I am very excited to announce that I got the news I will be promoted to full professor on July 1st at the University of Louisville!
What does it mean to be a full professor?
I’ve gotten this question a lot from those who are not in academia. There are three levels for tenure track positions. Assistant professor is the first level, and usually you are in this role for six years and you get to go up for tenure (which offers a bit more job security and you are evaluated based on the work you have done and contribution to the field).
Once you get tenure, you are promoted to Associate Professor, which is the next rank. You are there for a few years – but it is not as structured as far as how long you are in this position since it depends on what you do. Some people are here for the same amount of time (6 years) but others are at this rank for a bit longer (20+ years). The last rank is Full professor – which means you have been able to achieve the rank based on the impact and contribution to the field.
I got tenure back in 2017, and since then, it’s been a whirlwind of work, dedication, and persistence to see if I could make the jump to full professor. I had a goal to do this before I turned 40 (which will be the end of next year) – so this was very ambitious. When I talked about going up early – I got a lot of different reactions from “this would be REALLY early” to “are you sure you have done enough to make the jump to full professor?”
What was my answer? YEP! I am confident I have done the work and have the ability to go up early for promotion. This was a big task to do not only in regular times, but add the fact I was applying during a global pandemic. But, I did it!
Here are some lessons I’ve learned through the process of going up early for full professor:
Impact comes in many forms to the field. In academia, we sometimes only focus on the impact that is deemed “valuable” in our field. Going to academic conferences, serving on national committees, and publishing in academic journals. What I have learned from this experience is that these are NOT the only ways to make an impact.
In my letters from external reviewers – these were mentioned, but also the work I have done with my books, community building in #SMprofs, teaching, and the industry. This was noted by everyone – internal and external – to UofL.
Navigating the gatekeepers. When your goal is to make an impact on the field, there will be those out there who will be supporting you in this effort to change the field.
On the other hand – like life, there will always be gatekeepers trying to manage and keep the status quo in line for the field. I have had my own experience with gatekeepers in my career – and I know how to navigate them and there’s always other paths to go to. Just remember there are always know there are other doors and options to explore. I knew – just from my own experience and seeing trends in the field – there were some things I’d never be able to participate in, get invited to, or have my work published in because I was not in certain circles and groups. This was perfectly fine with me because I knew – there were other circles, publications, and groups that were more valuable, relevant, and supportive I could be a part of. Gatekeepers can try to control so much, but you are in charge of your own journey.
Industry partnerships ARE valued. This was a big thing for me – I was able to really hone in on the industry partnerships for my classes and work during this time after tenure. A lot of times, academia may not always value industry experience or partnerships as a way to be evaluated for promotion.
I can tell you – this was a HUGE factor for me in my case! I was able to tie this to 1) contributing to my teaching and work as an educator, 2) building my reputation and brand in the community at a global scale, 3) bringing these partnerships to campus for my students and colleagues (ex. UofL became an Adobe Creative Campus during this time), and more.
Make your own wave. I feel this is the time where we are able to make our own waves in the field. Doing what has always been done will not help evolve and advance the field, and having the ability to do this is crucial. When I went up for tenure in 2017, there were a lot of things that were in the works that I knew would be coming out after I went up for tenure. Publications, books, national leadership positions and more – all were in the works and would not count towards my tenure, but they did for my promotion.
By building up the momentum with numerous activities and projects, this grew over time where it created a tidal wave for publications, opportunities and awards that came out shortly after. Which effectively helped my case for promotion. So, my words of wisdom for those of you who are applying for tenure or just got tenure – don’t stop. Build the momentum early so you can reap the benefits quickly and grow your presence even more as you work on your promotion.
Do the service that matters. Giving back to the profession is key, and one of the things we are evaluated on is what types of committees and work we have done to give back to our community, university, and profession. There are some expectations we have to do leadership roles at the national level to get to the position of applying for full professor. I did that for NCA and got that check mark! However, I wanted to continue helping our profession, so this is why I have spent so much time working with Cannes Lions for the Educators Summit and doing other activities with SMprofs and more. So, service is not limited to just academic opportunities.
Don’t rely on “time” as a factor on when you go up. The biggest thing that is at focus for the promotion to full professor is what impact and reputation have you created for yourself in your field, not how long you have been in the role. I was told that I had to do the same amount of work to go up early to full professor as I did for my tenure. I actually have done more. In fact, when I submitted my promotion package, I was able to say I wrote five books, published 17 articles, numerous book chapters and conference papers, and won several awards. The fact I did this in four years instead of 20 should not be held against me or anyone who has plenty of coffee at hand to do the work.
Trust your gut. You are your best judge on what is right for you. You got this! If you want to do things that you feel will make an impact on the industry, go for it. Higher education and academia is changing, as well as the perception of what it means to be a modern day professor. Do projects you are passionate about, not what the industry tells you that is acceptable for your field. Interested in working and consulting in the industry? This will help you in your research and teaching, while also getting your name out there in the profession. Others telling you not to do things that would impact your research and other academic activities? Things have changed – not just from COVID19, but in society. Research and academic activities is just *one* part of what we do in our role. We have to be comprehensive and make sure we are creating various touch points for our brand as an educator.
I am again very grateful to my family, friends, students, and colleagues for their continued support throughout this time. It may take some time to get used to addressing myself as Professor of Strategic Communications, but I will get the hang of it.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
