I am constantly mortified by articles in The NY Times and the Chronicle for Higher Education.
Often, I see articles about:
- Ph.D. students who don’t get jobs
- Faculty who fail to tenure
- Faculty who are badly behaved
- (insert stormclouds here)
Less often, I see articles detailing:
- Ph.D. students with multiple job offers
- Faculty who tenure early
- Faculty making good choices
- (insert rainbows here)
If I believed the articles in that first narrative, I would think #PhDstudents are doomed, #faculty are predatory, & #universities are too stupid to attend to their changing context.
The first narrative is pernicious, creates fear in PhD students, takes joy from faculty lives & undermines universities' ability to do good.
If I didn’t listen carefully, I would miss that second narrative of positive impact on students, faculty changing lives, & vibrant universities connected to the world.
I would miss that most faculty are deeply committed to their students, work diligently on their research, & #volunteer in their local & professional communities.
I would miss that in many job markets, the demand for PhDs outstrips the supply - very few PhDs outside the #Humanities are forced to drive a bus for a living!
I would miss that the academy is more representative, thanks to the support of faculty of all ranks who want positive change and foundations like The PhD Project, which supports minority students.
It’s a shame that so many people miss the second narrative because they miss learning about the opportunities afforded by earning PhDs, by careers in higher education & by working at universities.
So what to do?
First, become a voice for the #positiveimpact of faculty on the world.
I am constantly surprised by how many people think I do little more than teaching.
When I share my work, my service, and the success of my students, I see attitudes change towards academic life.
Second, counter the narrative that the academy is dying.
We aren’t dying - we are changing.
Some of us do research - some work more with kids - some work more with industry - some have tenure - some don’t - so what? All have an impact.
Share that there are more paths today for fulfilling #facultycareers than 20 years ago.
Finally, become part of the solution.
Sure the #academy has problems. Some #disciplines have lost #relevance. Some faculty have behaved badly. Some #universities will fail.
None of these problems mean the sky is falling; it just means we need to take action.
So be a voice for change, help address problems, & move the academy forward.
And as you do, share your success stories with the world!
Let’s give The #NYTimes and the #Chronicle positive stories to counter the negative narratives and create more opportunities to impact the world.
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