By Jennette Lovejoy, Ohio University
Similar to Breed’s (1955) description of how newsroom socialization happens by “osmosis,” graduate students also learn by keenly listening and watching the habits, routines, and accepted norms of the faculty and administration at their respective institutions. Open faculty meetings, job talks, interactions at the copier, advising, and co-authoring research papers are a few ways we are molded and shaped into academicians. At conferences, we give paper presentations side-by-side tenured faculty and our peers. We receive feedback on teaching evaluations as if we were faculty. When submitting a manuscript, we receive the same peer review as if we were all endowed chairs. We hope.
There is value in this equality; it allows us to know and experience the world of academia as a student with the clear reality of what it may be like in a faculty position, if we watch and take the time to listen and work with faculty who are willing to share their time, insights, and expertise with us. So much of navigating class schedules, teaching loads, research agendas, and leadership involvement is being able to watch someone else do it, ask questions, and learn through the process so that there are not disillusions or unrealistic expectations.
I’ve come to realize the importance of thinking outside the day-to-day crunch. I am lucky enough to work with an advisor who demonstrates persistence, constant teaching refinery, foresight in planning for conference deadlines, and consistent manuscript preparation for the “pipeline.” Without the big picture, I get easily consumed by term paper deadlines, comprehensive exam preparation, and getting grades turned around, not to mention writing the dissertation.
As graduate students, we hear a lot about the idealism of balance between work and life, but we also need to hear about how to find balance within our work so that we exit our programs competitive for the job market. We may have a new class prep every term, while taking four graduate classes on top of that, yet we still need guidance and encouragement to present our research to colleagues outside of our institution, to sit in on research presentations at conferences, and to get our feet wet in the manuscript submission process.
It may feel overwhelming, but that is where the faculty socialization and guidance becomes key. How transparent can our advisors and mentors be with us? How honest and inquisitive can we be in return? Department cultures and faculty/student relationships are variable and there is not a standard protocol, yet we should be certain that we are getting out of our programs what we want to. Sure, as stated earlier, some of the learning takes place by osmosis, but much requires a unique combination of active pursuits and mentoring.
Not only is it key (and perhaps very beneficial) for faculty members to involve us, but we may need to initiate contact and reach out to faculty, to inquire about potential co-authoring ventures, or volunteer time to be a part of a grant project. In turn, faculty members may think broader about how to create opportunities for graduate students and how to utilize us a resource for energy, new ideas and budding knowledge, and an enthusiasm for tackling challenges.
References:
Breed, W. (1997). Social control in the newsroom: A functional analysis. In D. Berkowitz (Ed.), Social meaning of news: A text-reader (pp. 107-122). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage.