This series of participatory workshops focuses on the academic job market and addresses topics such as writing teaching, research, and diversity statements; creating ePortfolios; managing your online presence; and preparing for interviews. The series will conclude with an application materials review where attendees can get feedback on materials drafted throughout the series.
All workshops are FREE to attend and are facilitated through Zoom (links shared through registration).
Materials from the series will be made available through the Preparing Faculty Job Applications Resources Shared Folder. Use your UArizona email and password to access the folder.
This series co-hosted by the Graduate Center, the Office of Instruction and Assessment, Postdoctoral Affairs, the Think Tank Writing Center, and the Graduate and Professional Student Council.
Schedule and Descriptions
All times are in Mountain Standard (Arizona Time)
All sessions are FREE to register for and attend. Registration is required for each individual session of the series.
Overview of Academic Career Pathways
September 13, 2022, 12:30 PM to 1:45 PM
Facilitator: Dr. Vignesh Subbian, Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Systems and Industrial Engineering
Navigating the job market can be a daunting task, especially for PhDs. This introductory workshop focuses on what career paths you can consider as someone with advanced doctoral or postdoctoral training. Attendees will gain insight into the career pathways within academia and higher education and how to begin navigating each path. The workshop is open to individuals in all disciplines. A separate workshop on pathways outside of academia and higher education will be offered at another time.
Developing your Teaching and Research Statements
September 20, 2022, 12:30 PM to 1:45 PM Arizona Time
Facilitator: Dr. Erin Galyen, Associate Professor of Practice, Office of Instruction and Assessment
Teaching and research statements represent core elements of the faculty job application, as they communicate not only what you can do, but also who you are. In this workshop, participants will engage in individual exercises and group discussions to begin to develop or refine their Teaching and Research Statements, including working with sample statements. Participants will also discuss what evidence is appropriate to include and ways to communicate or represent evidence in these statements, such as results from research, Teacher Course Evaluations, and other types of research and teaching data.
Writing Diversity Statements
September 27, 2022, 12:30 PM to 1:45 PM Arizona Time
Facilitator: Dr. Mascha Gemein, Assistant Professor of Practice, Office of Instruction and Assessment
With growing dedication to inclusivity and accessibility, educational institutions frequently ask for explicit statements about our diversity-responsive beliefs and practices. There is little research to date about how hiring committees are evaluating these statements but some common expectations are becoming clear. We’ll help you identify and articulate your investment in inclusive and diversity-responsive teaching, research, and service. We will alternate individual writing exercises and brief discussions to systematically work through conceptualizing and drafting (or revising) your diversity statement.
Creating ePortfolios and an Online Presence
October 4, 2022, 12:30 PM to 1:45 PM Arizona Time
Facilitator: Phyllis Brodsky, Assistant Professor of Practice, Office of Instruction and Assessment
Building and maintaining a professional online presence is becoming a necessity for an academic career. Part of an academic identity is a cohesive and comprehensive professional portfolio, which often includes a teaching philosophy statement, representative sample of instructional materials, research materials, and evidence of teaching effectiveness. In this workshop, we will discuss the purpose and characteristics of an effective professional portfolio, strategies for an engaging portfolio design, and share examples of online portfolios.
Preparing for the Academic Job Interview
October 11, 2022, 12:30 PM to 1:45 PM Arizona Time
Facilitators: Dr. Jenny Hoit, Professor, Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Director, Postdoctoral Affairs
For any college faculty position, job interviews not only involve fielding questions about teaching experience from various stakeholders, but also commonly include teaching demonstrations that range from a short audition to guest teaching in actual courses. For faculty positions that also involve research, questions about research and a research talk are expected. This workshop will cover the nature of the academic interview process and how to prepare for the interview. Participants will be given the opportunity to practice answering actual interview questions.
Application Materials Review
- Materials submission deadline: October 18
- Feedback Returned: October 25
Facilitators: PFJAS facilitators and campus colleagues
Getting feedback is important for any job application. Have your application materials, ePortfolio, and professional social media (LinkedIn, etc.) reviewed by the series’ workshop facilitators and campus colleagues. Open to attendees of the series.
Questions: Email us at nordell@arizona.edu
