Last Word
Selling our Wares:
What We Don't Tell Them Can Hurt Us
By Sheldon H. Jacobson
In spite of the large number of academics who provide instruction in the many institutions of higher education throughout our country, it is surprising how little is known and understood about the academic profession by those outside its immediate sphere. This could account for the dearth of young American students interested in pursuing Ph.D. degrees, and even the challenges that state institutions often face when attempting to educate legislatures on the value added to their constituents of a strong state university system. It is even more astonishing that our own undergraduate students (as well as domestic graduate students) struggle in grasping the rewards of the academic life and, hence, lack the impetus and encouragement to pursue such a career path.
Ultimately, the blame must rest with us and our inability to effectively communicate the economic and social value that we provide. It is disconcerting that the rather simplistic and negative phrase "publish or perish" is the most commonly quoted phrase by people outside of academia when describing the academic life. Whether this phrase is right or wrong is less relevant than the fact that it misrepresents the full scope of activities and contributions that we in academia are making to our nation. An important lesson learned early in my career is that if I am not excited about my research interests and ideas, then why should anyone else be? The same can be said about the academic lifestyle.
The Bonus Class
Taking this point to heart, I developed and created a lecture titled "The Bonus Class: The Keys to Success." This lecture is labeled as a bonus class since students earn one or two extra points added to their final grade if they showed up for the class, which conveniently ensures almost 100 percent attendance on the day the lecture is given.
The talk focuses on life as an academic (in particular, an engineering academic in a major research university). It discusses the three major areas of activities (research, teaching, service), with a common theme of education. It then briefly summarizes my own research activities, my different research grants and the research questions, problems and ideas that are being pursued and studied with my graduate students. The importance of research in research institutions is also discussed, and how the value of a student's degree (both graduate and undergraduate) is intimately linked to and dependent on such activities. It then covers my own personal goals in developing my graduate students to be the best that they can become.
The purpose in covering all these issues is to explain how academics spend their time outside the classroom and the value provided by all such activities that we undertake. As a personal touch, the " 'Phive' P's to Personal 'Phulphillment' and Promise" are presented, which contain principles that have become important in my life and can provide foundations for success in anyone's life. The talk concludes with an explanation that an academic life is, simply put, a life of service (to see "Bonus Class," visit netfiles.uiuc.edu/shj/www/shj.html and click on the bonus class link).
The presentation works to present what we in academia do in a realistic and positive way, with the hope that each student in the class will gain a more favorable impression of our activities and the value that we add to society. It can also provide the seeds to begin to change the misperceptions that abound about our profession. Invariably, after every one of these classes, one or more of the students stop by my office to express their thanks for taking the time to explain to them the details of an academic life. Many of the students (both undergraduate and graduate) are surprised by both the amount and breadth of activities and responsibilities that we must juggle.
Taking the time to tell our students (who are also our most captive audience) what is good about academia and why the academic lifestyle offers many advantages and benefits can go a long way to attract more students to the academic ranks. Ultimately, this requires us to sell our profession. Some may argue that this is beneath what we are trained to do. However, it is becoming clear that unless we actively present and convey a positive image of our profession to non-academics, to counterbalance the negative perceptions that exist, we will continue to struggle to attract the very best of our students to academia and continue to battle for funding that is critical to our nation's long-term well-being. The choice is ours.
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Sheldon H. Jacobson (shj@uiuc.edu) is a professor and Willett Faculty Scholar in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and director of the department's Simulation and Optimization Laboratory.
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