1. Taking Charge of Your Career

2. My career path
Assistant, Associate, Full Professor at Univ. of Pittsburgh –research pl and then se
Graduate Dean, University of Pittsburgh for 5 years
Full Professor
Owen R. Cheatham Professor and Chair, University of Virginia

3. Did I plan this? NO I took advantage of opportunities
Got bored at some points in my life
Got discouraged at some points
Always kept up my research!
Always had graduate students

4. Being an administrator
Dean
Why was I recruited
Served on University committees and spoke out but was reasonable
Did my homework on any committee I served on
Respected for research, teaching, and service

5. What I liked about dean Make an impact At center of university life
Meet a lot of different people from different disciplines
Different responsible

6. Negatives about being dean
Too many meetings that don’t do anything
Reputation – is this an action committee?
Easy to just maintain – but if want to change, it gets tiring after awhile
Starting losing the edge in research
Removed from the discipline

7. Chair Reputation Not everyone wants to do it New challenge
Have some things to do but could not do it in my old department

8. Pros and Negatives Pros Con Make impact Like solving problems
Enjoy being “the boss”
Con
Lots of interruptions
Lots of problems – personal, space, funding

9. Career Planning Not passive – think about it
Where do you want to be in X years – Goals should reflect this
Short term and long term goals – research
Steps to achieve the goals - flexible
Early career plans and later career plans

10. Career planning
Don’t close doors on yourself – try to keep all options open
Professor – administrator – professor
Recognize and take advantage of opportunities that come along

11. Examples Long term research project Shorter term results Early career
Develop research program and teaching proficiency
Focused research
Later
Different research interests – risk taking
Service – professional organizations, working for diversity
Administration