Navigating a Career in Academia: Insights from Emeriti Engineering Faculty
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Navigating a Career in Academia: Insights from Emeriti Engineering Faculty Sylvia L. Mendez 1 & Jennifer A. Tygret 1 & Katie Johanson 1 & Valerie Martin Conley 1 & Comas Haynes 2 & Rosario Gerhardt 2 & Kinnis Gosha 3 # Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019
Abstract This holistic single-case study design grounded by Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Intelligence explores the perspectives of renowned emeriti engineering faculty on the future of the engineering professoriate and the factors that can lead to a successful professional trajectory for early-career, tenure-track engineering faculty. The emeriti faculty also share how they observed the ways in which race/ethnicity and gender, and the intersection of the two, influence the professional paths of early-career engineering faculty. Findings indicate the emeriti faculty believe the future of the engineering professoriate will be based on faculty continuing to develop useable technology that improves the human condition. Emeriti faculty note the appropriate balance of teaching, research, and service is dependent upon one’s individual circumstances and one’s creative, analytical, and practical abilities. They also share the balance can be complicated for underrepresented minority (URM) and female faculty. A thorough understanding of the factors emeriti faculty believe are critical for achieving promotion and tenure in the engineering professoriate may have the potential to positively impact the professional trajectories of early-career faculty. Keywords Mentoring . Emeriti engineering faculty . Early-career engineering faculty .
URM faculty . Case study
* Jennifer A. Tygret [email protected]
1
University of Colorado Colorado Springs, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80918, USA
2
Georgia Institute of Technology, North Ave NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
3
Morehouse College, 830 Westview Dr SW, Atlanta, GA 30314, USA
Journal for STEM Education Research
Introduction Learning the ways in which to navigate a career in academia and to balance the demands associated with the profession is a complex and complicated process for early-career faculty, specifically faculty members who are working to achieve tenure. While many avenues are available to seek advice on success in the world of promotion and tenure, little scholarly work has been devoted to this topic in the engineering field. A thorough understanding of factors for success in engineering may provide needed guidance in navigating tenure and positively impact the professional trajectories of early-career, tenure-track faculty. Therefore, the purpose of this holistic, single-case study (Yin 2018) grounded by Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Intelligence (1985, 1988) is to share the collective wisdom of renowned emeriti engineering faculty who provided insights on the future of the engineering professoriate and the factors they view as critical to success in achieving promotion and tenure. As these professional practices and qualities vary substantially by discipline, emeriti faculty in the same field
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