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Acculturating to the Role of Tenure-Track Assistant Professor: A Family Systems Approach to Joining the Academy

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Abstract

The trajectory toward tenure is complex and arduous, and it requires one to balance attention among diverse and competing demands. It is not surprising that many newly appointed assistant professors report struggling with this process. Borrowing from family and ecological systems theories, we proffer a framework that may help junior faculty members—defined in this article as tenure-earning assistant professors—learn about the tenure-earning process as they navigate through the university system and beyond. We also describe and clarify the many parts of the tenure-earning process, including the roles, responsibilities, and multiple contexts that must be considered concurrently by junior faculty members as they progress through the stages of their tenure-earning appointment in the academy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology, and Counseling, University of Alabama, 315-B Graves Hall, Box 870231, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA

    Lisa M. Hooper & Joy J. Burnham

  2. Department of Instructional Technology, University of Alabama, Box 870232, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA

    Vivian H. Wright

Authors
  1. Lisa M. Hooper
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  2. Vivian H. Wright
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  3. Joy J. Burnham
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Correspondence to Lisa M. Hooper.

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Hooper, L.M., Wright, V.H. & Burnham, J.J. Acculturating to the Role of Tenure-Track Assistant Professor: A Family Systems Approach to Joining the Academy. Contemp Fam Ther 34, 29–43 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-011-9171-5

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