Beginning a Career in Academia

Dwayne A. Mack is Associate Professor of History and Carter G. Woodson Chair of African American History at Berea College.Elwood Watson is Professor of History, African American Studies and Gender Studies at East Tennessee State University.Michelle Madsen Camacho is Professor of Sociology and affiliated faculty with the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of San Diego.

"What graduate students of color need is a clear guidebook for their journey that contains both a map of the potential minefields and a set of tools to navigate the difficult terrain. Beginning a Career in Academia is that guidebook…. The gift of this book is that the authors simultaneously describe how power plays out in academic departments at critical stages of the academic journey and provide concrete strategies to successfully navigate the space. The fact that they do so with warmth, optimism, and generosity enable a difficult conversation to take place in a pragmatic, open, and honest way."--From the Foreword by Kerry Ann Rockquemore, President and CEO, National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity"Nothing speaks more loudly and clearly than a voice that speaks from the lens of perception and experience...The narratives, experiences, and recommendations in this book will offer much fodder for analysis, synthesis, and discussion so that colleges and universities deliver on their promise to be a place that serves the needs of an increasingly diverse and global society and world."--Christine A. Stanley, Vice President and Associate Provost for Diversity and Professor of Higher Education, Texas A&M University"In this book, more than a dozen professors share priceless, eyes-wide-open insights, disclosures, and warnings about how to apply and secure a faculty post and then adjust and thrive as an early-stage faculty member of color. Highly recommended for graduate students and junior faculty."--JoAnn Moody, Faculty Diversity Consultant and Author

• Foreword by Kerry Ann Rockquemore1) IntroductionMichelle Madsen Camacho, Elwood Watson, and Dwayne A. MackPart I: Practical Advice for Finding Success in the Academic Job Market 2) The Pitfalls and Pleasures of the Academic Job Market Michelle Madsen Camacho 3) Navigating Professional Conferences: Essential and Effective Job Seeking Strategies Nadine Finigan-Carr and Natasha A. Brown 4) On the Phone, On Campus, On the Market: Demystifying the Academic Interview ProcessGreg Prieto5) When your Race and Ethnicity Shows Up in the Interview: Identifying Search Committee Expectations of Token Hires During the Interview ProcessFawn-Amber Montoya & Jared Montoya6) Negotiating a Job Offer in Academia: ‘Lean In’ or Lay Low?Rebecca Martinez7) Transitioning Strategies from Graduate School to Early Career FacultyTom OtienoPart II: Identity, Fit, Collegiality, and Secrets for Thriving in the Ivory Tower 8) Future Academics of Color in Dialogue: A Candid Q&A on Adjusting to the Cultural, Social and Professional Rigor of AcademiaMiroslava Chávez-García, Mayra Avitia & Jorge N. Leal9) Mentoring Junior Faculty of Color: Succeeding at Historically White Colleges and UniversitiesTorin Dru Alexander10) 15 Missteps that Can Derail Faculty Early in a Career: What Graduate Students Need to Know About the Push and Pull of AcademiaElwood Watson11) Staying Awake and Walking all Night: First Generation, Working Class, and Multiracial Latina/o Immigrants Building a Compass to Navigate AcademiaNayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas and Hector Y. Adames Part III: Work-Life Balance: Strategies for Transitioning from Graduate School to the Classroom12) LGBTQ Faculty of Color in and Out of the Classroom: Unhinging the Closet DoorEnrique Morales-Diaz13) Transitions to Academic Life for Women of Color: Still Waiting to ExhaleLinda Alexander 14) Developing Your Teaching Craft: Observations from the ClassroomDerrick R. Brooms15) Practical Strategies for Achieving a Work-Life Balance: Fired Up? Ready to Go!Dwayne A. Mack16) If at First You Don’t Succeed: Motivation for Finding the Best Institutional FitSandra E. Weissinger