Managing academic personnel flow at universities∗∗

Abstract

Universities experience increasing difficulty in staffing their academic positions. Attracting and retaining highly qualified employees is a general problem that has received much attention in recent HRM literature. But several authors have claimed that the academic career has lost much of its attractiveness. This paper presents seven levers that universities may use to enhance their recruitment and retention power on a difficult job market. Suggestions are made based on experience from innovative organisations, both universities and business organisations. Special attention is given to the creation of multiple and flexible career paths within academia. We contend that a successful application of these suggestions will require major cultural and institutional change at universities.     

What makes academic careers less insecure? The role of individual-level antecedents

The early stages of an academic career are fraught with insecurity. By focusing on the individual and his or her background, this article sets out to analyse and develop theories for this insecurity. We see academic career insecurity as a mix of how much someone wants to pursue a job in academia and what they feel is the probability of reaching their goal. The article draws on concepts of boundaryless careers and protean careers to theorise about the antecedents of insecurity. Empirical analysis is based on survey data from early-career researchers at a large Austrian university. The findings indicate that the most important individual factors that reduce academic career insecurity are the willingness to be geographically mobile, self-attribution of previous career success, a high proportion of working time devoted to research and networking, as well as being at an advanced career stage. The article demonstrates the potential and limits of the boundaryless and protean career concepts for studying academic careers. Practical measures are that universities should provide early-career researchers with temporal space for research and networking, facilitate stays at other universities, inform them about career success factors, and tailor faculty development programmes to the distinct stages of academic careers.     

大学学术职业后备人才的培养

培养大学学术职业后备人才,不仅有助于有志进入学术职业的人群顺利开展个人学术生涯,而且对推进大学教师专业化以及提升各类学术组织整体的教学和研究水平都具有现实意义。谁应来对大学学术职业后备人才的质量负责,学术职业后备人才教育缺失的问题以及构建怎样的教育模式是大学学术职业后备人才培养的重要问题。     

高校就业指导师资队伍专业化建设若干思考

职业发展与就业指导课是高校对学生开展就业指导的主阵地,就业指导师资队伍的专业化程度直接影响到就业指导课的质量.就业指导课作为新兴的课程,要健康发展,就必须有一支资历结构合理、学历结构合理的专业化教师队伍,但现有的就业指导教师队伍存在着专业理论有待提高、专业实践少、培养与培训的力度不够、社会角色认同感低和教学评价低等问题,严重制约了就业指导课的教学质量.因此,学校在就业指导教师队伍建设上应承担起主要责任,从统筹规划就业指导师资队伍建设、加大培养与培训力度、完善教学评估体系、建立有效的激励机制和建设专兼结合的教师队伍等途径提升就业指导教师队伍专业化水平.     

本科低年级学生跨学科学习经验的自主建构

在充满变革的环境中,本科低年级学生进行学业规划或职业生涯规划的价值是"学会应变"。研究着眼于本科低年级学生所处的跨学科学习情境,从理论层面和实践层面引导个体提高学业/职业生涯"探索、规划、适应"能力。研究发现,学业/职业生涯探索、学业/职业生涯规划、职业未来时间洞察力和自主性这两个积极人格特点、跨学科学习经验、职业认同(含学术认同)五者,是不可分割的整体。以系统性思维探寻学业规划或职业生涯规划之道,不仅是本科低年级学生创新自主职业生涯管理途径、方法和策略的重心,而且是高等院校创新本科低年级学生职业生涯教育模式及体系的重心。     

Entrepreneurial Academics: Developing Scientific Careers in Changing University Settings

This paper examines the impact of entrepreneurial initiatives within universities on scientific careers. Based on the career accounts of university‐based bioscientists involved in a government‐sponsored entrepreneurship training initiative, the paper explores the concept of academic entrepreneurialism. Three groups were identified in the data. First, academic entrepreneurs, who tended to be more experienced scientists and were now able to capitalise on their science. Second, those interested in technology transfer, who saw their career path taking them away from science, and finally a group of younger scientists who were trying to develop their career capital but were unsure what direction their career would take. The implications of these different groups for the management of universities and the development of knowledge are considered.     

Landmarks in the professional and academic development of mid-career teacher educators

This paper focuses on the professional and academic development of mid-career teacher educators from two universities in England. The objectives of the study were to analyse and compare the career experiences of teacher educators; in particular, to identify stages of development, landmark events and contextual factors affecting professional learning and academic identities. In-depth biographical interviews were carried out with 12 teacher educators, together with living graphs of their career paths. Clear landmarks were identified in both contexts, with development in teaching seen as largely positive, while research development was much more varied. Teacher educators who were further on in their careers saw research development as transformative personally as well as academically. In analysing the findings within a sociocultural learning framework, the authors draw in particular on Swennen et al.’s model of teacher educators’ sub-identities, Akerlind’s categorisation of an academic identity and Eraut’s contextual and learning factors.     

美国学业指导制度变迁研究及对我国的启示

根据学业指导的发展程度,美国高等教育经历了前学业指导、初级学业指导和现代学业指导3个阶段,其操作模式又可分为诊疗型模式和发展型模式.美国学业指导体系根据形式发展,逐渐给予了有特殊需求的学生足够的关注与尊重,其中对国际学生、有转专业意向学生、首代大学生以及女性的学业指导对我国高等教育有一定的启发意义,中国的学业指导制度虽出现了各种萌芽并有了一定的初期发展,但总体状况并不尽如人意.中美学业指导差距的根本原因在于美国文化崇尚个性,尊重个体,而中国高等教育中学生的主体地位并不突出.通过比较发现美国学业指导变迁对我国具有一定启示:转变教育观念,树立学生的主体地位;探索适合中国国情的学业指导模式;挑选部分学业指导工作已有一定基础的高校,加强投入,展开试点工作;做好学业指导与就业指导的统筹规划.     

编外讲师:德国大学学术自由传统的“阿基米德点”

"编外讲师"(private docent)制度是洪堡创办的柏林大学以及以柏林大学为样板的所有德意志大学的一种制度创新,是19世纪德国大学的现代转向的标志,是德国大学学术自由最为本质的制度保障。"编外讲师"到教授的晋升是通过"大学学部提名"、"直接磋商"、"政府任命"等三个步骤实现的,是德国学者进入学术生涯的起点,"编外讲师"的存在对19世纪德国大学的学术兴盛起到了非常积极的作用。     

Factors affecting the career progress of academic accountants in Australia: Cross-institutional and gender perspectives

Since the late 1980s, Australian highereducation has undergone significant reforms andpolicy changes based on economic rationalismand modernisation of management. This paperexamines the outcomes of the reform processesbased on the career attributes, status andperceptions of work environment of academicaccountants in Australian universities.Similarities and differences between academicaccountants are explored fromcross-institutional and gender perspectives.The data provide insight into a number ofsystemic inequalities between the older andmore established universities and the neweruniversities. In specific, across-institutional analysis based on fouruniversity types: Sandstones/Redbricks,Gumtrees, Unitechs and New (Marginson 1999)indicates that academic accountants in Newuniversities employ a much lower proportion ofstaff with PhD qualification, a weakerpublication profile, and perceive greaterbarriers for conducting research in terms of ashortage of research mentors, colleagues withresearch experience, and post-graduatestudents. Further, the commitment to flexiblelearning and delivery strategies iscomparatively stronger in Unitechs, and posesadditional demands on accounting academics'overall workload. Perceptions of gender-baseddiscrimination by female academic accountantsare generally stronger than their malecounterparts, particularly, in Newuniversities. These results raise severalissues for academic accountants at both theinstitutional and individual level in terms ofequal employment opportunities, management ofresearch programmes, development of teachingstrategies and individual time management.     

Pains and gains of working in Chinese universities: an academic returnee's journey

ABSTRACT

Over the past decade, an increasing number of overseas Chinese PhD graduates have returned to China to develop their career. For these academic returnees, one of the challenges is to (re)construct an academic identity in a familiar context that is also strange because they have been absent for a few years. In this autobiographical paper, the researcher describes and reflects upon the pains and gains experienced when re-entering and working in Chinese universities as a PhD returnee, revealing the process of his academic identity (re)construction when adjusting to different academic assessment policies. This writing offers an individual perspective on the challenges to returnees’ academic identity (re)construction and argues for the need to set up in-between spaces for inter/cross-disciplinary academic discourse between returnees and local scholars at Chinese universities. This paper aims to contribute to pedagogic debate on the development of more open research practices in Chinese universities.     

Vocational assessment of secondary students with disabilities and the school psychologist

Although much progress has been made in the identification and remediation of academic learning difficulties, less attention has been given to the career development of students with disabilities. Through their psychoeducational evaluations school psychologists are in an excellent position to provide useful information about the vocational functioning of these students. Some school practitioners may be hesitant to contribute fully to the vocational assessment process because they are unfamiliar with vocational behavior literature. In an effort to encourage greater involvement, the school psychologist's role as member of a career assessment team is discussed, and vocational theory and research concerning interest, ability, and personality characteristics are reviewed. Assessment and data integration strategies are offered. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Student engagement: rhetoric and reality

Recently, there has been much interest in higher education literature and policy on the concepts of student engagement and disengagement. While most academic writings recognise the significance of student engagement, they have tended to concentrate on it in relation to academic activities. Increasingly, universities are ‘cascading’ down the need to improve student engagement to schools and ultimately to individual academics. This article asserts that ideas about student engagement in the university context are often fragmented, contradictory and confused. Even the meaning of the term ‘student engagement’ is uncertain. Further, while government and universities urge attention to student engagement, many of their actions, it may be argued, have contributed to greater student disengagement. Relying on the available literature, we argue that the student experience as a whole is the key to engagement and, thus, efforts to re-engage students cannot be successful until a ‘whole-of-university’ approach is adopted.     

Gender inequalities in transnational academic mobility and the ideal type of academic entrepreneur

Based on a study on academic career paths of PhD graduates in Switzerland, this paper is concerned with the individual and institutional factors that affect transnational academic mobility in the postdoctoral period. It will be argued that the institutionalisation of geographic mobility in academic career paths through research funding institutions and universities have gendering and stratifying effects. Complex formations related to gender, partnership, children, and dual-career constellations, as well as to social class and academic integration, are resulting in inequalities in the accumulation of international cultural and social capital.     

Career choice status among undergraduates and the influence of career management competencies and perceived employability

This study examines the influence of career management competencies and perceived employability on career choice status (CCS) among undergraduates. Making informed and appropriate career choices is positively linked with well-being, work performance and academic and career success. Early career decision-making is now critical if students wish to succeed in highly competitive graduate labour markets. This study gathered quantitative data from 370 Business undergraduates in an Australian and UK university. Findings suggest that students have largely made career decisions and are reasonably satisfied with their choices. CCS varied with age, stage of study, perceived employability and student capabilities in career self-management. Findings highlight the need for universities to not only equip students with the necessary skills to enter their chosen career but also – in collaboration with industry – develop strategies to engage students in the different aspects of career self-management earlier on in their studies.     

Retaining female postgraduates in academia: the role of gender and prospective parenthood

Women remain under-represented in almost all academic levels at universities internationally, and previous evidence has suggested that women move out of the university system in increasing numbers as they progress from postgraduate study to an academic career. The current study aimed to explore the role of gender in the reports of study experiences and future career plans of Australian postgraduate research students (n?=?249). Questionnaire data indicated women were significantly less likely than men to rate an academic career as appealing. In particular, female postgraduate students without dependent children were least likely to want to pursue an academic career. On the basis of qualitative analysis, we attribute this finding, at least in part, to a perceived incompatibility between motherhood and an academic career and discuss the implications for gender equity in higher education.     

大学生就业指导课教学模式研究

开设就业指导课是高校应对大学生就业难的重要举措,一方面通过专业化、全程化的就业指导可以提高大学生的就业能力,帮助大学生顺利就业,另一方面就业指导课本身就是大学生成才教育的重要环节。大学生就业指导课应该成为高校的必修课程,由于开设时间短,缺乏优秀师资,我国高校就业指导课教学存在诸多缺陷,比如教学内容过于重视技巧忽视学生素...     

大学生职业生涯规划教育的问题与对策

职业生涯规划不仅影响大学生学习,而且影响他们将来的职业成长。高校应大力开展大学生职业生涯规划教育和指导,使大学生根据自身的实际情况和社会发展需要,制定适合自己职业成长的职业生涯规划。虽然政府和高校都十分重视大学生职业生涯规划教育,但是高校的职业生涯教育体系还不完善。大学生就业心理不成熟,高校应明确职业生涯规划教育目标,把握职业生涯规划教育与专业教学的关系,引导大学生积极参与社会实践,充分利用网络技术开展职业生涯规划教育,以提高大学生职业生涯规划教育的实效性。     

Autonomy or oligarchy? The changing effects of university endowments in winner-take-all markets

This paper directs attention to important changes in the role and funding of elite private universities in the USA. At the center of these changes is the private endowment—an institution that has for much of its history been a pivotal element of innovation and autonomy, but which is recently tilting towards the production and reproduction of oligarchic institutional conditions. In the context of an explosion of wealth inequality in winner-take-all markets where elite higher education serves to provide coveted access to rare positional goods, the in perpetuity endowment—as currently configured—allows a small group of globally leading institutions to become rentiers who can support themselves nearly exclusively through the returns on their endowed capital. With that, a century-old dynamic of innovation and change of American higher education is at risk of collapsing. Where the elite private universities used to act as the head of Riesman’s snake-like procession, pulling the majority of American universities along in a process of isomorphic emulation, the emerging gulf between a handful of academic rentiers and the rest of the academic body (including many world-renowned, but not super-rich universities) threatens to cut that head off from the body, leaving the majority of the remaining institutions scrambling for survival at the mercy of the dictates of academic capitalism. We review policy options capable of taming the run-away endowment and place the issue in the larger context of the tension between Madisonian and Jeffersonian democratic imperatives.