5: An Exploration of the Spiritual Roots of the Midcareer Faculty Experience

Abstract

In this time of intense pressure on institutions of higher education, the realities and needs of faculty working in them are often not very high on the list of concerns. This chapter examines the current malaise of the academy through an exploration of midcareer faculty. After summarizing selected studies on midcareer faculty, we draw on alternative literature and developmental frameworks to shed light on the spiritual dimension of the midcareer faculty experience. We offer recommendations on appropriate interventions in light of the alternative analysis and discuss their wider implications for a postindustrial paradigm of academic renewal.

Teaching Renewal for Midcareer Faculty: Attending to the Whole Person

“…Rendón () concludes that these agreements in higher education must be replaced by a new agreement: “the agreement to embrace connectedness, collaboration, and transdisciplinarity” (p. 36). Lee, Bach, and Muthiah () came to a similar conclusion in their study of spiritual development of midcareer faculty:

In place of the current industrial paradigm, they [these practices] introduce a metric of sustainability, and “enough” and an underlying ethical foundation that “better” is the result of being healthier, happier, and more connected with one's self and the rest of the world. A renewal paradigm, we believe, will enable midcareer faculty to live a holistic life calling, leading to revitalization of their work and increased benefit to their institutions and the greater good of society.

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“…It is named for the location of the retreat, the Graylyn Inn and Conference Center in Winston‐Salem, North Carolina. The retreat took shape in response to the desire to more intentionally engage midcareer faculty at our respective institutions, and its development was guided by the emerging research on the career needs of faculty at this stage in their professional lives (Baldwin & Blackburn, ; Baldwin, DeZhure, Shaw, & Moretto, ; Lee et al, ; Levinson, ). The focus on mid and later career faculty is not accidental.…”

“…In Lee et al (), “midcareer” faculty are defined as those who are beyond the tenure milestone, but not yet making concrete retirement plans. Hall () provides a more formal, career‐focused definition of midcareer as “ …the period during one's work in an occupational career role after one feels established and has achieved mastery, and prior to the commencement of the disengagement process” (p. 127).…”

“…Older faculty often report feeling devalued in systems that are highly competitive; they struggle to stay motivated and engaged, and they may neglect other important areas of well‐being such as rest, family time, and physical activity due to taking on more administrative roles and duties (Lee et al, , p. 70). Many faculty report that the path to full professor status is unclear, and their own goals and priorities are shifting from individual concerns around getting tenure to departmental and institutional concerns, but often this shift is without clear expectations for performance and success (Baldwin et al, , p. 52).…”