My contract said "Adjunct Professor." My faculty ID card said "Adjunct Instructor." My paycheck said "Lecture/Adjunct." I never cared since this was just a two-year, part-time gig and I had no further interest in academia... but I do need to call it something in my bio. I don't have a terminal degree, suggesting and the contract was wrong and the ID card was right. I emailed the department; they said they'd check but didn't email back (I'll ask again). This was at a large private university in the U.S. I have to finalize a bio tonight -- should I just say Adjunct Instructor?
posted on Jan 21, 2008 - 25 answers

Two academics, married to each other, at the same liberal arts college. One has been---unjustly and unwarrantedly---not recommended for reappointment. We're planning to appeal, but I'm not sanguine about the outcome. How bad is this likely to get, politically? Any advice? [more inside]
posted on Jan 3, 2008 - 14 answers

I am a new tenure track professor (research uni) in the US. I just finished my first year and feel barely competent in a lot of areas -- ok but not good teaching evals, 3-6 weeks late in paper "deadlines", so many last minute "preparations" for classes or meetings, no good ideas for future research. I need some help figuring out how to better play the game, or to be happier with just getting by. Fellow academics (or others in similar professions), to the bat phone! [more inside]
posted on May 23, 2007 - 25 answers

I studied philosophy in college. By my senior year I had decided that I wanted to pursue a career in academia. I had co-founded a conference. I was writing a thesis. I had intentions of applying to graduate schools. However, during my last semester I experienced a crisis of faith and delayed my thesis for six months, eventually earning a "C". I want to go back and do the job right, but I don't know how. [more inside]
posted on Dec 30, 2006 - 17 answers

How to deal with disruptive university students who are determined to ruin the course and the tutors? [more inside]
posted on Nov 12, 2006 - 32 answers

What are likely questions to be asked at an academic job interview? [more inside]
posted on Jan 30, 2006 - 12 answers

I agreed to "edit" a (25-page) thesis paper for a friend at another college. When the paper arrived, it was so raw that the whole thing needed to be massively reorganized, not just tweaked for grammar and clarity. It then became clear (through subsequent discussions with her about it) that what she wanted me to do was basically reword much of the language as well (she considers me to be a stronger writer) to make it "sound better." [more inside]
posted on Aug 28, 2005 - 43 answers