Gardner, Susan K.

English

University of Maine

The University of Maine DigitalCommons@UMaine Rising Tide Faculty Scholarship Rising Tide Center Summer 2016 Mentoring the Millennial faculty member Susan K. Gardner Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/risingtide_articles  Part of the Higher Education Commons This Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Rising Tide Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. For more information, please contact um.library.technical.services@maine.edu. See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305276965Mentoring the Millennial Faculty MemberArticle  in  The Department Chair · June 2016DOI: 10.1002/dch.30088CITATIONS5READS3991 author:Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:Seeking participants for two studies View projectSusan K GardnerUniversity of Maine53 PUBLICATIONS   3,572 CITATIONS   SEE PROFILEAll content following this page was uploaded by Susan K Gardner on 23 April 2019.The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.T H E  D E P A R T M E N T  C H A I R   ·   S u m m e r  2 0 1 6 6is in the form of a strategic plan or something else, to facilitate the department’s trajectory. After all, the ideas are often unique to that department and are not worth much unless they have the opportunity to be considered and possibly implemented. Consider this to be for the sake of the department.• Let go. Prior leaders need to let go of their former responsibilities and fully entrust them to the successor. This is difficult, but it is critical for the successor and the department.• Engage in other activities to ensure that your own development continues and your interests evolve outside the realm of the chair’s role to allow the new chair full ownership of it.• Know that the successor’s leadership will not necessarily be any better than yours; it will simply be different.• Celebrate the successes of the successor. After all, it was you who provided the succes-sor with a terrific start.Although these steps may be difficult or uncomfortable in some situations, they enable a positive transition for the department. Real-izing early that a transition will take place at some point enables the chair to have a proper mind-set toward change and makes early suc-cession planning much easier.  ConclusionWhile the chair’s leadership is important for the day-to-day development of the department, enabling a smooth transition will help the department’s future and will solidify the chair’s legacy as a strong, forward-thinking leader. ▲Angela K. Wilson is the John A. Hannah Distinguished Chair of Chemistry at Michigan State University and is concurrently serving a rotation as the director of the Chemistry Division of the National Science Foundation. Email: wilson@chemistry.msu.edu a succession may occur more quickly than a chair may have intended should the chair plan for future change. The chair’s role is caretaker of the department, looking out for its welfare not only for its current state but also for the fu-ture, and this means planning for all aspects of the department, including its future leadership. Although there is literature that discusses the importance of planning for change, succes-sion planning also requires an investment in time, from perhaps the arm-twisting of the reluctant potential leader to taking the time to train one or more individuals for the future. It also requires the right perspective on behalf of the chair. Just as there is a beginning to every position, there is also an end, and this needs to be realized from the start of an opportunity. A goal of a good chair should be to plan for the end, knowing that there should be a successful transition and a successful successor, ensur-ing that the department is on a continuing trajectory.There is another factor that comes into play, particularly at the time of transition: reluctance. Although some chairs are more than willing to pass the torch, often too quickly and, in some cases, leaving a new chair without adequate support, information, and training, others find a planned succession rather difficult, even if they have opted to move to another position and have had a role in the selection of the successor. In some cases, this can manifest itself in many ways, includ-ing an unwillingness to help, intentionally failing to leave behind useful information, and intentionally, or sometimes even unintention-ally, undermining the successor. Here are some strategies that can help with succession and department trajectories.• Build your own enthusiasm for your new opportunity, whether this is a return to the faculty or to a new position. This greatly aids in having a better perspective during the transition, even in cases where the transition may not have been planned or the successor may have been your competitor for the role.• Provide the successor with some op-portunities to lead (and succeed), contribute, and pursue some of his or her own initiatives while you are still in the position (if possible). This can aid in the gradual turning over of the position and in a smoother transition for the department.• Involve the successor in decision making while you are still chair, and refer to the office as “our” office.• Encourage enthusiasm for the succes-sor, both externally and internally. Whether expressed or not by the successor, the new opportunity can leave the successor feeling unsure or somewhat uncomfortable. Showing support for the successor helps the individual become comfortable in the new position and allows the successor to know that he or she can count on you for advice. You will become a trusted long-term mentor and advocate for the successor. This support also indicates to the department that the transition will be smooth (and, frankly, it helps to build your legacy and demonstrates your strength as a leader).• Provide the successor with information. Present a useful trail of information for the successor from your first to your last moments in office. Even if there is information that you may need for the future, make copies of it, and provide your successor with the information to continue the pathway you navigated for your department (even if the successor takes it in a different direction), rather than having to restart, retracing your footsteps and disrupt-ing the development of the department. Do not build such ownership of information you may have developed that you are not willing to share it.  • After moving to your next opportunity, embrace the changes made by the successor, even if they are different, and do not critique or criticize them or the successor publicly or privately, even if you disagree.• Most chairs do not accomplish all that they had intended. Leave a list of other areas that you had wished to pursue, whether this Mentoring the Millennial Faculty MemberS U S A N  K .  G A R D N E RAmbitious. Diverse. Technologically sav-vy. Connected 24/7. Special. Sheltered. Confident. These are just a few terms used by authors such as Neil Howe and William Strauss (2000) to describe what is commonly referred to as the Millennial generation, or T H E  D E P A R T M E N T  C H A I R   ·   S u m m e r  2 0 1 6 7those individuals born between 1982 and 2002 in the United States. As these individu-als entered their college years, a nearly endless litany of recommendations and exhortations accompanied them in the higher educa-tion literature. It was not uncommon to see admonitions such as “The demands that the Millennial generation will place upon higher education require reconsideration not only of the services they are provided but also of the means by which these services are delivered. These students have grown up in a world of instant gratification” (Lowery 2004, 95). Now, these former students are entering the professoriate as our assistant professors. Given the characteristics of this generation and how they are quintessentially different from the generations preceding them, provid-ing an understanding of and support for these new faculty members is warranted. In this article, I offer an overview of the litera-ture and my own experiences as an adminis-trator in working with Millennial faculty as a way to provide department chairs and others with a framework for best supporting this growing demographic. Considering Generational  DifferencesThe differences experienced among and between generations—or, as Strauss and Howe (1991) defined, “a cohort-group whose length approximates the span of a phase of life and whose boundaries are fixed by peer personality” (60)—are those bounded by a common age, common beliefs and behaviors, and common societal experiences. Despite the widespread critique of generational literature and research, the concept persists in our collective conscience. If nothing else, the concept of generations and the differ-ences experienced among and between them is one that allows us to understand how societal forces and experiences collectively form a group and provide similar charac-teristics among its members. And, while we must allow for individual differences and be wary of stereotyping, utilizing the concept of generations when understanding students and faculty can prove fruitful in preparing for and supporting new groups of individuals entering our campuses.Characteristics of Millennials  and Faculty RolesMillennials reentering our campuses as faculty members may bring to light some interesting challenges while also providing some promis-ing opportunities. Here, I highlight some of both and provide recommendations for senior faculty and academic administrators charged with working with, mentoring, and providing support for this new cadre of faculty. 24/7 expectations. From the generation that has never been without twenty-four-hour news, the Internet, or cell phones, it is perhaps not surprising that these faculty members may also come to expect relatively instantaneous feedback and quick turnaround time on decisions and assume that if they are sending you emails and texts on the weekend that you should also be responding to them. This generation was raised on social media, so it is also likely that these faculty may tend toward sharing what some may deem as extremely personal details and information as they learned to constantly update others on their status and feelings and developed a tendency to depersonalize what older generations may see as very personal information. In this sense, “feeling heard” is important to this generation.It may behoove those who will work with this generation of faculty to provide them with clear expectations and boundaries. This can be accomplished by offering clear guidelines for promotion and tenure, engaging these new faculty with mentors who are provided clear guidelines themselves on topics to discuss and a structured meeting schedule, compiling a desired list of dispositions for professional be-haviors that are expected of these new faculty, and clear expectations for communication, including how to best communicate with you, your turnaround time for response, and a clear set of norms around meeting requests and protocol for scheduling times to meet. Keep in mind, however, that the typical once-per-year evaluation may not be enough for a generation that expects almost instantaneous feedback and response. In this way, more informal, regular feedback from a mentor or mentoring committee may provide some space for the unsuspecting department chair or dean.Achievement oriented. Many have pointed out that the Millennial generation is also very interested in receiving validation and praise. Ronald Berk (2013) explained, “[Millennials] want instant feedback on their performance and feel pressure to succeed at everything they tackle with high expectations for success” (15). Indeed, Millennials represent the generation of children who were given a trophy just for participating and constant lauding from their parents and schools about how special they were. What this means for academic institutions, then, is that praise is not only optional, it is almost a requirement for these individuals to feel they are valued and progressing successfully. Wendy Murphy (2012) went so far as to say that this generation—beyond any of their predecessors—may be more willing to stay at an institution because of the praise and rewards they receive. As discussed earlier, clear guidelines and expectations for achieving promotion and tenure are a must for this generation. Without such clarity, academic administrators run the risk of having to constantly affirm and reaffirm success to many of these individuals. If not already done, annual formal reviews of progress toward tenure will go a long way with these individuals as well. Others may ex-perience this generation as more apt to chal-lenge long-standing rules, such as required time lines for probationary periods. This gen-eration may say, “If I’ve met the expectations for tenure in my fourth year, why do I have to wait until my sixth year?” Administrators should provide clear, written guidelines and time lines and be able to offer a strong ratio-nale for the existing rules; this generation may be less likely to accept the simple response of “because we’ve always done it that way.”Sheltered. The Millennials are the Baby-on-Board generation. From their birth, they have been protected and nurtured at a level no previous generation has experienced. This sheltered nature often translates into a strong sense of commitment to authority figures (this is also the generation of intrusive helicopter parents) but can also lead to an overreliance on the rules and structure for expectations of behavior. In some ways, Millennials may operate under the assumption of “If it doesn’t say I can’t, then I can.” As such, clear guidelines are a must for this generation but T H E  D E P A R T M E N T  C H A I R   ·   S u m m e r  2 0 1 6 81991). In this way, each generation struggles to understand those who came before and those who come after them. Utilizing these conflicts and tensions in a way that assists us in understanding another perspective or provides us with empathy may be one place to start. Asking others to explain their perspectives may go a long way. The Millen-nials represent only one generation in our academic world. How we treat these faculty members, who will be our department chairs and deans of tomorrow, will also inform how they will mentor others some day.  ▲Susan K. Gardner is interim dean in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Maine. Email: susan.k.gardner@maine.eduResourcesBerk, Ronald A. 2013. “Multigenerational Diversity in the Academic Workplace: Implications for Practice.” Journal of Higher Education Management 28 (1): 10–23. Howe, Neil, and William Strauss. 2000. Millennials Rising: The Next Great Genera-tion. New York: Vintage Books.Lowery, John Wesley. 2004. “Student Af-fairs for a New Generation.” In Serving the Millennial Generation, edited by Michael D. Coomes and Robert DeBard, 87–99. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Murphy, Wendy Marcinkus. 2012. “Reverse Mentoring at Work: Fostering Cross-Gener-ational Learning and Developing Millennial Leaders.” Human Resource Management 51 (4): 549–74. Strauss, William, and Neil Howe. 1991. Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069. New York: Morrow.plinary scholarship could become the modus operandi for this generation of faculty. There-fore, having clear guidelines in promotion and tenure documents about the value and counting of collaborative work will be benefi-cial for those working with these individuals. How does interdisciplinary scholarship count? What about team-teaching and co-teaching? In what have been more traditionally solitary disciplines, how does collaborative scholarship count and how is it valued? These types of questions should become an integral part of promotion and tenure guidelines and conver-sations for this generation. ConclusionMake no mistake: despite the warnings and frantic calls to action offered by the popular media in response to the Millennials, this generation offers academia an unprecedented set of opportunities to become more engaged, more technologically conversant, and more forward looking than ever before. What may be especially galling to those of us from previ-ous generations may also offer new opportu-nities to reimagine and reenvision how we do things to provide more clarity and efficiency. Unlike previous generations, Millennials may be less willing to acquiesce to existing hier-archies and prevailing norms. Nevertheless, such discussions may lead us all to ponder why we do things the way we do them— especially if “the way things are always done” isn’t particularly efficient or effective. Things change—even if slowly in academia. Indeed, we know that previous generations of academics saw preceding gen-erations as “whipper-snappers,” “upstarts,” or “disregarding authority” (Strauss and Howe can also be an administrator’s undoing. Due to the overreliance on rules and guidelines for this generation, there often seems to be a lack of pragmatism or realism to their expectations. Moreover, this generation is quick to look to authority figures for direction and validation, which can often mean going directly to the top for issues and concerns. Why would one wait to hear from her department chair when she can go directly to the university president with her concern? In other words, this overreliance on authority can also be their downfall if this generation eschews hierarchy and bureaucracy for more immediate feedback and response. Again, providing clear guidelines and pa-rameters around the reporting structure and bureaucracy of one’s institution may go a long way in helping to socialize this generation of faculty to institutional norms. It is best not to assume that this generation has been taught the ins and outs of academic hierarchy and the often unspoken rules of politics when, in fact, they may have been taught for so many years that “going right to the top” was the most effective and efficient method.Team oriented. This generation grew up in a world where teamwork was not only encouraged but also rewarded. Much of their previous academic experience has focused on group projects, collaboration, and win-win scenarios. Howe and Strauss (2000) noted that this generation has had so much structure imposed on them that they find it difficult to work without a net and expect authority figures to protect them when faced with uncomfortable situations. From this perspective, the Millennial faculty member may have an expectation that dealing with difficult students or coworkers is the responsibility of his department chair, dean, or even those in higher administrative positions. Moreover, with the overemphasis on rules and structure in their previous academic experiences, this generation may expect that there should be guidelines to rid themselves of students who are rude, for example. This team orientation will also come through in their scholarship. This generation will want to collaborate and will expect that collaborative scholarship is not only desired but also required. In this regard, interdisci-Five Suggestions for Leaders  Committed to EqualityA M Y  A L D R I D G E  S A N F O R DCollege and university campuses are at an impasse. Classroom educators are com-mitted more than ever to social justice and raising the social consciousness of their stu-dents. These professors and instructors, from multiple disciplines, do not avoid controver-View publication stats

Mentoring the Millennial faculty member

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