Editor’s note: Two assistant professors of teacher education, Drew Kemp and Susan Edwards, begin a series of columns about moving toward tenure in their second tenure-track jobs. Meanwhile, the department chair who hired them, Judi H. Wilson, will offer her perspective on integrating new but experienced faculty members.
Drew Kemp: This year, I became an assistant professor of teacher education at Augusta State University in Georgia. Notice that I didn’t say a new assistant professor. For those of you who don’t remember, in 2008, two colleagues and I chronicled our experiences as new faculty members at Northern Illinois University. Since then, things have changed, and all three of us are now at three different universities. That inspired me to write about what it’s like to be a new faculty member, midway along the tenure track, navigating a new campus, learning a new culture, and establishing new relationships.
Why did I make the move? It’s hard to say when my dissatisfaction with Northern Illinois University began. One day I just realized we were growing apart, despite our mutual respect. I felt like I was spinning my wheels, not doing enough research, spending endless hours on committee work, and becoming redundant in my teaching. I knew that I needed something different.
Unlike my first job search, I was selective on my second one. I didn’t blanket the country with CV’s, cover letters, calls, and applications. I didn’t look for any old job—I looked for one that would suit me. I knew that if my search failed, I could always stay put for at least a while. But things fell into place: After applying to about seven universities, I interviewed for and finally accepted a position at Augusta State.
On this search, unlike the first one, I wasn’t a recent graduate trying to prove my competence as a faculty member. I had skills, knowledge, and experience that other people wanted. I wasn’t going in to learn the profession.
Let me tell you, that is a different kind of pressure when you’re starting a new position. But it is good pressure. My time at Northern Illinois had instilled in me a confidence in my abilities that I certainly didn’t have three years ago.
I went on the market just after I had finished my third-year review at Northern Illinois. It had gone well. I had published, I had good teaching evaluations, and I had served and served and served on committees. So when I interviewed at Augusta State, instead of feeling the trepidation of proving myself, I felt the self-assurance of a professional who had something to offer.
Because of that, my new position came with a caveat—from day one, I had to hit the ground running. No longer was there a buffer zone in which I would be given time to learn the ropes. My new department had specific expectations for me: I was brought in to help improve the quality of education in its already-strong teacher-education program. The department expected me to seamlessly move into the position, develop relationships, have ideas, create programs, and help the department move toward its goals.
Nope, no pressure there.
Things are looking up, though. The last time I wrote for The Chronicle, I had an office that depended on lamps for its ambiance. Now I have a window!
Susan Edwards: So here I am beginning a new position at a new university in a new state. I have been new before, but this feels different.
When I took my first job as an assistant professor at Meredith College, four years ago, I felt like I had a certain safety net because I was new to the profession. I actually felt like people had lower expectations of me than I did. People felt the need to explain things to me that I thought were basic knowledge for the average academic. I thoroughly enjoyed my job at the college but, after getting married, I followed my husband to Georgia and landed this position at Augusta State.
Here, midway along the tenure track, I am new, but I have some experience. I feel a weird combination of confidence and cluelessness.
The difference now is that the bar seems to be higher. People at my new university seem to expect me to already know things. In my interview, members of the hiring committee were clear about their expectations. They needed someone who would know “what questions to ask.” Someone who could take a leadership role. The middle-grades program in the department is struggling, and I was given the charge of revamping it.
While the department may have expectations of me, I also have expectations of myself. A difference this time is that I know I can contribute. I see a hole that I feel I have the experience and knowledge to fill. I find value in my experience at my former college, and I think I am somewhat prepared for the types of issues that I will likely face.
I have to be careful, though, that I do not expect things to be done the same way here as they were in my previous department. I know the material and have been able to easily transfer courses I have taught before to fit the classes I am teaching now. But I find myself making assumptions that my course designs will fill the same hole in my new program as they did at my old one. I keep realizing I should have asked more questions before I began my syllabus. Maybe I do not know all of the right questions to ask after all.
I am beginning this new position with great expectations and a lot of excitement. More than living up to my colleagues’ expectations, I hope I live up to my own.
Judi H. Wilson, chair: The first time I saw Drew’s and Susan’s CV’s, I was impressed. We were seeking two assistant professors with the following qualities: experience in higher education, initiative, a scholarly agenda, and team players. When I met with each of them during their interviews, I was quite candid about my expectations. I made it clear that they were interviewing us as much as we were interviewing them and that it was incredibly important—for them and for us—that this be a strong fit.
As a first-year chair, they were my first hires. I needed assistant professors who could immediately contribute and would complement and strengthen our team.
During the interview process, I was impressed with their knowledge of our programs, faculty, and course offerings. It was obvious both candidates had thoroughly done their homework. When I asked them what they would be passionate about teaching, both candidates immediately shared specific course titles. As a chair, that information told me they were not looking for any job: They were interested in us, specifically.
I invested time with each of them sharing how I expect our faculty members to be excellent teachers, strong mentors, dependable, and service-oriented. I told them it was my job to find the right person for the position and to give that person specific responsibilities that reflect his or her individual passions.
Both candidates were unanimously recommended by our search committee and me. We hired Susan to coordinate our middle-grades program, which desperately needs leadership. We hired Drew because of his strong research agenda and his experience with doctoral programs.
As they adjust to their new positions, I need Drew and Susan to balance their efforts in the areas of teaching, service, and professional development. We all know that’s easier said than done. It will be essential for them to work well with others and to be givers and not just takers. I expect our professors to model the behavior they expect in our students. It is important that they are strong leaders who demonstrate integrity.
As we move forward in our relationship, I need for them to communicate with me regularly and to be honest about their strengths and weaknesses. They have both been blessed with unique talents, passions, and experience. It is my job to place them in positions where they can shine.
Both professors’ candor, transparency, and initiative made my first hires easy. I plan to meet with them several times each semester over the next few years, formally and informally, to lead them through the promotion and tenure journey. I believe our department will be stronger a year from now because of their decisions to accept our offers.
All of us: It is interesting that we wrote these entries separately, and yet they feel so similar. There is an understanding that we are new and will have questions as find our way here. Yet there is a certain confidence with which we begin this path.
