Plagued with growing service expectations, misalignment between workload and reward systems, vague and unclear criteria for advancement to full professorship, increased responsibilities, and varying expectations and demands on their time, many associate professors feel “stuck in the middle” rather than experiencing success or elation from earning tenure (Rockquemore, 2012). This phenomenon is especially poignant for women and other underrepresented faculty members. Although we acknowledge that the criticisms facing the mid-career stage are numerous, we strive to address these challenges by providing a workshop with two goals: 1) offer a counter-narrative of the mid-career stage by looking at the ways in which faculty members, mid-career leaders, and/or institutions can assert themselves to find opportunities to more intentionally and strategically invest in mid-career within challenging contexts, and 2) provide the needed scaffolding and supports to help mid-career faculty members assume personal agency over this ill-defined stage of the faculty career.

The current political and social climate, while alarming, creates opportunities for higher education, particularly the faculty, staff, and administrators who work there to inform effective, sustainable change. We believe mid-career faculty are particularly poised to assume leadership roles and responsibilities, and to be focal (and vocal) leaders on their respective campuses with the appropriate development and resources.  The mid-career stage highlights priority mentoring opportunities, and the need for new and innovative faculty development supports that contribute to outcomes at the institutional, departmental, and individual levels.

This workshop brings together leading scholars and practitioners engaged in research and practice on professional development programming for mid-career faculty members.

Who should attend:
This workshop is intended for mid-career faculty including associate professors and those faculty members who are full professors, but with 15 years plus remaining prior to retirement. The goal is to provide workshop attendees with tools and resources to navigate the mid-career stage including advancement to full and/or administrative pursuits.