*Executive Summary
In this briefing I describe trends in higher education that impact the
hiringand success of tenure-track faculty: increasing competition for
the "best and the brightest," the "generational change" expected as a
cohort of retiring senior faculty is replaced by a new generation, and
expanding roles for faculty as external influences widen expectations
for higher education. I review some of the research on expectations and
concerns of early-career faculty, highlighting particularly the
difficulties young faculty members have identified in (1) understanding
and achieving expectations for tenure and promotion, (2) becoming
socialized in their institutions and departments and finding colleagues
with whom to collaborate, and (3) balancing the multiple demands of jobs
and personal and family responsibilities.
In addition, I explore the multiple forms of scholarship in which new
faculty members are often expected to become engaged, along with the
risks associated with expanded expectations and the resulting
"overloaded plate." By reviewing the results from job-satisfaction
surveys of tenure-track faculty, with attention to the expectations of
women and minority faculty and faculty at different types of
institutions, I have identified what administrators can learn about
creating competitive academic workplaces. Among the factors affecting
workplace satisfaction for early-career faculty is work-life balance. I
include a review of recent efforts to implement policies and practices
to assist faculty, particularly early-career faculty, in balancing work
and family responsibilities. Finally, I provide a list of questions that
chairs and their departments can ask themselves about the support that
they provide early-career faculty, and I present professional
development resources. The briefing identifies the important role of the
department chair in providing new faculty members--indeed, all faculty
members--a supportive environment that offers clearly defined
expectations and appropriate rewards, a balanced work life, and
opportunities for collegiality and
community.
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