CIRTL Offers Career Development Workshop for Chemistry Graduate Students
Katherine Friedrich

About 40 University of Wisconsin-Madison chemistry graduate students gathered on Aug. 14-16 to learn about the expectations for new faculty in their field. The presenters encouraged students to find jobs that suited their own talents and interests.

The workshop, “Location of Careers in Academia,” provided an introduction to the hiring process, an overview of requirements and opportunities for new faculty, and an interactive case study workshop demonstrating the need to teach inclusively.

The organizers – CIRTL Diversity Team member and chemistry professor Nilhan Gunasekera, CIRTL post-doc Andrea Lee, and chemistry graduate student Melissa Galloway – designed the event to provide professional development for doctoral students while promoting the CIRTL Diversity Resources.

Gunasekera drew on his experiences in the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Preparing Future Faculty program when developing the workshop. PFF introduces graduate students to institutions where they might not otherwise consider working. Since the majority of job openings in chemistry are currently not at major research institutions, students benefit from learning about opportunities at smaller colleges.

A guest speaker from the U of M Center for Teaching and Learning Services, Deb Wingert, led the first day of the event. Wingert’s commitment to graduate student success was clear throughout her presentation. She gave a swift but thorough introduction to applying for faculty positions, reminding students to be positive, responsible and professional throughout the hiring process.

The panel discussion on the second evening included four academically diverse faculty members: Bob Clark, from Valparaiso University; Scott Hartsel, from UW-Eau Claire; Kim Kostka, from UW-Rock County; and Bob Hamers, from UW-Madison. Each professor discussed expectations and opportunities for new faculty at his or her respective type of institution, and gave tips for graduate students on how to succeed.

“You need to look like a Swiss army knife” when you apply to a college like UW-Eau Claire, Hartsel said. Hiring committees are looking for new faculty who are versatile in their abilities and interests. Research is required at both private and public four-year colleges, in addition to teaching and service. Where graduate students and university staff are not available, faculty prepare their own lab equipment and course web sites, as well as teaching lab classes.    

Schools that emphasize teaching provide unique opportunities for faculty, Kostka said. “I get to know my students really well,” she explained. Kostka has also integrated her personal interests with professional outreach – which, the panel agreed, is a good way to augment one’s curriculum vitae.

The graduate students listened attentively and asked many questions during the panel discussion. After the discussion, they expressed their appreciation for the workshop. “Even being a graduate student five years, you don’t know what professors do with their day,” said Ph.D. student Kate Kornau. “No one ever teaches you to be a professor.” Galloway echoed her statement. “You don’t really hear about what you need to do until it’s too late.”

Although students responded positively to the third session’s case study workshop, Lee said that attendance would have been better if the third day’s event were marketed as a teaching tools workshop rather than a diversity workshop. “It’s really hard to get the idea of diversity in teaching out and get people interested in it,” Galloway said. “The word diversity scares people.”

Lee agreed. She said she believes that many diversity trainings are “simplistic” and make people feel unnecessarily guilty. This guilt, she said, discourages people from participating in future events. In contrast, Lee said, the diversity resources are practical, realistic, and action-oriented.

After the third day, Lee said, a graduate student told her that she now felt prepared to write her diversity statement for a job application. “There are a lot of people who have to write teaching philosophies,” Lee said. “The resources are really needed.”

August 30, 2007

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