Impacting the Next Generation of…!
As a new early career faculty we train and mentor students. Recently, I have taken steps through my own personal interactions to understand what that really looks like in context. We come into our academic journey with our experiences which is good right? ....Yes and no. Some experiences lead us to more extremes and this is how we keep certain cycles going. I wanted to share some of my thoughts surrounding our approach to impacting the next generation of whatever area you work or engage most of your time. Let's jump to it!
Let's start off with the classroom. When you first got your position and you had to design your course....did your think about the impact beyond the classroom? Did you try to connect topics that directly affect your student population? Did you think about what they needed beyond completion of the degree? You might answer yes and some no. The people who answered no are probably thinking I was just trying to make sure I had everything done by the first day of classes. I get it completely but hopefully you are starting to see where I am going with this.
Now, next let's consider your research. You will create your lab. You will start looking for students and preparing proposals to get your research program started. Even at this point...... have you determined your strategy to train and mentor students under your tutelage. What I mean by that is going beyond the technical....developing the mindset and bringing the humanity to what we are doing? Our research allows us to provide solutions to real people and communities. The students we work with allow us to stretch our reach.
Even when I work with students I notice that they might not be confident or feel like they should even pursue certain disciplines or opportunities. Most of the time it is due to what they see happening or what they have been told. What are we doing in our respective fields to change this perception? How are we promoting a safe and thriving environment?
How can we get our minds to start thinking in this direction?
It really goes back to your ultimate goal? What do we want our legacy to look like? Its more than journal papers and presentations right? I want to challenge you to do a couple of things.
If you have not already develop a personal mission and vision statement for yourself. Not only will this help you to stay focus it will also help you to be able to say NO!
As you are developing your tenure plan or your career plan in academia consider creating a visual representation of it. You want to develop and connect key activities that will actually impact your students but help you to reach your goals as well. For example I am in a STEM field and I want to impact the next generation of engineers. I can see many opportunities where I can do this on multiple levels. I am planning out activities and strategies that will help me to move the needle on some of the broader issues by using the platform I have currently.
If you find that what you want to do is bigger than you..... start small but reach out for help. You would be surprised at how many people are really excited about working on changing various societal problems. They are just waiting to find more like-minded individuals. Then you will have people you can filter your ideas through to make sure you are putting out something that will really be impactful.
All of these steps are basically helping you to get more aligned with your values which is what really matters most to you which is important. Being authentic leads to more productivity, better results, and less stress. Remember you have a VOICE and you have the power to create solutions to the worlds toughest problems. You just need to sit down and write out the plan. Someone is waiting for what you have to share!
To end my charge to you is to go forth and make IMPACT! I look forward to hearing and seeing all that you do.
If you want to learn more tips sign up for "The Early Career Faculty Webinar Series" by clicking on the link below. I will be sharing on various topics related to being a junior faculty.
