This is really interesting, Jacob: "I still find myself feeling self-conscious about writing essays (or comments) that my colleagues would approve of. In other words, I still feel like I carry the brand of the university with me even in my personal pursuits (like this)." A fun side note: I heard that the president at my former employer r…
This is really interesting, Jacob: "I still find myself feeling self-conscious about writing essays (or comments) that my colleagues would approve of. In other words, I still feel like I carry the brand of the university with me even in my personal pursuits (like this)." A fun side note: I heard that the president at my former employer referenced my Substack in his remarks for the 2023 fall faculty workshop. I guess he had seen my academe to industry interview series, and the notion that faculty might be thinking about other opportunities as more attractive caught his attention.
But it makes me wonder how I would feel if I were writing my Substack while teaching full-time. In fact, I had a conversation with a colleague last fall about a potential full-time faculty position at a nearby institution, and almost immediately I wondered whether what I've written here would disqualify me from consideration. But I know of several folks who are writing happily and authentically from within academe. If you don't know Tara Penry's "Quiet Reading with Tara Penry" or John Halbrook's "Personal Canon Formation," you ought to check them out! There are, of course, plenty of other academics who use Substack to leverage their research brand (Jonathan Haidt). But I'm heartened to see others probing these kinds of questions about identity and values.
Thanks for the recommendations! I’ll check them out. Part of the fun of being new to this platform is constantly discovering all these great writers. It’s also helpful to be reminded that plenty of academics are still managing to work at the university and write here as well (or, in your case, leave and still get the attention of the university president 😂). But, I think this is when it’s helpful to return to one’s values. I spent years telling my students how much writing and reading taught me and improved my life, and that they were pursuits worth integrating into their lives regardless of major or future profession. If a colleague or any of my former/current students happen to stumble across a comment or post I’ve made, all they’ll see is me trying to follow my own advice and live as authentically as I know how to.
This is really interesting, Jacob: "I still find myself feeling self-conscious about writing essays (or comments) that my colleagues would approve of. In other words, I still feel like I carry the brand of the university with me even in my personal pursuits (like this)." A fun side note: I heard that the president at my former employer referenced my Substack in his remarks for the 2023 fall faculty workshop. I guess he had seen my academe to industry interview series, and the notion that faculty might be thinking about other opportunities as more attractive caught his attention.
But it makes me wonder how I would feel if I were writing my Substack while teaching full-time. In fact, I had a conversation with a colleague last fall about a potential full-time faculty position at a nearby institution, and almost immediately I wondered whether what I've written here would disqualify me from consideration. But I know of several folks who are writing happily and authentically from within academe. If you don't know Tara Penry's "Quiet Reading with Tara Penry" or John Halbrook's "Personal Canon Formation," you ought to check them out! There are, of course, plenty of other academics who use Substack to leverage their research brand (Jonathan Haidt). But I'm heartened to see others probing these kinds of questions about identity and values.
Thanks for the recommendations! I’ll check them out. Part of the fun of being new to this platform is constantly discovering all these great writers. It’s also helpful to be reminded that plenty of academics are still managing to work at the university and write here as well (or, in your case, leave and still get the attention of the university president 😂). But, I think this is when it’s helpful to return to one’s values. I spent years telling my students how much writing and reading taught me and improved my life, and that they were pursuits worth integrating into their lives regardless of major or future profession. If a colleague or any of my former/current students happen to stumble across a comment or post I’ve made, all they’ll see is me trying to follow my own advice and live as authentically as I know how to.