the pretenure period (to document improvement) and make
sure when inviting peer reviewers that you make it clear whether you want a formative assessment
(just feedback for improvement) or an evaluative assessment (a formal evaluation that includes a
9. Be honest with students, and let them know when you are piloting something new. A good tactic
for getting students on your side and improving your teaching is by letting students know when
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Article e02067 July 2023 23
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tiveness. Students understand and usually are sympathetic and helpful if they think inexperienced
instructors are working to improve.
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equivalent white, male faculty. For early career female and minoritized faculty, disclosing that you are
one of those places where white male privilege is most starkly apparent in the university classroom.
10. Seek out research collaborations with colleagues, and be open but careful of new collaborations, es-
pecially if these aren’t in your core research interests. At smaller institutions, where there is likely to
possibilities is collaborating with colleagues in projects that cross disciplinary specialties. This can be
a good way to boost your productivity and acquire new supportive colleagues within the department
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tions can distract from moving forward on your core research, and slow your progress in establishing
your scholarly reputation. Use your judgment and reach out to mentors for their opinion.
11. Develop an independent professional prole. You need to show that you have a research program
that is independent of your former mentors and labs. If you maintain collaborations— which can
an autonomous investigator.
12. Be selective about the students you invite into your lab. Students, both undergraduate and graduate,
can take a lot of mentoring, training, and money (reagents, instrument damage) before they start to
contribute to your research program. Try to take on only those students who will move your research
forward. Good prospects have time (are not overloaded with courses and extra- curricular activities)
and are hardworking, independent, good at following directions, and motivated to do research for
curiosity’s sake. Note that this is not necessarily a student with the highest grades. Interview students
carefully to evaluate their motivations, commitment, and preparation. Draft a contract detailing work
your commitments to the student. Both you and the student should sign it.
13. Develop your professional prole by professional service and conference presentations. One in-
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tional reputation of excellence in your area of research. Moreover, as likely the only faculty mem-
your profession. It is important to make yourself (and your institution) known professionally by
being selectively involved in professional service and regularly presenting at conferences. Con-
intensive institutions, external letters from accomplished senior people in a tenure- candidate’s
these future external reviewers learn who you are.
14. Listen to and act on the feedback you receive from assessments by your chair and others. Chairs
on, prioritize, and achieve during the pretenure period. Take these suggestions seriously and ad-
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24 Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 104(3) Article e02067
are likely addressing matters that are serious enough that they will be a subject of discussion when
the case for tenure is made.
You should take student feedback provided in course evaluations and other ways seriously,
especially when there is a pattern. During evaluations and formal reviews, you should discuss and
document how you have adjusted your teaching to address appropriately the student concerns.
Avoid the temptation to “blame the students.”
Many institutions have implemented a third- year review, which is a formative assessment by
some senior faculty members of your progress toward a successful tenure review. It is intended to
allow enough time for you to make adequate progress in addressing any concerns. If your institu-
tion does not have a third- year review, ask why not and request one.
15. Document everything. When evaluating a junior faculty member’s record, faculty members will
of undergraduates that conducted research in your lab, the titles of their projects, and whether the
students presented their work at conferences. Most faculty members evaluating the record will be
journals in which you are published. Some faculty will look for evidence of professional develop-
CV and related records; it can be surprisingly hard to reconstruct the record of past activities when
putting together a tenure package. Look at the CVs of other faculty members, and see what they
include. Have senior faculty members look at your CV and provide feedback on what can be added
16. Keep a list of key contacts around the university and elsewhere. Adapting to a new faculty posi-
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each useful person’s name, role, and contact as you learn it. Later, you will be glad you did.
17. Be prepared to deal with toxic colleagues. Sometimes there are faculty members who bully,
exploit, behave in a bigoted manner, or are generally toxic, and regrettably, they target pre-
tenure or nontenure- track faculty. It can be a fraught situation. This is where trusted mentors,
including outside your department or university, are so very important. Alert trusted mentors
and colleagues and get their advice. Document everything— even if just dated notes about
something that transpired. Let your supervisor know there is a problem— unless they are the
policies and procedures to deal with such cases. Two key points are (1) do not try to deal with
endure a toxic colleague.
Challenges for female or minoritized faculty members at a smaller, majority straight white male
academic institution
a majority of faculty who identify as straight white males, often a large majority. The following
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points are distilled from comments received from women and minoritized faculty colleagues at
my university and similar institutions. As such, these are generalizations based on particular lived
experiences.
Things to consider
1. Be cautious about phony discourses on valuing diversity at academic institutions. Departments
and institutions may proclaim interest in having a more diverse faculty (in terms of gender, race
and ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.), but in reality only so long as new faculty conform to the
culture, attitudes, values, and practices of the institution’s majority straight white male faculty
members.
2. Be cautious and strategic about service commitments. Women and minoritized faculty are asked to
participate in many more committees, acquire heavier advising and mentoring loads, and are invited
to participate in more student life activities— formal and informal. This is because there is a need,
and because committees seek, for laudable reasons, to be more inclusive (though perversely it can
be typological— one female faculty or one Latinx faculty member represents all). For students, it
can also be because women faculty are seen as more approachable. All of this service results in less
faculty members are judged negatively on lower than expected research productivity, not taking into
account (or valuing) the extraordinary service provided to the department and institution.
3. Women and minoritized faculty have to do more to convince others of their professional com-
petence
competent by students (and others); lack of preparation in the classroom, tardiness, poor com-
munication skills, and other issues— at least initially— are more often assumed to be exhibiting
to work harder to demonstrate that they are highly competent: dressing more professionally, al-
ways being (over)prepared and prompt to class, returning graded materials more quickly, etc.
4. International faculty are evaluated more harshly by students. U.S. undergraduates often rate inter-
English, how clearly they communicate, and how long they have been in the U.S.
5. Women and minoritized faculty are evaluated more negatively on student course evaluations.
There is research to support the widespread perception that students rate women and minoritized
faculty lower on course evaluations, particularly at institutions with a majority white male iden-
tifying faculty. Part of this is likely due to the assumed competence of white male faculty by stu-
dents. As one of my colleagues related to me: “My favorite student comment ‘She actually knew
Another component is that assertive (“dominant”) behavior by women and minoritized faculty
is viewed negatively by students, whereas it is positive in white male faculty. This is especially
6. Women are treated as “early career” by colleagues longer and are less encouraged to advance
quickly. Men tend to promote themselves more than women, and supervisors tend to encourage
“going up” for promotions more quickly for men than women of similar accomplishments. Prob-
ably related to this, in academia women and minoritized faculty are disproportionately more often
in nontenure- track positions and assigned large introductory or service classes.
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26 Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 104(3) Article e02067
7. For a single faculty member at smaller academic institutions located in a small, rural town, it
can be hard to meet other single professionals. In smaller college towns, social activities tend
to center around students or families. Particularly for women and minoritized professionals,
it can be a hard place for single professionals to meet and socialize with others of common
interests.
8. Professional networks are harder to develop. Smaller college towns of colleges with majority
white male faculty can be a hard place for professional women and minoritized faculty to meet, so-
cialize, and develop professional networks and support groups with others of similar backgrounds
and concerns. The ESA and other professional societies work to facilitate networking and mutual
support at conferences and online for women and minoritized scholars.
9. Parental duties are challenging in smaller college towns, and the burden is typically greater on
women faculty than men. Parental leave policies for births or adoptions are improving, but women
faculty still are subject to the view by some male colleagues that maternity leave is a means to bol-
parental care, and this is true generally for female faculty members— in both biparental and single-
parent households. Colleges do not schedule breaks around the K- 12 school calendar, and in smaller
college towns, quality daycare centers and providers are scarce (far below the need); few academic
institutions have in- house daycare. Most academic institutions have well- developed policies and
Best practices
1. Find good mentors and peer groups for guidance and support. It is harder for women and minori-
women or minoritized faculty because there are absolutely fewer faculty of these demographics
career stages. This will probably mean looking to other departments across the institution or other
support, and advocacy on your behalf.
2. Promote yourself, and have advocates that do, too. Look at the achievements of others who are
being promoted, receiving merit raises, etc.— scan their CVs, look at their publications, funding,
teaching, and service. If you are comparable, bring it to the attention of your supervisor and others,
and point out disparities. Bring it to the attention of your mentor and other trusted senior faculty
members or administrators, so they, too, will advocate for you.
3. Do not rely only on student evaluations as an assessment of your teaching. Given the known bias
in student evaluations against women, minoritized, and international faculty, other forms of as-
sessment are critical. Peer reviews are an excellent way of establishing the quality of instruction.
Teaching portfolios can be another way to demonstrate teaching excellence.
4. Have an outlet. Smaller college towns have few places where one can go and be anonymous, and
this is even more so for minoritized faculty in a majority white community. It can be important to
have an “outlet,” for example, the nearest city that has a diverse population and diverse cultural
and social opportunities.
5. When considering whether to accept a position at an academic institution, look for organizations
on campus for faculty of color, women, LGBT, etc. and arrange to meet with students/sta/faculty
associated with them. Nearly all academic institutions and their representatives will assert that
Article e02067 July 2023 27
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their institution values diversity and inclusion. It is hard to assess what the real culture of inclu-
siveness is on campus— you need to speak with multiple people. Make sure you have a chance to
speak with people concerned and directly knowledgeable about campus and community inclusive-
6. During the pretenure period, have someone help you “set limits” on service. Sensitive, savvy de-
partment chairs or other supervisors know that faculty members who are women and minoritized
faculty will be asked to do an extraordinary amount of service and that it is hard to say no in the
this provides “cover” for gracefully declining other requests. You should discuss concerns about
service load with your supervisor early in the pretenure period and get their direction and support
on appropriate limits and selectivity to service demands.
7. Have advocates that can bring attention to the value your service provides. Given the greater like-
lihood of a high service load if you are a woman or minoritized faculty member, and given that this
out the value of your service when you are being evaluated. Service tends to be valued lower than
research and teaching excellence— service is taken for granted— so it requires some sensitization
and advocacy to convince evaluators of the value of service.
8. Take the parental/family care leaves that are your right. Slow the tenure clock when justied.
Many faculty members have passed on the option of taking a parental/family leave or slowing
the tenure clock when a child is born or adopted or when there is another major family exigency.
There persists, at least in some departments and institutions, an academic culture that looks down
on personal/family leaves. However, most faculty members come to regret the decision to forego
leave or slow the clock— even when they are able to keep up professionally, they regret the time
professional, personal, and family needs. Once you forego a leave, you will not get it back.
focusing on family needs. This abuse of family leave is unfair and perpetuates inequalities. Male
faculty should take parental leave, but commit to using that time as intended.
9. Verify that same- sex marriage/partnership benets are the same as those for opposite- sex part-
nerships/marriages. Though some recent legal rulings should have rendered this unnecessary, in
the US, the legal landscape is currently dynamic. There is enough uncertainty that it is prudent to
check, particularly at private institutions.
Concluding thoughts
competing for positions than there are openings for tenure- track or permanent nontenured positions.
Pursue an academic job with optimism but realism.
1. Be intentional and thoughtful about your potential academic career: identify what are the most
necessary and important factors to you in accepting a faculty job.
2. Cast a wide net for academic jobs, and at least initially pursue opportunities that seem less than
ideal, so long as they meet some of your priorities. You can say no later. But do not waste time
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28 Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 104(3) Article e02067
3. Look broadly at academic jobs— do not restrict your search to research- intensive, graduate
program- focused institutions if you do like teaching undergraduates. Learn from mentors and
-
have smaller class sizes and can get to know the students you teach and advise. You are under
less pressure to publish large numbers of papers and generate large research funding. Never-
theless, you can conduct interesting and impactful research. You have more opportunities for
innovative teaching and are appreciated for it. In general, the stress is less and the work– life
balance is better.
5. Do not assume that just because you earned your degree under a famous scholar at a large, presti-
teaching- research college or university. Never behave as if you are “too good for the institution;”
if you do feel that way, save everyone’s time and do not pursue the position.
6. If your degree is from a lab of a not- so- well- known scholar at a less prestigious university,
it does not matter at most smaller joint teaching- research universities. You will be evaluated
mission and needs of the institution, and how interested, motivated, and prepared you are for
the job.
hiring choices are always compromises of many factors, and there is no single best candidate—
just those that are best for some one- or- another attribute, and it comes down to what a hiring com-
mittee weighs as most important.
8. Learn about, consider, and prepare for alternative careers to higher education. As a Ph.D. in ecol-
ogy, there are opportunities in private- sector data science, governmental agencies, environmen-
tal services, and much more. There are discussions on Linked- In and other social media on this
topic, and most professional societies are developing ways to help members of the profession
Frontiers in Ecology & the Environment se-
ries “Exploring Ecological Careers” https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1002/
(ISSN)1540- 9309.Exploring- Ecological- Careers). Do not limit your career options to a faculty
position.
9. Once you start an academic position, do what you need to do to receive tenure and promotion, but
to meet the criteria for tenure. It is not worth it. Most faculty members receive tenure, but if you
do not, your career is not over. People recover from negative tenure decisions and go on elsewhere
institution— but do not be hesitant to apply to attractive opportunities. Here, once again, is a place
where trusted mentors can be helpful sources of advice.
If you are in the job market, good luck with your search for a suitable position. If you are
Article e02067 July 2023 29
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Photo 1. Tom Langen surveying wetland birds in northern New York State.
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30 Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 104(3) Article e02067
everyone, I hope some of the considerations and best practices are helpful. Please send me
your comments and questions— I intend to update this document should it prove useful to
early career ecologists and their mentors.
Biographical sketch
I am an ecologist who began my career studying the behavioral ecology of birds, but who now
focuses on the environmental impacts of roads and other infrastructure, and on environmental
management and restoration (Photo 1). I teach courses on animal behavior, ecology, conservation
science, and global environmental change. My academic training was at large, research- intensive
universities (Purdue University, Universities of California at San Diego and Los Angeles). As a
postdoc, I applied for perhaps 50 academic positions, with little success until I learned to target my
cover letter for the position. As a “trailing spouse” of a partner who was hired for a tenure- track
position and a neighboring small liberal arts college, I accepted a 3- year visiting professor teaching
position at Clarkson University, a small, STEM research and undergraduate teaching- focused
Clarkson. I have been there for 23 years, serving as Department Chair of Biology, Dean of Arts &
Sciences, and member of the tenure and promotion committees. I helped initiate three early career
faculty- mentoring programs at my university. I am currently Chair of the Ecological Society of
America’s Education Committee.
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