Preparing for Promotion: The Tenure Process Julia Hirschberg, Columbia University

1. Preparing for Promotion: The Tenure ProcessJulia Hirschberg, Columbia University

2. Unusual Career • 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….

3. The Academic “Ladder” Postdoc Assistant Professor Associate Professor Professor Chaired Professor Department Head Associate Dean Dean . . . tenure

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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 coursesand 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

7. 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

8. Publications • Qualityand 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

9. 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 Listento their feedback • Borrow sample proposals from successful colleagues • If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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”

14. 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

15. 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

16. Dos and Don’ts • Do become someone other faculty want as a colleague • Do make a good first impression • Do be a team player • Do get to know leaders in your field • Do take criticism/feedback/complaints seriously • Do find mentors • Do get along well with staff • Do keep records • 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

17. Industry/government Graduate Students Undergraduates Academic careers CRA-W Programs Undergrads: UndergraduateResearch 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 www.cra-w.org

18. What should you do next? Completethe evaluation survey http://alturl.com/z4gp9

19. What should you do next? Apply your new knowledge Shareyournew knowledge at your institution Follow up with someone you’ve met here Participate! join us on Facebook www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=58020017457 Visitour web pages www.cra-w.org