The Essential College Professor

The Essential College Professor is about the "how" and "why" of being a faculty member today. Based on the author's series of highly successful faculty development workshops, each chapter deals concisely with the most important information college professors need at their fingertips when confronted by a particular challenge or faced with an exciting opportunity. Written both as a comprehensive guide to an academic career and as a ready reference to be consulted whenever needed, The Essential College Professor emphasizes proven solutions over untested theories and stresses what faculty members have to know now in order to be successful in their careers.

Each chapter is concluded by a short exercise that faculty members can perform to help them, for instance, completely revise a course by restructuring the syllabus and course materials, bring new life to a research project by reframing it as a book proposal or grant application, and so on.

The Author ix

Introduction xi

Part I: The College Professor’s Career

1. Applying for a Faculty Position 1

2. Interviewing for a Faculty Position 14

3. What Kind of Professor Are You? 28

4. Career Planning for College Professors 38

5. The Tenure and Promotion Process 47

6. Special Challenges for Junior Faculty 57

7. Special Challenges for Midcareer Faculty 67

8. Special Challenges for Senior Faculty 75

9. Taking the Next Step in Your Career 82

Part II: The College Professor as Teacher

10. Assessing Student Learning 87

11. Writing an Effective Course Syllabus 102

12. Developing Creative Course Materials 114

13. Teaching Small Classes 124

14. Teaching Large Classes 131

15. Teaching One-on-One 141

16. Teaching with Technology 148

17. Reducing Grade Anxiety 157

18. Promoting Student Engagement 166

19. Addressing Academic Misconduct 178

20. Maintaining Appropriate Faculty-Student Relations 186

21. Dealing with Student Problems and Problem Students 198

22. Taking the Next Step in Your Teaching 208

Part III: The College Professor as Scholar

23. Writing a Grant Proposal 220

24. Writing a Book Proposal 232

25. Overcoming Research Block 240

26. Balancing Scholarship with Other Duties 251

27. Seeking and Providing Peer Support for Scholarship 259

28. Alternative Forms of Scholarship 267

29. Taking the Next Step in Your Scholarship 278

Part IV: The College Professor as Citizen

30. Service Reconsidered 289

31. Creating an Effective Curriculum Vitae 299

32. Seeking Leadership Positions 314

33. Serving on Committees 324

34. Serving as an Academic Advisor 334

35. Serving as a Mentor 344

36. Handling Conflict with a Supervisor 355

37. Handling Conflict with Colleagues 365

38. The Faculty Member as Fundraiser 374

39. Exploring the Possibility of Administrative Work 382

40. Taking the Next Step in Your Service 397

Epilogue: A Checklist for the Essential College Professor 405

Jeffrey L. Buller is dean of the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College at Florida

Atlantic University and author of The Essential Department Chair and The Essential Academic Dean.

The Essential College Professor

College professors are expected to perform a large number of tasks for which they receive little or no training. For instance, where in graduate school do you learn how to teach most effectively in a large auditorium, and what do you do differently in those classes from when you are teaching in a more intimate setting, with a few upper-level students around a seminar table or in a tutorial? How do you secure a contract for a book that you would like to publish? How do you go about applying for external funding to support your research? How do you write a particularly effective syllabus or exam? How do you create the sort of curriculum vitae that is most likely to earn you tenure, promotion, another position, or an administrative appointment? How do you chair a committee? How do you deal with a student who is disrupting one of your classes? Why should you engage in fundraising, recruiting new students, or maintaining close ties with alumni? Why should you develop a "strategic plan" for your career, improving your teaching and enhancing your research? Why is service only a small part of genuine academic citizenship?

The Essential College Professor is about the "how" and "why" of being a faculty member in higher education today. Based on the author's series of highly successful faculty development workshops, each chapter deals concisely with the most important information college professors need at their fingertips when confronted by a particular challenge or faced with an exciting opportunity. Written both as a comprehensive guide to an academic career and as a ready reference to be consulted when needed, The Essential College Professor emphasizes proven solutions over untested theories and stresses what faculty members need to know now in order to be successful in their careers.