Portfolio Preparation: Faculty Experience Catherine L. Kling Charles F. Curtis Distinguished Professor Director, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development

My thoughts based on:  My own promotion at ISU (and UC Davis)  Department P&T  College P&T  Mentor  External letter writer

Your job is to make your case  At the time when you prepare your portfolio AND throughout your associate prof years  Key things I look for:  Are you doing your job?  Scholarship  Trajectory  Impact

Are you doing your job?  What does your department, university expect from you?  PRS, increasingly common  What does the letter ask me to evaluate?  What I know about that department, university and you

Are you a strong scholar?  Make clear how you excel vis-à-vis the expectations of your discipline and PRS  Role of yourself and collaborators, this is not the place to be shy about your contributions  Go beyond the metrics, explain why what you do is important in lay language  Comparisons to top people elsewhere, even if ISU does not ask this, your letter writers may think that way

Are you on an upward trajectory?  Research, papers in pipeline, grants submitted, editorial board activity  Professional engagement and visibility, still attending conferences and workshops, participating in professional society activities,  Students, continuing to mentor and support grad students

Impact: numbers important  How many publications? Funding?  Where was work published? Has the work been cited (h-index)? If fewer than normal, explain!  Science Citation Index vs Google Scholar, both

Impact: stories equally important  Invitations to give talks elsewhere, plenary speaker, etc.  Professional society activity, elected office, leadership in sections, etc.  External awards  Government panels (EPA, NRC, USDA)  NGO panels  Successful placement of graduate students in academic programs  Media visibility

Two Final Pieces of Advice:  Learn to say No if you haven’t already…. but don’t get carried away  Don’t follow any of my advice unless it resonates with you, your situation, and what other mentors colleagues say