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research and draw on their perspectives and

experience.

Get to Know Others on Campus

It is wise to limit participation in campus

committees and concentrate on your exper-

iments, but a few selected activities may be

helpful because they permit you to get to

know people in other departments. Such

connections can expand your networking

capabilities, enhance the identification of

mentors, provide support at tenure time

and fulfill the modest consideration of serv-

ice that is included in a tenure evaluation.

Women and minorities need to be especial-

ly careful about overload because they will

be highly visible and in demand for com-

mittee service and often feel a special

responsibility to assume a role in shaping

institutional policy. Ask your mentors for

advice in optimizing choices that will allow

you to make a meaningful contribution

without jeopardizing the research and

teaching activities that are key to your

achievement of tenure.

Know the Procedures for Tenure

at Your Institution

Who assembles your file? Do you get to

see it? Do you have the opportunity to

respond to the evaluation of your file by your

chair or departmental committee? Are you

requested to be available for information at

the time your file is discussed? Who com-

piles the list of those from whom letters of

recommendation will be requested? Who

chooses which ones get included in your

dossier? Is there a departmental committee

that evaluates your credentials and, if so, is

there a mechanism to ensure the accuracy of

both the verbal and written information they

are given? Are you notified as your tenure

application is acted upon at each successive

administrative level?

CHAPTER 7 • TENURE 73

Maintain Cordial Relationships

within Your Department

Ideally, your position will be in a cohesive

and pleasant department that will make it

easy for you to concentrate on your science

while participating in departmental goals.

However, this is not always the case and, if

schisms develop, you may be pressured to

choose sides. Such a no-win situation can be

a big problem for support at tenure time

whether or not you tactfully avoid allying

yourself with a particular party. One assay

for such schisms (devised by Betty Craig of

the University of Wisconsin) is to ask each

faculty member during the job interview,

“Where do you see this department going in

the next 5-10 years?”

Recruit Mentors

Much has been written about the impor-

tance of mentors in ensuring a successful

career path, especially for members of under-

represented minority groups and women.

You will need guides to the unfamiliar terri-

tory represented by your new position and

institution. Some institutions assign mentors

because they want their young faculty to do

well. Even if you are in such an enlightened

atmosphere, recruit other campus mentors so

that you have access to a variety of advice.

Take them to lunch. Chat. It is a compliment

to them that you value their expertise, but be

considerate of the other demands on their

time. Recruit external mentors in your field of

THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY

Women and minorities need to

be especially careful about over-

load because they will be highly

visible and in demand for

committee service.