Carrying Bricks: Guiding Pre-Tenure Program Coordinators from Survival to Superstars

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to discuss a) the dual role of the assistant professor/ program coordinator, b) specific strategies for developing pre-tenure survival skills and c) leveraging the pseudo administrative duties of a program coordinator to forge a unique and diversified professional portfolio for leadership opportunities post-tenure. The tenure and promotion process at many higher education institutions requires faculty members to publish research and present at regional, national, and international conferences, but new tenure-track faculty in the program coordinator role must also balance and manage other job responsibilities. An apt analogy for this process is a bricklayer who is expected to lay a perfectly straight, clean wall while fatigued from carrying bricks all morning from worksite to worksite. The new assistant professor/program coordinator who chooses to carry the appropriate quantity of bricks while still maintaining quality, can successfully pave the way to long-term success in academia.

Keywords

• assistant professor
• tenure
• program coordinator
• academic administration
• promotion and tenure strategies