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Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Should Junior Scholars Plan Conferences?
Many schools have tenure standards that require a junior scholar to build a national reputation in his or her area. In pursuit of this goal (and for the sheer fun of it), some juniors plan conferences in their area of research in order to bring together leading scholars in the field and share their ideas with these prominent individuals.
Despite these obvious benefits, I wonder about the wisdom of planning a conference pre-tenure. Juniors have writing and teaching responsibilities that are very time consuming, and planning a conference could conceivably interfere with this. Moreover, scholarship is the coin of the realm; planning a conference may not factor into this equation at all. But what better way to get your name out there than to plan a conference that will be attended by the very individuals who will write your tenure letters?
So let me ask: Is it wise for a junior scholar to plan a conference pre-tenure? Or is there too much risk that this will detract from their writing? Inquiring minds want to know.
Posted by Franita Tolson on February 1, 2012 at 05:05 PM | Permalink
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Comments
Yes, but only if the conference is otherwise worth holding. I ran one in the fall of my third year, and although it was stressful and exhausting, I still think it was a great use of my time and effort. And although it definitely took up plenty of days that could have been used to write more, the long-term payoff for my scholarship itself was well worth it. Putting together a balanced program helped me become much more familiar with previous work in the area, and it did an immense amount to give me a synoptic perspective on the topic. So while it slowed me down in the short run, it also meant then when I returned to writing in earnest a few months later, I had a much better idea of what I wanted to say, and why.
As with so many other things, the question becomes much easier once one asks, "Would I do this if I had tenure already?" Too often,"I don't have tenure" is the excuse for doing something, rather than the reason.
Posted by: James G | Feb 1, 2012 5:27:41 PM
I agree with James that the quality of the conference matters and you shouldn't do it just to do it. I would add that it also depends on where you are as a junior candidate. A strong tenure candidate writes, roughly, 1.5-2 pieces per year for the five pre-tenure years. If you are keeping up that pace, then do it; the slight time away will not really interrupt you too much. If you are behind the pace and need the time to write, then stay away from something else that will be a big time-suck.
Posted by: Howard Wasserman | Feb 1, 2012 6:00:18 PM
Y'all know that tenure pretty much never gets denied. Right?
Posted by: Anon | Feb 2, 2012 12:54:55 AM
@anon: Tenure denials are rare, so let me rephrase the question to get at what I am really asking. Assuming that there is some intrinsic benefit to building a national reputation independent of the desire to get tenure, is it wise for a junior scholar to plan a conference given that there are teaching and writing requirements that do matter for tenure? I think that clarifies my question because I certainly don't think that not planning a conference will ever be grounds for a tenure denial, but to the extent that one wants to become part of the scholarly conversation, I wonder what the ideal circumstances are for planning a conference pre-tenure.
Posted by: Franita Tolson | Feb 2, 2012 8:38:50 AM
Tenure denials are rare in the sense that few junior scholars are stubborn enough (as I was) to insist that their faculty vote them down. Much less rare is the the tenure candidacy that gets derailed at some point before an actual tenure vote. For the junior scholar deciding what projects to focus on, either species of not-getting-tenure is important. There are some schools where faculty have a strong expectation that junior faculty will organize a conference before tenure. Many schools have a staff conference administrator who will see to the details of schedule, space, travel and food, so that organizing the conference won't completely take over one's life for a semester. If one is at a school that belongs to both categories, then it makes a lot of sense to organize a conference. If one is at a school that belongs to neither, it probably makes sense to wait.
Posted by: Jessica Litman | Feb 2, 2012 10:05:01 AM
It's a good question, Franita. I agree with James -- do it if you have a good idea for a conference (one that relates to your research) and if you can get the right people to attend.
But let me suggest a more modest alternative -- each year, invite 1 or 2 outside scholars in your field to give a workshop at your school. Organizing the workshops won't take much of your time, especially if you can include them in a series organized by a dean or program chair. You can target the folks that best suit your research area without worrying about finding a day and topic that works for a large group of scholars with hectic schedules and diverse interests. And you'll have a chance to pick their brains over meals, coffee, etc.
Posted by: Rob Mikos | Feb 2, 2012 12:20:20 PM
One challenge a junior person might encounter is the ability to pull in some of the top or most active scholars in a field, especially if the junior person is at a (so-called) non-top-tier school. In those cases, it's always a big help when the organizer has early participation commitments from one or two active scholars. For better or for worse, that seems to make others more likely to accept the invitation.
Posted by: Bridget Crawford | Feb 3, 2012 12:19:39 PM
