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How an English Major Succeeded in a STEM Field

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ONEIL Center for Research Communication opens at Wright State University. Brandy Foster, executive director of the ONEIL Center for Research Communication is pictured second from left. (Photo by Erin Pence)
ONEIL Center opening at Wright State University. Brandy Foster, executive director of the Center, is pictured second from left. (Photo by Erin Pence)

STEM jobs are in high demand, while STEM professionals can be in short supply. English major Brandy Foster explains how you can break into a STEM field, even with a background in humanities.

I’d been intending to get my doctoral degree in 19th century British literature. I love Jane Austen—I thought I was going to be an Austen scholar and there’s a lot about that life that would still appeal to me—but a career-altering experience made me take a different path.

When I was an undergraduate English major at Wright State University, I was recruited by a mechanical engineering professor who had a really successful and prolific graduate research group, many of whom were non-native English speakers because they were international graduate students. And he was really frustrated that he was spending way too much of his time trying to correct language in proposals and dissertations and journal articles, and that wasn’t his strength or his interest, so he recruited me from the writing center at the university.

I was embedded in that group for a few years and I learned informally a lot of the genres of technical writing, and how to find my way in this really unfamiliar landscape of STEM. I had no prior inclination of working with mechanical engineers, so that experience changed the entire trajectory of my career. I was able to land that first job after graduating with my master’s as the proposal writer for the College of Engineering and Computer Science because by that time I really understood and excelled at writing proposals to the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense.

I found my place by demonstrating the value that someone who has a humanities background can bring to STEM and ultimately ended up as a senior lecturer in the department of computer science and engineering. Here’s how you can too:

Find Your Place

I wasn’t a computer scientist or engineer. I didn’t know how to program, and I wasn’t proficient in math. But I understood the social implications of STEM and technology. And I also was really attracted to the type of innovation that they do in computer science and engineering. It all seemed so cutting edge, and so I was able to model that in my own way and innovate within my job, and in what has turned out to be really, really fun initiatives.

Think Critically

You really have to understand how to attack a project or a problem. Imagine that you’re in an unfamiliar landscape—if you’re an English major, that might be a STEM topic. Or if you’re an engineer, that might be something related to medicine. We train our students on how to draw on the skills from their individual programs that cut across communication—problem-solving, critical thinking, and empathy are really huge.

Be Sensitive

STEM is significantly different from the humanities. The culture is different, the language is different, the genres are different, and the people are different. Certain personality types gravitate toward one or the other. So I think it’s having that sensitivity to cultural differences that we all should have and whatever way we engage with something that’s unfamiliar to us. So a high degree of sensitivity and empathy and then also confidence in our own ability to contribute.

Know Your Value

When we’re making a big switch, we might focus more on what we might perceive as our challenges, because we’re not the same as the people inhabiting that unfamiliar space. English majors are not the same as an engineer. But instead of focusing on the ways that we’re different, I think it was really important for me to understand what I had to contribute. My diverse perspective from theirs was something that could benefit the organization, and vice versa—I had a lot to learn from them as well. So I think that’s really important, just that sensitivity to cultural differences and that willingness to take that kind of risk.

Check out more Top Articles on HERC Jobs.

Brandy Foster is concurrently the executive director of two major centers, The ONEIL Center at Wright State and the Emergence Center at the university’s foundation, and a senior lecturer in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at Wright State University, where she earned baccalaureate and master’s degrees in English Language & Literatures.

4 Tips for Identifying an Employer’s Work-Life Balance

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Mother and daughter work side by side from home

In any career transition, it’s important to keep in mind the work-life balance that you will (or won’t) have with your potential employer. In addition to your home life, work-life balance is associated with stress levels and the quality of the relationship that you have with your boss.

While some work-life factors are self-determined and can be changed during the quest for it, many are directly influenced by workplace culture and policies.

Here are four tips to help identify the work-life balance at potential employers’ workplaces.

Before you apply

1. Find the official policies

The human resources website is a good place to start looking for official policies that will impact work-life balance. Formal benefits, like flex scheduling, personal and/or dependent sick leave (in addition to vacation time) as well as paid parental leave, all suggest that the employer places value on their employees. The extension of these policies to postdocs indicates how far this value extends.

Consider also evaluating institutional and departmental code(s) of conduct or ethics, paying special attention to their stance on workplace harassment. Boilerplate language that doesn’t provide clear definitions, processes for addressing these concerns, or protections beyond the legal minimum is not a good sign.

Whether or not you’re interested in having (or already have) children, carefully review the benefits and support for working parents; these are indicators of how well employees are supported through difficult life periods.

2. Compare employer policies and practices.

There are many websites with crowd-sourced, usually unofficial, information about employers. Glassdoor features reviews from current and previous employees, while FairyGodBoss features reviews written for women by women. Maybrooks has a family leave policy database sourced from women employees, which would complement the leave info reported on List Your Leave.

Even if all the official boxes seem to be checked, particularly large employers (e.g., universities) can have extreme workplace culture differences between smaller working units like programs and departments. This is where you get a chance to put your social media to good use. Select a few current members of the workplace (include your potential boss and some lower-ranking positions) and find their feeds. Frequent venting about coworkers and/or working on weekends and holidays isn’t a good sign. Neither is an absence of posts about their non-work lives.

It may also be helpful to figure out how many (if any) potential coworkers have stay-at-home spouses. Again, even if you aren’t interested in children, there are still day-to-day non-work responsibilities that must be managed in addition to work. A prevalence of stay-at-home spouses among potential coworkers suggests that they don’t have the time or flexibility for non-work necessities.

Consider also conducting informational interviews with current and/or former employees. Questions about day-to-day expectations, management styles, and support during the pandemic could all yield valuable information about the work-life balance at your potential employer.

During the interviews

3. Listen for keywords.

Many job candidates, particularly women, are weary of family-related questions during interviews. To get a sense of work-life balance, consider asking related questions where the respondent might volunteer such information. Before the interview, identify some keywords that would indicate a positive or negative workplace culture, and listen for them in response to your queries. An absence of positive keywords and/or an abundance of negative keywords should lead you to reconsider this employer.

4. Evaluate the physical workplace.

Actions speak louder than words; the workplace speaks louder than policies. The appearance and overall vibe of a workplace can speak volumes about workplace culture and the potential for a good work-life balance. At the end of an interview, ask for a tour; it’s a reasonable request even for remote interviews. As you browse the office, look for evidence of a life outside of work, dedicated rooms for moms who pump, and compare how busy the workplace is to the time of day. If you schedule an interview early or late in the day, evaluate how full (or empty) the office is when it begins or ends, respectively. Aseptic or sterile workspaces suggest that homelives (and thus, work-life balance) don’t have a place at work. An abundance of photos or cultural items, however, suggest that employees feel comfortable bringing their homelife to work.

When you decide

Remember, “an organization that truly cares for its team members will never penalize employees for prioritizing work-life balance.” Don’t feel guilty, apologetic, or ashamed for turning down a job offer with an employer that doesn’t seem to meet your work-life balance needs.

About the Author:  Dr. Ada Hagan is a microbiologist with a passion for making science accessible. In 2019, Dr. Hagan founded Alliance SciComm & Consulting, LLC as a means to use her strong background in communications and higher education to help make scientific concepts more easily understood and make the academy more inclusive to future scientists from all backgrounds. Her writing and research have been featured by BBC Radio 4, Science Careers, The Scientist, Massive Science, and the American Society for Microbiology.

Be a Community Champion in Higher Ed

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The “Get to Know a Higher Ed Professional” series features people working in various positions in higher education, to get an inside perspective of what they do and what inspires them.

Jenny Lee Berry is the Community Relations Manager at Oregon Health & Science University and former Regional Director of Greater Oregon HERC.

What has been the most enjoyable aspect of your job on a personal level?

I work a lot with our community-based partners and different community leaders to really create and forge partnerships. I often hear a lot from community leaders that have been in this work of service for decades and they often told me their challenges and concerns have remained constant. And so with my job, I find a lot of enjoyment in trying to chip away at inequities.

How do we create opportunities that promote real engagement and real partnership? Where it’s not on a consultation basis, but it’s co-creation, cooperation, and partnership. I think it’s really just redefining what partnership looks like. And how do we amplify some of the work that’s already happening? Our community leaders and organizations have been doing this work so much longer, how do we help create the right paths and opportunities to connect the dots?

In your five years at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), what have you found to be the biggest benefits to working in higher ed?

There are a lot of departments—it’s virtually a small city. We’re not a traditional college campus, we’re more of an academic health center, so we have a teaching hospital, a research area, as well as the education piece, so we have really three distinct things that we do. And I think that the diversity of positions that we have on our campus is really amazing to see. Virtually any position you can think of, we have. From entry-level to advanced career track. You can get someone that’s right out of college or even high school, or student workers. And so I would say this: the opportunities are great.

I think there are tremendous growth opportunities. I’m of that generation that you stay in one location for years on end because that’s what my parents told me was important. So for me, I don’t really look to transition to a lot of different jobs or organizations. I stay loyal, so to speak. Especially for the academic health center, there’s a wide range of opportunities and for growth. You might enter as a manager, and after a while, you get to director level and beyond. You can really grow in your career within higher education.

And for me personally, I would say what keeps me at OHSU is that the work is so important. In higher education that mission-driven piece of it is so important and that’s what keeps me here.

What advice would you have for people who are already working in higher ed but are looking for ways to move up?

I absolutely say send an introductory email if there’s a position or department that you really want to get into. Reach out to somebody within that department, learn more about that department or program to see what it would take for one to get into that department or role. Within higher education, although some areas are competitive, people are generally interested to share their career pathway and how they got to where they are. And you can learn best practices or lessons learned from their experience. So my advice is to not be afraid to reach out and learn more.

About the Author: Harold Gutmann is the director of brand and marketing strategy at Santa Clara University. He is a longtime writer and editor who is proud to work in higher education, and encourages all job seekers to consider it.

Dealing with Uncertainty in the Academic Job Market

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This article is from the National Postdoctoral Network.

Many in the postdoctoral community are rightly concerned about the future of the academic job market. Prospective postdocs wonder: Will institutions be hiring postdocs? Current postdocs wonder: Will there be faculty positions open in Fall 2021? There is much uncertainty with the current job landscape for so many. And while this commentary will not diminish the reality of that uncertainty, hopefully, it will offer some facts and perspective on several of these matters.

Employment at U.S. Universities in Response to COVID-19

Recent data from The Chronicle of Higher Education indicate most (58 percent) university employment changes in response to COVID-19 have been furloughs, where the hope is to rehire staff once it is deemed possible; only 17 percent of positions have been categorized as being a “permanent layoff.” Those on renewable contracts at universities appear most at-risk at public institutions where nearly two-thirds of reported academic contract non-renewals have taken place. Unfortunately, the number of individuals on renewable contracts is large and consists of a wide range of employees from postdocs to lecturers and adjunct faculty (i.e., contingent faculty). There are concerns with how the current COVID-19-related cutbacks disproportionately affect non-tenure faculty and postdoctoral scholars who are already in more vulnerable employment positions.

Postdoc Hiring

We should first acknowledge that the modern United States research enterprise will require postdoc labor for the foreseeable future. Postdocs bring valuable skills to many academic research groups and are the main driver of efforts toward accomplishing the goals of many grant-funded projects and spearheading innovative research that leads to groundbreaking scientific discoveries.

As many postdoctoral scholars in the sciences are funded via federal research dollars from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation, their job security could be considered more stable compared to other academic employees. These grants are multi-year endeavors and many postdoc office administrators have noted that even if their institution currently has a hiring freeze, that often does not apply to grant-funded postdoctoral positions.

With this in mind, prospective postdocs should seek out research groups with current federal grant funding to ensure their postdoc position will be relatively stable for the next few years. Find labs with funding via: NIH Reporter, NSF Award Search, DOE Award Search, & USDA Awards

In addition, a recent survey on postdoctoral hiring trends through the Professional Development and Career Office at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine found 35% of responding institutions have not changed their postdoc hiring practices, 62% have modified their hiring strategy for postdocs (i.e., added new processes/procedures to hire), and only 3% have stopped hiring postdocs. Therefore, on the whole, postdoctoral hiring trends appear intact, though those requiring international travel to reach their employer are subject to current visa policies and regulations, and as such may experience temporary difficulties obtaining a position in the United States.

Faculty Hiring

Many universities have issued faculty and staff hiring freezes (see crowdsourced list of current hiring practices). How will these freezes affect faculty hiring in 2020–2021? Chemjobber has predicted fewer than 100 chemistry faculty positions will be open across the United States. and Canada in fall 2020 compared to an average number of openings of 550—a drop of over 80 percent. However, there is still relatively little data to indicate the extent to which faculty hiring will be affected in fall 2020.

Most university staff assume a decrease in available funds to hire new faculty will occur, though how large of a decrease remains uncertain at the moment. It is this uncertainty, though, that has led many universities to act conservatively and pause new faculty hiring for fiscal year 2021 (beginning July 2020). If university finances are not impacted as severely as predicted this coming academic year, perhaps hiring in fiscal year 2022 might be more robust than anticipated. The future is uncertain and all available data is being analyzed to help provide clarity as to when to make strategic increases in faculty over time.

Collecting Insights From Those on the Faculty Job Market

Together with colleagues who met via Future PI Slack, I and others are working to gain a better understanding of the qualifications needed to obtain a faculty position and how competition for one may shift as a result of COVID-19. Recently, our 2018–2019 job market survey was published in eLife and a current survey running for those on the faculty job market in 2019–2020 will begin to shed light on how COVID-19 affected faculty offers this spring.

Consider Career Alternatives

Given the expectation of a challenging faculty job market over the next few years, all postdoctoral scholars should consider career alternatives to faculty. It is always advisable to have options for your career and indeed the current climate makes having a Plan B even more important.

While it is important to be realistic about job opportunities, if your Plan A is to become a professor, don’t abandon all hope. There will always be a need for good, dedicated people in faculty positions. One point that is often overlooked is that most faculty positions are not at large, research-intensive universities. Reach out to faculty working at a variety of institutions of higher education to learn more about your options and what a faculty position may look like outside an R1 university.

Budgetary Concerns and New Investments in Science

Clearly, university budgets will be affected by potential decreases in enrollments if students don’t feel comfortable returning, or are not given the opportunity to return, to campus in the fall. However, new data suggest enrollment drops may not be as severe as originally anticipated. Decreases in sales tax revenue from closed economies will also strain state funding for many institutions (see also). Federal funding currently remains intact, though, and may increase as policymakers appreciate the value of scientific discovery and innovation and how such work is crucial to solving the complex problems we face as a society in a timely and effective manner.

There are bipartisan calls for more support of the United States scientific workforce during the current COVID-19 crisis. In fact, 31 senators have signed on to this letter from Edward Markey (Democate-MA) and Thom Tillis (Republican-NC) which calls for, among other things, emergency relief to sustain research support personnel and additional funds for graduate student and postdoc fellowships for up to two years. In addition, another recent bill outlined a plan to add a technology directorate within the National Science Foundation in order to accelerate the translation of fundamental research into useful and effective processes and products for the public good (see Endless Frontier Act).

In Europe, the United Kingdom has pledged a 15 percent increase in R&D funding for the 2021 fiscal year, representing its largest year-on-year increase ever. Last year, Germany announced a three percent annual increase in science funding to continue for nearly a decade. The silver lining of the current situation could be increased investment in the research enterprise which will more than likely benefit the postdoctoral community in the long term.

Closing Thoughts

Despite the fact that the current postdoctoral and academic job market is uncertain, the world undoubtedly needs the talents and skills of postdocs in academia and in higher education more broadly; working in higher education remains a great career where one can have a tremendous positive impact on society. The anticipated new national investments in scientific funding may ultimately improve the job prospects of many for years to come.

It is well-known that higher education unlocks economic opportunities for students as well as communities. Some have called for an Academic New Deal with increased investment in and access to higher education and other advanced training needed in the 21st century. Perhaps one positive effect of the global pandemic will be that the public will appreciate and support the need for scientific research, innovation, and robust institutions of higher education that allow for us all to grow and prosper into the future.

About the Author:  Chris Smith, PhD, is the postdoc program manager at North Carolina State University and a member of the National Postdoctoral Association Board of Directors.

What Higher Ed Job Seekers Want Now

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Continued concerns about workplace health and safety, combined with challenges in finding candidates for job openings, have put pressure on higher education employers to address the changing needs and expectations of job seekers and current staff and faculty.

Earlier this year, HERC conducted its annual job seeker survey to understand their experience looking for work in higher education and to identify how HERC can best support them during the process of finding, landing, and keeping their ideal position. This year’s survey included additional questions about the impact of COVID-19 and the increasing importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in work policies.

Given today’s volatile job market, we thought it was important for job seekers to know that many share the same priorities and values when it comes to their careers in higher education. We learned that job seekers are looking for employers that support career advancement, a healthy work-life balance, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace.

Who Responded

The survey had 2,722 respondents, who reported these demographics:

  • 67% hold master’s degrees or higher
  • 40% are people of color
  • 12% are individuals with disabilities
  • 67% are women; 28% are men
  • 1% are ages 18 to 21; 34% are 22 to 37; 37% are 38 to 53; and 27% are over 53

46% of survey respondents reported being staff and 56% indicated they are faculty. Some individuals reported being both staff and faculty.

Job Searching Now

Infographic: TOP REASONS: If you are searching for a new job, why? (Select top 3 reasons)

Of those reporting that they were searching for a new job, the top reasons for doing so were career advancement (31%), seeking higher salary (31%), work-life satisfaction (20%), dissatisfied with current workplace culture (15%), and seeking remote/flexibility options (15%). Higher education staff and faculty reported the same top three reasons, but with differing prioritization.

Job Advancement

Infographic: Do you expect to advance in your career at your current institution or with a new employer? 11% - Current institution, 56% - New Institution, 33% - Unsure

When asked where job seekers expected to advance in their careers, more than half of survey respondents reported at a new institution (56%) and the next largest group of respondents were unsure (33%).  This result indicates that most survey respondents were not interested in or did not see opportunities for internal growth and promotion within their current institutions.

Expectations

Infographi: As it relates to your career and the COVID-19 pandemic, please rate hwo well each statement describes you and yoru experience with your higher education institution.

Job seekers reported strong confidence in some of the support provided by employers as it relates to their careers and the COVID-19 pandemic. Job seekers’ confidence fell when rating their employer’s support of employee needs and dipped even more when considering their employer’s prioritization of employees’ mental health.

Learning about what job seekers need and want is crucial to our member institutions who are committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the higher education workforce. We encourage you to participate in our annual job seeker survey (our next one will be conducted in early 2022) and our monthly quick poll on LinkedIn (follow HERC on LinkedIn).

Higher Ed Job Seekers Want Career Advancement, Work-Life Satisfaction, and DEI Policies and Practices

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New Report on Changing Attitudes and Expectations about Higher Education Careers

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Continued concerns about workplace health and safety, combined with challenges in finding candidates for job openings, have put pressure on higher education employers to address the changing needs and expectations of job seekers and current staff and faculty. A new report from the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) shares highlights from its annual survey of job seekers to understand their job search experience and to identify how employers can best support them during the process of finding, landing, and keeping their ideal position.  [The full report is available to HERC members. If you are interested in accessing the report, please contact Marcia Silva – see info at the bottom.]

The new publication, “2021 HERC Job Seeker Survey Report: DEI and the Changing Perspectives in the Higher Ed Workplace,” provides data-informed considerations for HR, academic affairs, and diversity leaders in developing inclusive and equitable recruitment and retention policies.

“This report includes timely information for higher education institutions as they recruit and retain faculty and staff,” said Derek Smith, HERC Executive Director. “Now more than ever, job seekers are looking closely at an institution’s demonstrated commitment to programs and policies that support professional growth, work-life satisfaction, and diversity.”

The report addresses four topics: job searching now, job advancement, expectations of employers, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Many of the shifts in thoughts and expectations in these areas are driving workforce policy changes and will have long-term impacts on what attracts and keeps staff and faculty at higher education institutions.

Of survey respondents reporting that they were searching for a new job, the top reasons for doing so were career advancement (31%), seeking higher salary (31%), and work-life satisfaction (20%). Higher education staff and faculty reported the same top three reasons, but with differing prioritization.

When asked where they expected to advance in their careers, more than half of survey respondents reported at a new institution (56%) and the next largest group of respondents were unsure (33%). This result indicates that most survey respondents were not interested in or did not see opportunities for internal growth and promotion within their current institutions.

Survey respondents reported confidence in some of the support provided by employers during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as clear communications about policies related to the pandemic and prioritization of employees’ physical health and safety. Confidence fell when rating their employer’s support of employee needs and dipped even more when considering their employer’s prioritization of employees’ mental health.

The increased attention on diversity, equity, and inclusion in workforce policies was reflected by our survey respondents: 85% of Non-White and 81% of White survey respondents noted that an employer’s diversity and inclusion policies and practices were very and somewhat important to them.

“HERC members are at the forefront of building diverse and inclusive workplaces in higher education,” said Ruth Molina, HERC Governance Board Chair. “Learning about what prospective job candidates need and want is crucial to our members, especially now as they develop and implement return-to-campus policies.”

ABOUT THE HIGHER EDUCATION RECRUITMENT CONSORTIUM: The Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) is a nonprofit consortium committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the higher education workforce. With over 700 colleges, universities, hospitals, research labs, government agencies, and related organizations, HERC works to ensure member institutions are sites of belonging, where all faculty and staff can thrive. HERC provides resources, networking, and outreach programs to attract, hire, and retain a diverse and qualified workforce.

CONTACT: Marcia Silva, Higher Education Recruitment Consortium, marcia@hercjobs.org, 650-417-3193

3 Strategies to Advance Your Career

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Earlier this summer, the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) hosted a Gender Equity Summit. A session titled “Skills, Strategies, and Lessons on Postdoc Career Advancement” was led by HERC’s own Training and Development Director, Jessica Wise, and featured three speakers. The goals of the session, as described by Wise, were for each attendee to think strategically about their spheres of influence and plan what their careers are going to look like, at the individual, community, and institutional levels.

Here are three strategies to help you advance your career:

1. Claim a professional identity

The first guest speaker was Camille Johnson, Ph.D., the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Success in the College of Social Science at San Jose State University. Johnson had three goals for the audience: to name their contribution and professional identity, to claim their professional identity within an institution, and to use their personal narrative to guide decisions.

Johnson encouraged attendees to claim their expertise early on with the simple phrase “Hi, my name is _____; I am an expert in _______.” She also asked attendees to identify ways that they want new colleagues or a hiring panel to describe them, which is a way of claiming how you want to be perceived, i.e., “I’m the one who is/who does _______.”

Johnson explained that once an identity has been established (I am an expert in _____, and I am the one who does _______, ________, and _______), then it could be used to guide academic activities and behaviors. Being guided by a professional identity also increases the resolution of activities or opportunities that should be avoided. In other words, if you know what you want to be, then you have a better idea of what not to do and when it is better to say “no”. Postdocs must value themselves and learn to prioritize because time and effort are zero-sum.

2. Networks require intentional cultivation

The second speaker was Claire Horner-Devine, Ph.D., the founder of Counterspace Consulting, LLC. The goals of her session were for attendees to name the role of community in their careers, develop their own growth network maps, and commit to one action to get what they want and need to thrive.

Horner-Devine emphasized that communities are important for personal and professional growth, but there are three key attributes of a successful network. According to Horner-Devine, each person’s network should be you-centered, needs-based, and requires self-agency. She encouraged postdocs to first identify what was missing that they needed (e.g., honest feedback, role modeling, professional development). The next step was to identify who (or what) would fulfill that need and how they would do so. While the strategy behind building this network is similar to that suggested for defining and identifying mentors, not all members of your network need to be mentors! Instead, there may also be peers, coaches, family, friends, training programs, or workshops.

3. Know what you need and what you can compromise on

The third and final speaker was Alicia Simon, the Dual Career Coordinator in the Office of the Provost at the University of Michigan (UM). Dual career couples, those where both partners are academics, face a difficult path to dual employment at a university. In 2018 and 2019 at UM, there were three dual career coordinators handling 242 cases with an average length of 11 months.

While universities want to hire and retain outstanding faculty (especially the opportunity to bring two exciting and talented individuals in a dual career couple), some departments are being asked to consider a dual career candidate they haven’t planned for and may not match their strategic goals. It’s important, then, that the dual career couple has a plan from the start.

The dual career couple should do their homework on each institution and understand the support and resources available. Simon emphasized that the levels of support and resources vary by institution, as do the faculty and/or staff that facilitate dual career support. To make the most of a dual career search, the couple should identify three things that they expect from an institution as well as three things that they are willing to compromise on. Remember to consider both work and life in the community.

Simon says that when the faculty partner (the partner who already has a relationship with an institution) applies for an appointment, the dual career partner should be preparing their application materials for the institution. The faculty partner should ask the search chair or department chair for dual career support as soon as they are comfortable.

Additional resources on dual careers are available from HERC and the University of Michigan.

Each session of the NPA Gender Equity Summit was recorded and is available to watch for free.

About the Author:  Dr. Ada Hagan is a microbiologist with a passion for making science accessible. In 2019, Dr. Hagan founded Alliance SciComm & Consulting, LLC as a means to use her strong background in communications and higher education to help make scientific concepts more easily understood and make the academy more inclusive to future scientists from all backgrounds. Her writing and research have been featured by BBC Radio 4, Science Careers, The Scientist, Massive Science, and the American Society for Microbiology.

Get to Know a Higher Ed Professional: Dr. Carmen Suarez, Southern Illinois University Carbondale

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The “Get to Know a Higher Ed Professional” series features people working in various positions in higher education, to get an inside perspective of what they do and what inspires them.

Dr. Carmen Suarez is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Educational Administration and Higher Education Department of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She served as vice president for global diversity and inclusion at Portland State University and the founding chief diversity officer of the University of Idaho.

What would you say is the main benefit of working in higher education, and the top challenge?

The chance to do extremely meaningful work is super satisfying. We’re all here for the purpose of the students, helping them achieve their goals to the best of our ability, partnering with them, and hopefully meeting them in a way that is one of equity and equality.

Because of my field, the most challenging though is you’re an expert at the table, and you’re telling people how you know things need to be done and they argue and they think they know better. People don’t argue with accountants when they tell you this is how you should do things, but people seem to have many opinions and do not necessarily respect DEI [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion] as a profession.

And another challenge is we don’t value education. I find it appalling that we don’t invest in our institutions of higher education. That’s fact, that’s quantitative. You look at the contributions, state and federal, over the years. And we have been greatly hobbled by, not only the lack of financing, but the direction of the financing. We focus on STEM [science, technology, engineering, and maths] rather than STEAM [science, technology, engineering, arts, and maths]. I read some articles recently that in the U.S. we’re actually becoming less inventive and less creative. For over a hundred years, we’ve lead inventiveness. And we’re not anymore.

How did you decide to lead DEI [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion] education initiatives?

You don’t wake up one day saying I’m going to work in diversity or I’m going to be an affirmative action officer. I feel like the Forrest Gump of DEI. You know, “I was there when…” Certainly not in that first wave at all of our civil rights pioneers and heroes, you know the Martin Luther Kings and the Cesar Chavezes, but I’m one of the first wave of students to receive what they called then “minority fellowships.”

My experiences growing up led me to this field as well. I remember in third grade when I was first called a Hispanic slur. In addition, I went to a Catholic school in Chicago, we saw those documentaries of the liberation of the Holocaust camps with people looking like little skeletons with tattered clothes. That’s horrible for a child to see, but we learned. We learned that we counter that message of hate with education about what happened. Despite the Holocaust deniers, most of us around the world know it happened, even if memories are fading of the direct view of it, but it becomes a reality. Hate is ever prevalent against those that appear “different.”  Education is a key to counter the continuum of oppression.

Why is this an exciting time for higher ed professionals to consider jobs in DEI?

There are many successes with so many universities now having chief diversity officers and slowly migrating it to a vice chancellor/vice president position. I think that’s all super, super gratifying to see that growth and understanding. Some specific kinds of institutions have done this, but we have 3,200 institutions of higher education in this country, and it needs to happen more. We’re a long way from fully getting that this is real, that it’s concrete. It’s not just values that we’re trying to teach others, this is just survival of higher education to understand diversity. We are a diverse multicultural society. We’re not going back.

The numbers and percentages of the faculty ranks are still just as difficult, as well as in senior staff positions. Look at fundraising, or institutional advancement, look at finance, look at human resources, look at the deans across the country—you pick the title and we’re still dramatically underrepresented. That hasn’t changed, and you look at percentages and the area that’s gone well is community colleges. But we have to ask ourselves, so why do Latinx and Black faculty and staff cluster at community colleges?

We’re in the middle of it right now. In any significant historical time when you’re in the middle of it, it is very hard to work through it and move forward. I am a glass-half-full person. I’ve always been an optimist—the optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute. And I think that we will work our way through this but not without a whole lot of pain along the way. The pain is here, more pain to go. But I think that we will work our way through this as we’ve done when we look at all the tragedies of history, we do tend to move forward, we do become much more cognizant.

About the Author: Harold Gutmann is the director of brand and marketing strategy at Santa Clara University. He is a longtime writer and editor who is proud to work in higher education, and encourages all job seekers to consider it.

Write Your Diversity Statement in Four Steps

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The diversity, or inclusion, statement is becoming a staple of the academic job packet. But unless the hiring institution is clear about what they expect, how do you know what to write? And further yet, how do you go about writing it?

A 2018 paper from the University of Michigan described the common elements of diversity statements written for a postdoctoral fellow-to-faculty program. The program informed applicants “that the university was looking for indicators of demonstrated commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion and valued the different ways this might be demonstrated.” Arguably, any department or institution that incorporates the diversity statement into their evaluation of a candidate would have similar expectations.

Below are four steps that you can use to craft a diversity statement. The first three steps will guide the incorporation of three key components to a compelling statement: your background, what drives your commitment to diversity, and how you demonstrate that commitment. The final step provides resources and suggestions to refine your statement for inclusion in your job packet.

1. Provide Your Context

This is where you write your life’s story. Well, part of it anyway. Your experiences, expectations, and identities as a human all influence your perspective on diversity. Furthermore, they are potentially important context for the reader to fully understand your commitment and solutions. Since step four is revision, go ahead and write down any potentially important background information that comes to mind.

There are reasons (e.g., legal, personal, political) why you may not want to reveal all of your identities and there are professionals who advise against it. If that is the case for you, skip over them.

2. Identify Your Diversity Conflict

Why are you committed to diversity? What realization or life experience(s) prompted your commitment? These are the questions that need to be answered during step two. I call this a “diversity conflict” because the answers to these questions are generally the situation(s) where an internal (or external) conflict arose. As an example, my own diversity conflict occurred when research on gender inequity in STEM shattered my long-held belief in meritocracy. Because I have a strong, motivating desire for everything to be fair, the resolution of that internal conflict was a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.

Like in step one, think back and list any personal experiences, or experiences that you witnessed, that prompted a similar internal conflict. Importantly, the conflict(s) need to resolve into your commitment to diversity. If that resolution hasn’t occurred yet (it hadn’t for me!), then I encourage you to use this exercise as a means to identify it for yourself.

3. Demonstrate Your Commitment

How do you demonstrate your commitment to diversity? Many (if not all) of the answers to this question are already at your fingertips, in your CV or resume! List every position you held or project that you worked on (yes, even your research!) that furthered equity and inclusion. Remember, the goal is to demonstrate commitment, so historical (even pre-diversity-conflict) examples are fair game — dig out your old CVs and resumes, too.

Next, think outside the nine to five. In many cases, your personal diversity conflict and resolution also led to changes in your everyday that also demonstrate commitment. For example, did you start a blog or YouTube channel to talk about your diversity conflict (e.g., the challenges of LGBTQA+ life in the rural U.S.)? That’s furthering diversity through outreach.

4. Revise and Refine Your Statement

Now it’s time for the hard part. You need to sort through everything you wrote in steps two and three to find a cohesive message for your diversity statement.

To know what needs to be kept or tossed, first brush up on diversity statement etiquette and revise accordingly. Next, chose your diversity conflict and flesh out the details: what happened, when, where, how did you react, what was your resolution, etc. (Remember, if appropriate, ask permission before sharing another’s experience!) After the conflict has been described in the appropriate detail, go back through the first section to set the appropriate context. Ensure that there is enough detail (but not too much) for your reader to understand the full impact of the conflict for you.

Ideally, the context and conflict will comprise the first half of your statement and the second half will focus on how you demonstrate your commitment to diversity. Be sure that you’ve crafted a logical flow that seamlessly transitions your reader from your background, through your diversity conflict, and the demonstration of your commitment to diversity.

Finally, get several colleagues (from diverse backgrounds) to give your diversity statement a read and incorporate their suggestions as appropriate. By the end, you should have a diversity statement that reflects both your values and your value.

More Diversity Statement Resources:

Vanderbilt Center for Teaching

The Professor Is In: Making Sense of the Diversity Statement

Check out more Top Articles on HERC Jobs.

About the Author:  Dr. Ada Hagan is a microbiologist with a passion for making science accessible. In 2019, Dr. Hagan founded Alliance SciComm & Consulting, LLC as a means to use her strong background in communications and higher education to help make scientific concepts more easily understood and make the academy more inclusive to future scientists from all backgrounds. Her writing and research have been featured by BBC Radio 4, Science Careers, The Scientist, Massive Science, and the American Society for Microbiology.

Defining and Finding Your Mentor(s)

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Mentorship is a multi-faceted relationship with many benefits for the mentee:

This combination of benefits means that mentoring relationships are particularly important for job transitions. While it’s true that advisors may also provide some of these functions, according to Dr. Beronda Montgomery, the key difference between an advisor and a mentor is the specificity of the advice for you. Montgomery is a plant biologist and mentorship expert at Michigan State University. She argues that a mentoring relationship is a bilateral flow of information between the mentor and mentee that allows the mentor to provide advice, sponsorship, and encouragement based on the unique qualifications, attributes, and experiences of their mentee. This is distinct from the role of an advisor, who provides general advice that might suit anybody.

The necessity of bidirectional communication (read: trust) in a mentoring relationship, however, can make these relationships difficult. Furthermore, each phase of an individual’s career is likely to require a different mentor, and “breaking up” with or “retiring” your mentor is tricky business. This is why Montgomery also argues that mentoring relationships should begin with clearly outlined goals and expectations; so that both parties can easily identify when it’s time to move on.

Finding Your Mentor(s)

The likelihood of finding a single mentor that can aid in all facets of your career is unlikely. That’s part of why Montgomery advocates for mentoring networks and the evidence suggests that mentoring networks are particularly important for women.

To identify the types of mentors that you need for your network, Montgomery suggests self-reflection to answer four questions for yourself.

  • What do I need?
  • When do I need it?
  • Where/in what area?
  • Where can I find it?

Once you identify the strategic areas where you need mentoring, it’s time to begin searching for individuals to fill those roles. On campus, look for institution-sponsored mentoring programs, affinity groups, and/or ask people in your existing network for suggestions. You might also consider contacting someone that you don’t already have a connection with to initiate a mentoring relationship. LinkedIn and other social networking sites are good places to look for mentors. Examine the list of people you follow and look for people with knowledge in your strategic area(s) and post things that resonate with you.

Whenever and wherever you find these potential mentors, consider establishing your goals and expectations before approaching them. Montgomery lists four key items to consider when establishing a mentorship.

  • The framework (i.e., the relationship purpose and type)
  • The frequency of interactions
  • Goals of meetings/interactions
  • Expectations

Finally, there are a few other things that you should keep in mind when you reach out to your potential mentor.

  • Be gracious (but you know that one already).
  • Lead with your framework, goals, and expectations; demonstrate the thoughtfulness of your contact.
  • Offer an out. Everyone is busy, so invite your potential mentor to suggest someone else who might better fit your needs and/or schedule.

To learn more about mentorship and how to maintain an established mentoring relationship, check out Montgomery’s “Mentoring Roadmap” and her other thoughts on mentorship.

Read more HERC articles on mentoring.

About the Author:  Dr. Ada Hagan is a microbiologist with a passion for making science accessible. In 2019, Dr. Hagan founded Alliance SciComm & Consulting, LLC as a means to use her strong background in communications and higher education to help make scientific concepts more easily understood and make the academy more inclusive to future scientists from all backgrounds. Her writing and research have been featured by BBC Radio 4, Science Careers, The Scientist, Massive Science, and the American Society for Microbiology.

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