This new, revised, and expanded edition of the popular Academic’s Handbook is an essential guide for those planning or beginning an academic career.

Faculty members, administrators, and professionals with experience at all levels of higher education offer candid, practical advice to help beginning academics understand matters including:
— The different kinds of institutions of higher learning and expectations of faculty at each.
— The advantages and disadvantages of teaching at four-year colleges instead of research universities.
— The ins and outs of the job market.
— Alternatives to tenure-track, research-oriented positions.
— Salary and benefits.
— The tenure system.
— Pedagogy in both large lecture courses and small, discussion-based seminars.
— The difficulties facing women and minorities within academia.
— Corporations, foundations, and the federal government as potential sources of research funds.
— The challenges of faculty mentoring.
— The impact of technology on contemporary teaching and learning.
— Different types of publishers and the publishing process at university presses.
— The modern research library.
— The structure of university governance.
— The role of departments within the university.

With the inclusion of eight new chapters, this edition of The Academic’s Handbook is designed to ease the transition from graduate school to a well-rounded and rewarding career.

Contributors. Judith K. Argon, Louis J. Budd, Ronald R. Butters, Norman L. Christensen, Joel Colton, Paul L. Conway, John G. Cross, Fred E. Crossland, Cathy N. Davidson, A. Leigh DeNeef, Beth A. Eastlick, Matthew W. Finkin, Jerry G. Gaff, Edie N. Goldenberg, Craufurd D. Goodwin, Stanley M. Hauerwas, Deborah L. Jakubs, L. Gregory Jones, Nellie Y. McKay, Patrick M. Murphy, Elizabeth Studley Nathans, A. Kenneth Pye, Zachary B. Robbins, Anne Firor Scott, Sudhir Shetty, Samuel Schuman, Philip Stewart, Boyd R. Strain, Emily Toth, P. Aarne Vesilind, Judith S. White, Henry M. Wilbur, Ken Wissoker

Customer Rating:
Summary: Truly a handbook...
Comment: This collection of readings was so helpful to me, even as a graduate student. I used selections from this book when I constructed a class for teaching assistants. Topics covered include academic freedom and free speech, getting a job, the art of publishing, and discussion vs. lecture courses. Absolutely indispensable reading for the academic. Will be an invaluable reference throughout an academic career.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: This is excellent!
Comment: This is a book I wish someone had told me about when still a doctoral student -- it certainly would have helped a great deal over the years. Things obviously would have worked much better and my transition from Graduate School to the professoriate would have been much smoother. Every graduate student and every new assistant professor needs one on their shelves. Not only that: Graduate Faculty, please buy one for your teaching assistant, your doctoral student and every graduate student you advise. It will do them a world of good and they'll be ever grateful to you!

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