A Toolkit for Mid-Career Academics

Mid-career faculty are the backbone of the college and university workforce and represent the largest population of faculty in the academy, yet they face myriad challenges that hinder career satisfaction and advancement. This book offers action-oriented tools to engage (or re-engage) mid-career programming at the individual faculty, institutional, consortial, and grant-funded levels. Bringing together leading scholars and practitioners engaged in research and practice, this edited volume offers solutions to two driving questions faced by mid-career faculty: "what's next" and "how to navigate." This focus on both what and how highlights critical issues and challenges associated with mid-career coupled with specific tools and strategies to successfully navigate from diverse stakeholder perspectives. Jargon-free and rich with stories from the field, each chapter can serve as a stand-alone resource, be read in order as presented, or be read non-sequentially based on the reader's specific needs. Mid-career faculty, including non-tenure-track and community college academics, will welcome the resources, tools, and strategies featured throughout this book, the "pocket professional development mentor" to help create more inclusive and equitable programming at multiple levels.

Dr. Vicki L. Baker, a Fulbright Scholar, is the E. Maynard Aris Endowed Professor in Economics and Management and department chair at Albion College. She is co-founder of Lead Mentor Develop, LLC. Vicki was recognized as a Top 100 Visionary 2021 in Education (GFEL) and a Top 10 Visionary in Education in 2023 by CioLook Magazine. Dr. Aimee LaPointe Terosky is Associate Dean of the School of Education and Human Development and Professor of Educational Leadership at Saint Joseph's University. Dr. Terosky's expertise is school leader/faculty careers in K-12 and higher education. She has received her university's Teaching, Research, and Justice Merit Awards, including the Tengelmann Award for Distinguished Research and Teaching. Dr. Laura Gail Lunsford is Professor of Psychology and Assistant Dean at Campbell University. She was an associate professor at the University of Arizona and has held academic leadership roles at NC State, Duke University, and UNC Wilmington. A Fulbright Scholar, she publishes on mentoring and leadership in the academy.

Introduction: What's Next? and How to Navigate? Facilitating Mid-Career Advancement. Section 1: Faculty Skill Development. Chapter 1: Demystifying Grants: Strategies to Take Your Research to the Next Level and Get Funded Through Collaborative Networking. Chapter 2: Faculty Re-Engagement: A Sabbatical Planning Guide to Support Productivity and Well-Being. Chapter 3: Critical Considerations at Mid-Career: How Mentoring Can Help You at This Stage. Chapter 4: Effective Mentoring Conversations with Faculty: A Guide for Department Chairs, Directors, and Deans. Chapter 5: Safeguarding Space: A Job-Crafting Action Plan That Elevates Mid-Career Priorities. Section 2: Institutional Programming. Chapter 6: What's Next? Charting Your Path: A Personal Career Goal Development Program for Mid-Career Faculty. Chapter 7: Supporting Faculty at Small Liberal Arts Colleges Across the Career Span. Chapter 8: Assessing and Supporting the Needs of Mid-Career Faculty: A Networked Mentoring Approach. Chapter 9: Supporting Teaching-Track Faculty at Mid-Career. Chapter 10: Meeting Them Where They Are: Supporting the Professional Learning Needs of Community College Educators. Section 3: Consortial and Professional Association Programming. Chapter 11: Leveraging a Consortial Approach for Mid-Career Faculty Learning Communities. Chapter 12: YÖMEGA: Empowering Faculty Members in Türkiye Through a Collaborative and Sustainable Professional Development Voluntary Initiative. Chapter 13: Data-Informed Community College Teaching and Learning Hubs in North Carolina. Chapter 14: Fostering a Mid-Career Community: A Workshop for Personal Focus and Academic Advancement. Section 4: Grant-Funded Initiatives. Chapter 15: Building Community, Confidence, and Capacity for Advancement and Leadership through Regional Inter-Institutional Peer Alliances. Chapter 16: Building an Infrastructure for Mid-Career Faculty Advancement: Lessons Learned from Faculty Peer Networks in the UMD ADVANCE Program. Chapter 17: Mid-Career, but New to the Academy: A Federal Investment in ROTC Educators and Cadets. Chapter 18: Using Humanities-Based Grants to Leverage Resources, Acquire New Skills, and Expand Networks. Section 5: Conclusion. Chapter 19: From Reactive to Sustainable: Advancing the Practice of Mid-Career Faculty Development