Initial Publication Date: January 5, 2011

Pursuing an Academic Career Virtual Event Series

Faculty Positions: exploring the range of possibilities

June 21, 2011

Geology Corner at Stanford University. Photo by Carol Ormand. Details

2 pm Eastern | 1 pm Central | 12 pm Mountain | 11 am Pacific (~1.5 hrs)

Leaders: Eight leaders from a variety of institutions

Registration deadline: June 16, 2011

This virtual event will include short presentations by faculty members at a range of institutions including two-year colleges, primarily undergraduate institutions (PUI), and universities with graduate programs. These faculty will each describe what they do, what they enjoy about their positions, and what challenges they have found. We hope you will join us!

Jump down to: References, resources, and the presentation from this virtual event.

The goal is for participants to:

Learn about the responsibilities, benefits, and challenges of being a faculty member at two-year colleges, at primarily undergraduate institutions, and in departments offering graduate degrees.

Time - 2 pm Eastern | 1 pm Central | 12 pm Mountain | 11 am Pacific
Duration - 1.5 hours
Format - Online web presentation via Elluminate web conference software with questions and discussion. Participants will receive an email with instructions detailing how to log into the event approximately one week prior to the event.
Registration - There is no registration fee, but registration is required to save a space. Space is limited to 80, so please be sure you can commit before registering. Registration closes when the spaces fill or June 10, 2011, whichever comes first. Please complete the registration form if you are interested and able to participate.
Preparation - To prepare for this virtual event, please look at five of the career profiles, available from the Career Prep career profiles search, Early Career career profiles search, or the Careers in Geoscience Education, Outreach, and Public Affairs website.

Please email Rachel Beane (rbeane AT bowdoin.edu) if you have any questions about this event or Monica Bruckner (mbruckne AT carleton.edu) if you have technical questions.

Presenters

Rachel Beane is an Associate Professor of Earth and Oceanographic Science at Bowdoin College where she has been on the faculty since 1998 and served as department chair. She has been a co-leader for On the Cutting Edge Early Career, Career Prep, and Pursuing an Academic Career workshops. Her introductory and upper-level undergraduate courses emphasize field- and instrument-based laboratories and writing, and incorporate interactive teaching activities and authentic research projects. Her research interests include convergent margin processes, ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism, and microstructural studies using electron backscatter diffraction.

Heather Macdonald is a Professor of Geology at the College of William and Mary where she has been on the faculty since 1983. She has served as department chair, as Dean of Undergraduate Studies, and as co-director of the undergraduate marine science minor. In addition to her undergraduate courses, she also teaches courses for graduate students on college teaching and college science teaching.

Jon Lewis, Associate Professor, Department of Geoscience, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Institution Type: Bachelor's degree, undergraduate department in university that offers some graduate programs
Research interests: Structural geology, tectonics, earthquake geology
Web pages: Faculty web page or Career profile.

Elizabeth Nagy-Shadman, Instructor, Division of Natural Sciences, Pasadena City College
Institution type: 2-year college
Research interest: Isotope geochemsitry
Web page: Career profile

Carol Pride, Associate Professor, Department of Marine Science, Savannah State University
Institution type: Master's degree in Marine Sciences
Research interests: Marine sedimentation and paleoceanography
Web page: Faculty web page

Rob Rhew, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, University of California, Berkeley
Institution type: PhD granting department
Research interest: Biogeochemistry
Web page: Faculty web page

Sergio Sarmiento, Professor of Geology, Lone Star College – CyFair,
Institution type: 2-year college, associate degrees
Research interest: Surface processes
Web page: Faculty web page

Joseph Zume, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Earth Science, Shippensburg University
Institution type: PUI in Geography and Earth Science, offer MS in Geoenvironmental Studies
Research interests: Geography, hydrology, application of geophysical techniques
Web page: Faculty web page

References and Resources

Faculty Positions presentation slides (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 5.8MB Jun21 11)
Watch the Screencast (MP4 Video 117.2MB Jun21 11)

Related Resources

A collection of frequently asked questions (and responses) from the Preparing for an Academic Career and Early Career workshop participants.
Preparing for an Academic Career module - contains a wealth of information regarding the job search processes, preparing to teach, moving your research forward, and much more! There is also an annual face-to-face Preparing for an Academic Career workshop.

Negotiating

Early Career module - contains a wealth of information for early career faculty, including time management, efficient/effective teaching, developing a research program, the tenure process, and much more! Like the Preparing for an Academic Career series, there is also an annual workshop series for Early Career faculty.

Developing a Research Program
Successful proposal examples
Time Management Tips - Some tips from other early career faculty re: time management.

Career Development module

The 2011 Career Development webinar series includes screencasts of each event as well as related resources for preparing for an academic career and early career faculty. This page links to each monthly topic/event.
Strategic Early Career Planning webinar - Strategies for preparing to apply to institutions.
Developing Yourself as a Teacher webinar - Info on how to develop yourself as a teacher, including moving beyond TA lab experience and developing teaching philosophy and course goals.