We all have benefitted in some way or another from our peers and senior scholars, either in our departments, institutions, or disciplines. The same as it takes a village to raise a child, academics don’t just get everything they need from their advisors, but from many people around them. We are all probably familiar the various programs and support (which thankfully are becoming more frequent) at institutions to help pre-tenure faculty. During that intense time of research productivity and learning our ropes as teachers, most institutions have in place some kinds of help to get us through to the big T. However, after tenure, many academics suffer “post-tenure blues.” They have often exhausted their original dissertation topics and areas of research and want to move on to another area. And they have figured out most of their regularly recurring courses and have a handle on the teaching end of things. In addition, they have probably done some service which means they may have a sense of how the whole institution works. They are finished proving themselves (at least to the extent that we are ever finished with this endeavour) and are ready for something new.
This is when ennui and sometimes burnout enter. After the massive push to tenure, we no longer have support, course releases or start-up grants. We don’t have people cheering us on. We are expected to maybe take on more service, like serving as a department chair. And, no one thinks we are all that special anymore. This is why even though most institutions focus on recruitment and retention of new faculty, we really need to look at mid-career faculty and what they need. This is not always altruistic. Institutions want their faculty to be happy, functioning and productive teachers and scholars. But what, apart from full professor (and not everyone aspires to that) are we aiming for? A long road to retirement? Or, have some people already retired once they get promoted?
I do not know any institution that has special professional development for mid-career academics (although I am working on such a program with a colleague, which we hope to launch in the next two years). Until we do, the best advice I have for a mid-career academic is finding a mentor or a coach. Professional coaches cost money and often want an up-front commitment to a certain number of hourly sessions, but one can sometimes use discretionary university funds for this kind of help. The other option is to do some peer mentorship or get some mentorship from a senior colleague. I still write to my dissertation advisor – who retired but is still active as a scholar – with all kinds of questions; everything from “does this paper make sense?” and “what project would you prioritize of these options?” to “how do I deal with this difficult interpersonal work situation?” Although not everyone has a great relationship with their dissertation advisor, these people are often life-long figures who are directly in our field and if we are lucky and we don’t bother them too often, can be a valuable resource for great advice. They also know how our brains work.
Alternatively, I suggest a “peer mentorship” program where you team up with another colleague, either at the same stage or later in a career, for meetings around mission, vision, where to find funding mid-career, how to keep courses fresh and a myriad of other academic concerns. This back and forth is like good therapy, where you can articulate your goals, aspirations and frustrations to someone who shares your world and can have great insight into your situation. You can also help and teach them, which is one of the best ways of working out your own issues. Often deans and those in upper administration are expected to mentor faculty, but they are usually run off their feet. I suggest that your peer mentor be from outside your department, as the politics of our relationships with those in our units often gets in the way of honest communication.
Whatever you do, don’t assume that you have “arrived” after receiving tenure and no longer need support and mentorship. You’ll become stale. Stagnant. At whatever stage, we all need to keep growing. By being proactive to help yourself you are, in fact, helping a lot of others in the process.