Moving into a Faculty Role from Student Affairs Administration

Abstract

This chapter explores the issues of transition from an administrator to faculty. This exploration includes considerations of various types of faculty positions available in higher education, institutional culture, and tenure and promotion expectations.

How Dark Is It? From Administration to Faculty

“…The silence of the office hallways, limited interaction with colleagues, and the independent nature of faculty work can initially offer a calming pause from what was described by some participants as all-consuming, toxic, and stressful administrative environments. Consistent with Foster (2006) and Kniess (2019), our findings highlight that how each position organizes their time differs significantly, with administrators running from meeting to meeting, having to consult extensively before making decisions, and having regular interaction with colleagues, compared to faculty, who are largely left on their own to manage their own time and, other than being in a classroom on campus for in-person teaching, no one really pays attention. That same autonomy can be a source of difficulty for some administrators who are not accustomed to self-directed work, and who may struggle with feeling out of the loop with respect to the institution's decisions and operations.…”

Embodying Black feminist epistemology to make green grass grow: The transition from administrator to academic for a Black woman in student affairs.

“…Due to the applied nature of student affairs work and given the preference of student affairs graduate preparation programs to hire faculty with substantive professional experience (Kniess, 2019; Martinez et al, 2020), it is not uncommon for student affairs faculty to come from among the administrative ranks. What is less common are studies that document the transition experiences of student affairs faculty members.…”

“…Martinez et al (2020) also noted how the mentoring and professional socialization participants received during their doctoral programs impacted their decision to pursue faculty positions, which was not their initial intent. Student affairs scholars have identified the need to use a critical lens to explore the impact of cultural group membership on the administrator-to-faculty transition experiences of Professionals of Color (Kniess, 2019;Martinez et al, 2020). Perry et al (2019) answered this call by employing an auto-ethnographic study grounded in Transformative Learning Theory and Critical Race Theory to explore the impact of their multiple, intersecting identities on their transitions from student affairs to tenure-track faculty positions.…”

“…It should also be noted that junior faculty in tenure-track positions are often employed in a consecutive series of 9-month academic year terms and may earn significantly lower annual salaries than their administrative counterparts who are employed in 12-month academic year positions (Kniess, 2019; McCluskey-Titus & Cawthon, 2004). Despite these issues and given the tendency of student affairs programs to hire individuals with significant previous administrative experience (Kniess, 2019; Martinez et al, 2020), Black women student affairs administrators may wish to consider transitioning to tenure- and/or promotion-earning faculty positions to secure less tenuous employment and clearer opportunities for advancement. In addition, as some scholars have noted, student affairs professionals often bring a “wealth of experience” to faculty roles that may help them excel as academics (Martinez et al, 2020).…”

“…A primary criticism of the promotion and tenure (P&T) system is the disproportionate number of Black women who are not granted this distinction due to the extreme variability in P&T criteria across institutions and academic disciplines and the inherent subjectivity involved in evaluating candidates’ contributions (Croom & Patton, 2011/2012; Esnard & Cobb-Roberts, 2018). It should also be noted that junior faculty in tenure-track positions are often employed in a consecutive series of 9-month academic year terms and may earn significantly lower annual salaries than their administrative counterparts who are employed in 12-month academic year positions (Kniess, 2019; McCluskey-Titus & Cawthon, 2004). Despite these issues and given the tendency of student affairs programs to hire individuals with significant previous administrative experience (Kniess, 2019; Martinez et al, 2020), Black women student affairs administrators may wish to consider transitioning to tenure- and/or promotion-earning faculty positions to secure less tenuous employment and clearer opportunities for advancement.…”