Your Career

In this era of political attacks on higher ed, many academics have a hard time figuring out whether and where to fight back

What is it like to work in a labor sector targeted by its own government? If you’re feeling angry, abandoned, and adrift in the face of steady political attacks from federal and state politicians, you’re not alone. No doubt you have days when you want to do something about it, yet quickly become overwhelmed by the obstacles or stalled by self-doubt.

It’s easy to see why. You are trained — through disciplinary specialization and organizational silos — to stay in your lane. A specialist’s fervor for nuance and carefully weighing the evidence on a particular issue can become an impediment to action. But some faculty and staff members are taking action on behalf of their profession and their institutions, and those “doers” aren’t just a bunch of unrealistic idealists. Instead they offer a pragmatic playbook for change.

Continue reading: “5 Steps to Defend Higher Ed,” by Kevin R. McClure

Send questions or comments to Denise Magner, an editor at The Chronicle, at denise.magner@chronicle.com.

What we’re reading

Here’s more on career issues and trends from around the web. See something we should include? Let me know.

• The latest Work Friend column in The New York Times answers the touchy question of whether you should “feel bad about running errands during work hours.”
• A report in The Wall Street Journal on why good employees quit, and it’s not just about money.
• “When malaise strikes, a good book can break the spell,” says The Atlantic, and offers five recommendations.