Soulful Strides to Promotion & Tenure (October 2024)
Pumpkin, Spice, and Everything Nice
It’s autumn — the season of pumpkin, orange, and allspice. People are lining up in the coffee shops for their favorite hot drink and the air is filled with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. September creeped in with a subtle grace, gradually transforming the sweltering mornings to crisp air and sweater weather, and now — just like that — we enter the fall season with the month of October.
As I have mentioned before, fall is my favorite season. I love the warm colors of the season, but I moreso enjoy the weather. Mornings have a light, crisp chill, the afternoons are warm, and the evenings return to coolness. The temperature changes throughout the day are palpable, but subtle.
Subtle changes are exactly what has happened in higher education over the last year or so. The gradual embedding of political viewpoints in college policies, presidential hirings and firings, and college admissions have had a barrage of impacts that have decreased student enrollment and eroded faculty tenure lines. Regardless of what side of the aisle you sit on, these changes affect how you carry out your job. So what does the subtlety of the autumn air have to do with the academic journey?
Well, the Britannica Dictionary defines subtle as “hard to notice or see : not obvious; clever and indirect : not showing your real purpose.” Now, the tenure and promotion process is pretty direct on the surface. It is a documented process and everyone knows the requirements per faculty handbook. The elusiveness of the process, however, is in how your work is evaluated (scrutiny and standards), the kind of mentorship and support you receive, and the overall academic culture of your department and institution. The need to be successful in the process can lead to a sacrifice of personal time and well-being, leading to long hours and a lack of work-life balance. These dynamics can erode your sense of community and collegiality and more importantly, impact your health. Oftentimes, it affects you in ways that go unnoticed until you have gained unwanted weight, suffered from sleep deprivation, and have turned into — let’s just say — a not-so-nice person. We become so ingrained in our work and the drive for tenure and promotion that we forget to laugh, find joy, or operate in grace for ourselves, let alone extend it to others.
So, how do you stay kind to yourself during the process? You do just that — focus on yourself, your mental health, your physical health, your soul health, and your community health. You take the necessary steps to remain true to what makes you happy in your work. You set boundaries and priortize yourself. Because what if you obtain tenure and promotion and become a bitter person? What good is that? This season, I challenge you to do a self-check and self-inventory. How have you changed? Reflecting on subtle changes during the tenure and promotion process (or your professional journey in general) can help you stay aware of shifts in your behavior, mindset, and well-being. Here are a few questions to get you started:
Am I finding time for activities and hobbies I enjoy? Or have they been pushed aside?
Do I still find joy and fulfillment in my work? Or has it become more of a source of pressure and stress?
Have I noticed changes in how I view my own capabilities and worth as an academic?
As you continue to savor the subtle shifts of autumn - the cooling air, the pumpkin spice, the changing leaves, and everything nice - it’s the perfect time to reflect on the changes within yourself. Remember, not all changes are bad or have negative results. What matters most is the ability to notice the changes and then decide how to respond to them. So, as the season transitions, take a moment to tune in to your own subtle shifts, and embrace the opportunity to fall into fall.
“It’s not the load that breaks you down; it’s the way you carry it.”