Journeys in Academia: The Perks and Challenges

By Katelyn Lipa

“Journeys in Academia: The Perks and Challenges” was a session at WeLocal dedicated to discussing academic opportunities. There were three speakers who shared their stories: Diane Peters, an Associate Professor at Kettering University; Kristy Brinker Brouwer, a Professor of Practice and Mechanical Engineering at Kettering University, and Gretchen Hein, an Associate Teaching Professor at Michigan Technological University. Each of these three professors had a wealth of knowledge and advice to share. Professor Peters discussed what tenure and the tenure track mean as a professor. In order to achieve tenure, an aspiring professor would spend five to seven years as an Assistant professor, then go onto the Associate level, achieving tenure. This promotion is looked at through a collection of items, including professor ratings, research, and papers. Being a professor is an intense, busy job, but there are ways for work-life balance, especially if the necessary pieces (such as grant proposals, classes, meetings, industry partnered work, and committees) are planned in advance. Professor Brinker Bouwer, in sharing her story, emphasized the importance of getting classroom experience to see if teaching is the right career path. She also shared that faculty interviews are around eleven hours long, but it was all worth it to be a part of the hopes, dreams, and energy of her students. Professor Hein discussed her choice in staying an associate professor; it was less time-consuming of a role and allowed for her main priority of herself and her family to stay true. Her job supports the way she wants to live, but wasn’t her entire life. These three women each had wonderful stories and advice to share, and were truly aspiring to all academic hopefuls!