All Teaching and no Writing makes Jack a dull boy.

[Wahoo Redux]

Hi all,

I am a 5/5 FT NTT at a large commuter R2. 

Overall it's a nice enough place to work and I like my colleagues, more or less.  The students are generally polite and respectful if not terribly prepared or enthusiastic----most just want jobs; they tend to leave this sad dying town yet stay in the region.  There's virtually no ethos or excitement on campus.  Everything is lackluster and, with heavy teaching loads and minimal rewards for doing so, only a minority of the faculty even try to publish or make new discoveries. 

Publishing requirements for tenure are extremely light here, and even then some faculty don't make it----some unpublished are given a terminal year and some are granted tenure; no one, not even the faculty who vote, seem to agree on how this happens.  Once over the tenure hump, less than half the tenured faculty have made or will ever try to make full professor, despite the pay increase.  No one ever talks about writing projects or interesting things they are working on.   If anything, conversations tend to be drawn-out and rehashed complaints about the administration. 

The department is largely empty for most of the day, and it's not an exaggeration to say that I will go several months without seeing some of my colleagues, even at faculty meetings! 

Our small graduate program is extraordinarily mediocre and generally just produces fodder for the adjunct pool and the occasional high school teacher seeking minimum teaching credentials.  Some of the graduate students perform no higher than an undergraduate or even freshman level; how students are admitted to the program and who gets funding is also largely a mystery---no one seems to be particularly concerned.

Already this year morale has started to tank, in part because of hiring trends: several new FT NTT instructors have been hired who would not qualify to teach high school.  Why bother even getting a PhD or writing a book when you can land a much-coveted full-time job because one has "life skills" or some such dross?  Gag!  Makes me mad to just think about.

The single most successful aspect of my career has been publishing stuff.  I'm grateful to have a port in the storm, but I also feel the bottom-of-the-barrel blues coming on.  Our school has a lousy reputation, partly undeserved...partly deserved.

Those few of us who are enthusiastic about researching and writing tend to be withdrawn from the department.   One would think we'd come together and encourage each other, but we don't.

'Publishing your way out' was once a thing, and maybe I could do it with some more muscle, but I think those days are largely gone.  Complicating this aspect, I am a trailing spouse whose spouse has tenure here.

Part of my doldrums, I think, is that my grad training was at a non-elite R1 with a solid national reputation.  My vision of the professoriate evolved around academics who were heavy hitters and big producers.  I'm sure there was plenty of inter-office tensions that I was unaware of as a graduate student, yet the place was full of the sort of energy which is really lacking here.

I wish I could come up with a good question or prompt to this admittedly first-world dilemma.  Can't, however.  Just have to whine and hope for the best.

Thoughts?  Sympathies?  Castigation?  Criticisms? 

[polly_mer]

Is there anywhere close enough to visit semi-regularly where you could get some intellectual stimulation?

I have at various points been a frequent visitor to more research active places where I could visit for the weekly seminar on X and the related discussion or spend a week a quarter as a visitor to a specific research group to talk about the little bit of research I'd done and be a sounding board for people who needed a different view.  Even when I didn't have research of my own, I could get excited about bouncing around ideas related to someone else's research.

I'm not in a writing field, so I don't know what's required for that kind of stimulation.  I do know that I found intellectual colleagues excited about sharing research into teaching by joining regional sections of professional societies that had strong teaching aspects.  That was a good fit when I really couldn't do any research and still have a family life.  Having a couple sections that each had 1-3 meetings per year meant I got to see the same people and have ongoing discussion for which my institution would often pay because improving teaching was valued in a way that research alone was not.

I found some intellectual satisfaction by signing up for regional workshops related to learning new techniques in related fields or smaller conferences where discussion was more valued than a stream of presentations.  Again, I didn't do much if any research, but it was great to spend a few days with people who were excited about research and do some discussion about research for "someday".

[Bede the Vulnerable]

I feel your pain, Wahoo.  I spent more than fifteen years in a NTT position, 2-2-1 plus 45 hours/week in administration, in Rust Belt City.  Some of my colleagues were stimulating to be around.  But those folks usually got out.  Most were just serving time, and had few intellectual interests.  I won't go on about it, other than to say that I was very unhappy.

I spoke about this with a mentor at another institution.  He said that "publishing out" was the only way to go.  I don't know if this was actually true.  But I did it.  Now, I'm at Big City R1, and loving it.  So it can be done.  I read your post thoroughly, however, and I understand that you probably can't make a move unless the spouse can go as well.  (My wife was in an admin position that made it easy for her to find a good job at BCR1.  So I was very lucky in a lot of ways.)

I won't give job-seeking advice; I know that I got lucky.  But I'll say that I've been there, and that continuing to work on your research and publication agenda is worth it, even if it doesn't mean a move.  At least in my case, I felt more "intellectually alive" again.  Also, it is easier to make connections when you've got a project going.  And this is what made all the difference for me:  I'm not at all shy, and the interwebs makes it easy to contact other scholars with whom you'd like to discuss your work.  Having something to show them, in terms of a chapter draft, etc., helps with this.  And I've been pleasantly stunned at how just plain nice so many of our professional colleagues are when "cold-emailed" about their work.  And mine.  I developed what I called "email friends," including Prof. Big Name, who actually asked ME to look at an article before he submitted it to Basket Weaving Review.

Sorry for the long response.  It's just that I've been there, and I know what its like to try feel intellectually isolated and want to make changes.  Hang in there!--Bede

[Hibush]

Bede's story has some good nuggets that apply to many situations.

One that stands out is that you can be part of a national or regional intellectual community in your field. Publishing interesting work is the entry point. The goal is to develop relationships with the heavy hitters in your field. You are already acculturated to being in that group, so it should not be hard.

In many fields, the chances of being welcomed by some of the leaders is pretty good. People like discussing their work with colleagues who understand and appreciate the nitty gritty. People like having someone to share their enthusiasm. Those who do are a lot more stimulating to be around than those who are trying to claw their way to the top, or those who see scholarly research as a solitary exercise.

[backatit]

I'm at a similar school (although the faculty are much more involved) and conferences are my lifeline. I love getting to meet faculty in other areas, and who knows when that will come in handy? My uni is getting really bad about funding trips, so I've been going to smaller, workshop-type seminars that are closer, but I'm finding them quite fulfilling. I also like the idea of working WITH colleagues at these workshops, rather than giving a canned talk. I seek out conferences where we work on shared assignments, collaborate on projects, etc. so they're mostly for building a community outside my own institution.

[lightning]

Hi all,

I am a 5/5 FT NTT at a large commuter R2.

<SNIP>

'Publishing your way out' was once a thing, and maybe I could do it with some more muscle, but I think those days are largely gone.  Complicating this aspect, I am a trailing spouse whose spouse has tenure here.

<SNIP>

5/5 at an R2? WTF? 5/5 is a community college teaching load! That's messed up. Under those circumstances, you can't expect faculty to publish like a normal R2.

You and your spouse have solved the two-body problem. Congratulations. I envy you.

[Bede the Vulnerable]

What Hibush said--more succinctly than I did.  It's not very hard anymore to build a "virtual community" of scholars with whom to exchange ideas and work. 

Sending an email?  Free.  Escaping that feeling of intellectual isolation?  Priceless.

[Ruralguy]

I think the way I have "kept up" is by:

(a) sometimes switching sub-fields if I felt like that would get me into something more
easily (not that the writing or work was easy--just that collaborating with colleagues and general community might be).

(b) talking to people even if they *didn't publish* because some of them might be quite bright and quit useful (this has been more consistently a resource than I ever thought)

(c) always be writing something or another even if it seemed at the time to be speculative, backed up by calculations that I wasn't yet practiced in, etc. It means half your stuff might never get published, but if the other half does, then you've got something. Perhaps its inefficient, but I like it (and I've won research awards and such, so I'm not jut saying this as a total wash out).

(d) and then, as others have said, especially if you want to get out (I once did, no longer really do, but I do believe in keeping my options open in this day of many colleges closing or becoming quite weak), would be to connect with the outside community. This could be the University next door, the state wide conferences, the regional meeting, the phone call or email to a big wig (or little wig), presentation at the yearly HUGE conference...whatever.

(e) remember, its for your well being more than getting another job, because, frankly, you may never be able to get another one (or better one anyway) within academia.

(f) as others have said, maybe you can solve the 2 body problem, and maybe you can publish up and out, but both at same time for both of you? Yikes. Thats a lot of cake "having" and "eating."

[spork]

[. . .]

The single most successful aspect of my career has been publishing stuff.  I'm grateful to have a port in the storm, but I also feel the bottom-of-the-barrel blues coming on.  Our school has a lousy reputation, partly undeserved...partly deserved.

Those few of us who are enthusiastic about researching and writing tend to be withdrawn from the department.   One would think we'd come together and encourage each other, but we don't.

[. . . ]

What about co-authoring a publication with someone from another department? Or with people at other institutions?

While I recognize that you're bored with work, I hesitate to recommend doing anything work-related that is not going to help you get promoted to full professor. The extra money can fund the purchase of a high-performance car that you race at a track on weekends or vacations to exotic locales during winter breaks.

[Wahoo Redux]

5/5 at an R2? WTF? 5/5 is a community college teaching load! That's messed up. Under those circumstances, you can't expect faculty to publish like a normal R2.

You and your spouse have solved the two-body problem. Congratulations. I envy you.

Actually yeah, we are both pretty grateful (I just said this to a professor on the elevator yesterday) but it did take years commuting to PT teaching gigs around the area and a VAP (loooong commute), writing, conferencing, teaching and making myself as non-obtrusively visible as possible while waiting for a FT position to open up here or elsewhere nearby. 

When a full-time gig did open, however, I was really, really well qualified and I had friends who were rooting for me---so there's that.  The actual profs teach 4/4, and this place is essentially a community college with four year degrees and a couple of poorly performing sports teams, which is good and bad for different reasons.

I appreciate the comments all. We have a number of friends on the faculty who try to avoid work-talk when we go out (only one of whom publishes regularly).  I teach a variety of classes which generally keeps the classroom interesting.  I am actively working on stuff and conferencing and my diss-chair and I are friends and chat via email occasionally; my wife is working on a textbook and I get considerable satisfaction from my own work, so we are hardly in a dire situation here.

I suppose the blues have something to do with thinking that our careers have probably shuddered to a stop.  It's not certain, of course, but as Ruralguy said, that's a difficult cake to bake with two of us looking for real employment.  It used to be exciting to publish because each good line on the CV was one step closer to the door in our old Toxic U jobs.  And now we're here----better than Toxic U by numerous degrees and a comfy port while other good people flounder...but also depressing on a daily basis and frustrating. 

The adventure is over and we landed...here, after all that work, where no one really cares...

[mamselle]

Ouch!

But people probably do care, just not those in your immediate environment.

Wider boundaries (conferences, collegial projects, etc.) have already probably emerged in your work as you were "getting out."

They're your scholarly community.

Half of mine are in France, Belgium, the UK (if there's still a UK after October), etc.

It's a bit like being an independent scholar, it sounds like.

That's doable--and you still have the affiliation to boot.

Hope that's helpful.

M.

[euro_trash]

Clearly you need intellectual nourishment, though on a 5/5 load aren't you simply exhausted?

Join regional networks, go to a conference, heck, write a newspaper article. Write a grant, go meet a colleague in your field down the road for coffee, go hang out in a big library, email journals and request becoming a reviewer in your area, get involved in a scholarly organisation, join Listservs that matter, read new stuff, do undergraduate research if you can, write to big names in your field (really), and create a virtual community of scholars as ^ suggests. Or get involved in community outreach in your field. That can be very rewarding too

I understand working in isolation and I've found ways to stay engaged. You can too.

[Caracal]

Well, I'll echo others about 5/5 being a lot. I usually teach 4/4 and that's a lot, and I don't have any service or advising responsibilities. Wanting the balance between teaching and research is reasonable, but I'm not sure you're ever going to be particularly happy there if you continue to think of research as what you are best at. Even if you can make the most of time off and manage your time, most of what you're going to be doing is teaching. You probably need to find ways to enjoy that more, or figure out something else.

I teach at a regional R2 commuter school and while I do have plenty of unprepared and unenthusiastic students, I also have some very good ones. To be fair, I'm in a growing city and maybe an institution like that has a very different feel in an area where the economy is worse, but still there must be some good students? I'm sure new preps are tough with that kind of load, but would it help to bring out some new classes? What about trying to incorporate research into your teaching. That's easier in the sciences, but even in humanities classes, there are some possibilities.

[Wahoo Redux]

Sure 5/5 is a lot, but if one just sketches out 100 words a day, or even every other day, and then edits and revises on the weekend, and then researches in the odd moments when one is alone in the office, it adds up fairly quickly.  And if over the summer and Christmas and on the weekends when you've finished your grading you strong-arm yourself into pounding out a draft a bit at a time, the word count adds up. 

I am tired, but I also feel energized and worthwhile when I write, and while I understand that others here are on a 4/4 (+ committee work) and a couple like me are on a 5/5 and are likewise tired, I don't understand why they wouldn't want to hash out a few measly articles to put get their names and legacy on Google if nothing else.  It's great to find one's name on an Ebscohost or JStore search, and even better when some other scholar cites you!  And yeah, even those who are completely uninterested in publication are impressed with a plump CV----the reaction from the TT faculty was palpably different after my CV was emailed around the department for the job interview (after being a PT-er for a while).  Now I've been asked to serve on several committees (which is not supposed to be part of my job); they treat me like a real adult!  Makes me a little uncomfortable actually.

We have a tenure review coming up for a faculty everyone is very fond of----and even with our low research expectations, hu may not get tenure; everyone is stressed about this, particularly since the 3rd year review made the publishing issue clear.  WTF?  This is one aspect of my job I really value: I will not have to vote on anyone's tenure case.  We also have several PT-ers who have recently finished their PhDs at the regional, lower-tier university (which floods the market with barely employable academics) and several of these folks have stated openly that they don't want to publish, they "just want to teach" even though they appear to understand the nature of the current job market.  WTF?

[emprof]

Looots of sympathy and some thoughts. I joined a department like this that, happily, went through a generational turnover and got some new leadership that made a huge difference. Some of the critical changes were:

A faculty writing group, started out small and grew over the years. We meet regularly in the evenings at a group member's home to critique and discuss a piece of work one of us is preparing for presentation or publication. It's a great way to keep our intellectual engagement lively without depending on daily office interactions.

Are you or one of the other research-active colleagues willing/able to take on a leadership position? From there you can make important changes to RPT policies and to the grad program and hiring that will change the student and instructor cohort, for instance, and gradually build a more lively, active department.