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Finding a tenure-track position in the humanies is very difficult.
(Copyright: Jorge Salcedo/Shutterstock)
Rebecca Schuman, education columnist for Slate and Market Crash Course columnist at The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Vitae hub,
discusses grade inflation, issues between professors and students,
tenure, the rise in adjunct professors, the perils of getting a PhD in
the humanities, and other issues in higher education. After spending
four years looking for a tenure track position after finishing her PhD
in German, she wrote a guest column for Slate—“Thesis Hatement: Getting a literature PhD will turn you into an emotional trainwreck, not a professor”—and began her career as a higher-education columnist.
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Comments [22]
I have been an adjunct at a
community college for 5 years. My experince has always been that the
adjunct professors work hatder, are more ddicated to their students and
complain less about their situation than tenured professors. I serve on
the First Year Experince committee and was askd rcently to co-chair the
most important and time consuming activity of the semester. I wanted
to, but just couldn't because I kept thinking how low my pay was
already. I declined saying that although I was honored to be asked, the
whole situation would be different if I wasnt an adjunct. The
committee head, a tenued full-time professor, looked at me with all
sincerity and said, "You are an adjunct? I thought you were full time."
Adjuncts work hard.
Aug. 04 2014 08:00 PM
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Ph.D. programs are eupphemisms for ponzi schemes.
Cheers !
Cheers !
Aug. 04 2014 02:43 PM
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Listening to the program and
hearing - If you want to quit your job, get a doctorate and then go
back to the job you were doing before you had your doctorate (if
available), and think that it's "worth it" go ahead. (not a direct
quote but that was the gist of it) - I finally felt, 'OK, I'm not the
only one.'
I loved my doctoral program in Cultural Studies in Education with a major in the Psychology of Human Performance but positions as a professor were very few and then the APA decided to get in the middle of it and I was still not considered "qualified" in their judgment.
Prior to my PhD, I worked in finance in government but I loved fitness and the mind body connection and decided to switch fields. I did get a job with a college but finding that they wanted me to teach PE rather than be a "real" professor - I got out of there. I couldn't find a job, and as Dr. Shuman stated - what was out there wouldn't allow me to feed myself and pay my student loans. Yes, I got back into my prior field.
I do have to say that my doctorate helped. Performance Measurement and Management in government was the new hot field and my doctorate is essentially that but I took it from "performance excellence" in sports or fitness to operational improvement. Also, I am very good at research and any topic someone doesn't know anything about (but needs to), I am the "go to" person because I can research it and present it so others can understand it. The doctorate also has helped my salary level.
But, it feels disappointing and for a long time, I felt embarrassed. I wondered what the point of it was. Yes, the PhD helped negotiate better salary, but I also was completely out of debt before I started my studies. On the other hand, people would ask about my doctorate and then ask, "so what do you do?" and be understandable confused that there seemed to be little connection between the two.
So, somewhat comforting that I'm not the only one, but it is a shame that so many of us experience this when we went full steam ahead, trying to pursue the dream only to end up right back where we started.
I loved my doctoral program in Cultural Studies in Education with a major in the Psychology of Human Performance but positions as a professor were very few and then the APA decided to get in the middle of it and I was still not considered "qualified" in their judgment.
Prior to my PhD, I worked in finance in government but I loved fitness and the mind body connection and decided to switch fields. I did get a job with a college but finding that they wanted me to teach PE rather than be a "real" professor - I got out of there. I couldn't find a job, and as Dr. Shuman stated - what was out there wouldn't allow me to feed myself and pay my student loans. Yes, I got back into my prior field.
I do have to say that my doctorate helped. Performance Measurement and Management in government was the new hot field and my doctorate is essentially that but I took it from "performance excellence" in sports or fitness to operational improvement. Also, I am very good at research and any topic someone doesn't know anything about (but needs to), I am the "go to" person because I can research it and present it so others can understand it. The doctorate also has helped my salary level.
But, it feels disappointing and for a long time, I felt embarrassed. I wondered what the point of it was. Yes, the PhD helped negotiate better salary, but I also was completely out of debt before I started my studies. On the other hand, people would ask about my doctorate and then ask, "so what do you do?" and be understandable confused that there seemed to be little connection between the two.
So, somewhat comforting that I'm not the only one, but it is a shame that so many of us experience this when we went full steam ahead, trying to pursue the dream only to end up right back where we started.
Aug. 04 2014 01:44 PM
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I am a tenured full professor and
I teach the same teaching load as the untenured full time faculty... I
think it is only at elite research places that tenured people teach
less.
Aug. 04 2014 01:21 PM
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Remember this article about a homeless adjunct professor in the NYT? WITHOUT TENURE OR A HOME
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/30/nyregion/without-tenure-or-a-home.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A14%22%7D
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/30/nyregion/without-tenure-or-a-home.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A14%22%7D
Aug. 04 2014 12:46 PM
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My husband is an adjunct at a
state university and at a private Catholic college. Because adjunct
faculty at the state university are unionized, he makes 1100 more. Also
want to confirm what a previous caller said about students losing out
because adjunct faculty do not have office space or time to meet with
students because they have to shuttle to teach at different schools due
to being limited to teach only 2 courses.
Aug. 04 2014 12:36 PM
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This is my profession so this issue is dear to my heart. Please sign the petition for better wages for adjuncts.
http://www.change.org/petitions/david-weil-dir-wage-and-hour-div-u-s-dept-of-labor-open-an-investigation-into-the-labor-practices-of-our-colleges-and-universities-in-the-employment-of-contingent-faculty?
http://www.change.org/petitions/david-weil-dir-wage-and-hour-div-u-s-dept-of-labor-open-an-investigation-into-the-labor-practices-of-our-colleges-and-universities-in-the-employment-of-contingent-faculty?
Aug. 04 2014 12:36 PM
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I often find myself wondering why
students and professors don't figure out how to cut out the middleman.
Is it naive to think that maybe groups of awesome professors could team
up and become an accredited "universities" and just work with students
directly? Personally I'd rather not pay for a school president and a
massive campus, etc, etc... particularly when it comes to grad school. I
just want to go to class and study and learn in as cost effective a way
as possible. I'm happy to give my money straight to the professors. I
spend less, they make more. It's a win-win!
Aug. 04 2014 12:32 PM
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ON GRADE INFLATION: Sadly many
young professors are simply terrified by the prospect of getting bad
teaching reviews on RATEMYPROFESSOR.com. Experiments have proven and
experience tells us all that the more generously you grade your
undergraduate students, the more they affirm your "good teaching,"
especially at lower tier colleges where students are struggling to pass.
Grade these students according to real standards, and many students
will rip you as a dud-professor. And young academics fear (with good
reason, sadly) that their job prospects and promotions in part depend on
RATEMYPROFESSOR.com reviews. College administrators and even some
faculty search committees actually look at these kinds of websites
(where you can also be rated for your "hotness") when judging
candidates. Adjuncts are the most vulnerable as they have no protection
and and many are perpetually looking for a full-time job. Just another
example of how academia has been corrupted and corporatized over the
years. Overpaid administrators selling dumbed down education to
"consumers" while the majority of teaching is done by shamefully low
paid adjuncts. The entire system is broken every and any way you look at
it.
Aug. 04 2014 12:31 PM
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I absolutely love what I study as
a Ph.D. student and have funding, but I do not want to try to stay in
academia past the Ph.D. for the reasons the guest is explaining. One
issue she may not have raised is that many students today are not
prepared to critically read and write essays by the time they reach
college. I find I have to spend a tremendous amount of time going over
information they should have learned in high school, which not only
increases my workload as a TA but also gives me a sense of the crisis at
all levels of education in this country.
Aug. 04 2014 12:30 PM
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Academia is oversized. The
academic bubble is bursting. Good riddance. What we need are high
schools that produce workers, not colleges that produce malcontents.
Aug. 04 2014 12:28 PM
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I received a history PhD this
past spring and will begin a job outside of academia this fall. The
suggestion that the answer to this crisis is to limit the number of
graduate students concerns me. I spent two years on the academic job
market without any success, and yes - it was demoralizing. That said, no
part of me regrets my time in graduate school. If we want to continue
to argue for the relevance of the humanities or a liberal education,
shouldn't we also be encouraging graduate students to share their
knowledge and skills outside of academia in policy, government, or
education? Perhaps the issues is that graduate schools cultivate the
idea that academia is the only valid, legitimate, and worthwhile option -
a perception that discussions about curtailing graduate numbers to fit
with job prospects simply perpetuates. I am a better citizen, thinker,
teacher, and human being with the perspective I gained during my
graduate education.
Aug. 04 2014 12:28 PM
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At The New School the adjunct faculty are organized and have a union. http://actuaw.org/index.html
Aug. 04 2014 12:26 PM
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Spoiler alert - it's lavender.
Aug. 04 2014 12:22 PM
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True facts :
A 1950 Rutgers student (on the GI Bill) paid $1250 tuition for FOUR YEARS here in New Brunswick.
A 1981 Rutgers student paid $1,170 PER YEAR for tuition.
A 2014 Rutgers undergrad (in state) will pay $10.954 + $2,679 in fees.
Tuitions are tracking GDP growth, where incomes are not. This mistake is going to cost us.
A 1950 Rutgers student (on the GI Bill) paid $1250 tuition for FOUR YEARS here in New Brunswick.
A 1981 Rutgers student paid $1,170 PER YEAR for tuition.
A 2014 Rutgers undergrad (in state) will pay $10.954 + $2,679 in fees.
Tuitions are tracking GDP growth, where incomes are not. This mistake is going to cost us.
Aug. 04 2014 12:20 PM
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I think this woman has the right idea and should be listened to. Publish and perish is exactly what is going on.
She parried Lenny's "tenure" question well and has put important focus on where the money is going.
Rather than try out the "education reform" that is failing disastrously at the lower levels, the public should call upon universities to account for their clear decision to eliminate tenure lines in favor of bloating bureaucracies, luxurious dorm rooms and whatever the hell else they are doing with it. There are future consequences to think about.
Excellent segment so far.
She parried Lenny's "tenure" question well and has put important focus on where the money is going.
Rather than try out the "education reform" that is failing disastrously at the lower levels, the public should call upon universities to account for their clear decision to eliminate tenure lines in favor of bloating bureaucracies, luxurious dorm rooms and whatever the hell else they are doing with it. There are future consequences to think about.
Excellent segment so far.
Aug. 04 2014 12:19 PM
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I teach at two colleges in NYC,
and estimate non-tenured professor's salaries and benefits are around 5%
of total tuition. One might argue endlessly about cost of real-estate
and other expenses are high in the city, but the course content is
arguably more important than the building.. The fact is there is an
oversupply of teachers, so the market works its magic.
Aug. 04 2014 12:17 PM
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I work in a department at a public university and only one of all the tenured professors wants to teach.
Aug. 04 2014 12:14 PM
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I'm a recent Ph.D. without a
tenure-track job. There's a lot of talk now about finding/making
alternate careers outside the academy. How did Schuman find her way into
working as a higher education columnist? Does she have any advice about
how to shift into other kinds of work after pursuing a doctorate?
Aug. 04 2014 12:12 PM
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Fewer full time faculty but
tuition goes up. Why? More administration (many of whom have doctorates
in higher education admin and do who knows what). Students get fewer
contact hours with part time faculty because those faculty often must
teach at more than one institution with no benefits whatsoever. The
current value placed on STEM (I am in a STEM field myself) has pushed
the humanities out.
Students and their parents are more interested in training, not learning. The pressure is on to get education for free with less effort. I do not think the future of higher education is bright. I feel I am a member of that last generation with a traditional position.
Students and their parents are more interested in training, not learning. The pressure is on to get education for free with less effort. I do not think the future of higher education is bright. I feel I am a member of that last generation with a traditional position.
Aug. 04 2014 12:12 PM
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The current situation is
comparable to eating your seed corn. What happens when the current
supply of professors has retired and not enough grad degrees have been
awarded to sustain all the programs nationwide?
Will universities resort to Max Headroom for seminars? Can't see them being able to charge full price for distance learning classes.
Will universities resort to Max Headroom for seminars? Can't see them being able to charge full price for distance learning classes.
Aug. 04 2014 12:09 PM
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Elusive seems more appropriate than illusive, they do exist
Aug. 01 2014 08:36 PM
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