Tag Archives: leadership

How to do an external review, particularly of a university department

Posted on May 23, 2017 by

There is a sameness to human organizations. This means that if you are conducting an external review, you can probably do a surprising amount of it without knowing anything about the particular group at hand. Knowing this, then looking for … Continue reading →

Posted in Department Evaluation, Department politics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Don’t lose focus on grad student interviews!

Posted on February 7, 2014 by

It is again time to interview next year’s potential grad students. They have flown in from all over the country and will be spending a few days with us. Our current grad students will let us know how collegial they … Continue reading →

Posted in Graduate school, Interviewing, Undergraduates | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The successful professor of science

Posted on March 22, 2013 by

In the business world, technician, project manager and program manager are different jobs, but in academia, the successful career has elements of all three, particularly for scientists and engineers. What exactly are these jobs? The woman I sat next to … Continue reading →

Posted in Group leadership, New assistant professor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

What is your legacy going to be?

Posted on July 5, 2012 by

A recent New Yorker article on Barack Obama by Ryan Lizza focused on his legacy. I wondered how his legacy will go past the first-term glory of health care reform. Then I wondered how often we academics think about our … Continue reading →

Posted in Managing an academic career | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments