Can be Strategic in the Long Run

Faculty fortunate enough to be in a full-time position quickly learn what does and does not count in the merit review system and on the long road to tenure. As I department head, one of my tasks each year during the merit review process was to create a spreadsheet and rank each faculty member in the department on 4 to 5 quantifiable indexes. When seeing one’s ranking, it doesn’t take long for even the novice to adjust his/her behavior in recognition of what does and does not count. 

Some examples of the types of activities that wanna-be faculty are often advised against are: devoting time to service, serving in a leadership role in professional organization, writing books, and reviewing manuscripts. This advice is a double-edged sword as each of these is a way that a faculty member gains visibility and recognition in the long run. 

We are advised as faculty members that it is strategic to say ‘no’ a lot to invitations to do the very activities listed above. Strategic for whom, I wonder? The institution is trying to shape your behavior in ways that benefit it. It is not in their algebra to recognize that there are huge long-term gains for getting involved in a professional organization or running a conference. Even a lowly assignment can lead to new professional contacts and opportunities. It is these that count in the long run in developing the international reputation so central to achieving tenure and, ultimately, becoming a full professor.