Academic socialization and faculty development assistance: A study of new tenure-track faculty members in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources

The objective of this study was to develop a conceptual model concerning effective academic socialization processes and faculty development assistance practices for new tenure-track faculty members in The Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR or the Institute). Analytical case study methodology was used with data derived from interviews, demographic questionnaires, job descriptions, Staff Activity Reports, IANR and University of Nebraska documents. Qualitative and quantitative data were reported. The purposive sample of twenty participants was drawn from a population of sixty faculty members in IANR hired between January, 1984 and May, 1989. Four research questions were employed to meet the stated objective. Themes and Issue Examinations were reported within the analysis of the research questions to illuminate components of the resultant model. Faculty members identified issues and concerns related to academic socialization and faculty development assistance that contributed to the content of the issue examinations and model. Academic socialization was analyzed using the works of Van Mannen (1978) and Corcoran and Clark (1984) as a comparative framework. Faculty development assistance was probed through systematically reiterated explorations of interview data. The results of this effort and the model developed were intended to impact the academic socialization efforts and faculty development assistance activities undertaken by and for new faculty within the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It was important for those involved to consider both self and other initiated academic socialization and faculty development efforts. Self initiated efforts found to greatly impact the careers of new faculty members were related to interview preparation and behaviors, reception of an offer, negotiation for and acceptance of a position. Important other initiated academic socialization efforts involved the department head, colleagues, IANR, and the University of Nebraska. Those included the on-campus job interview, provision of orientation experiences, efforts to negotiate and meet start-up needs, encouragement of mentoring and related activities