The privilege of having a career in higher education is helping students learn. The enrollment management professionals at your school are responsible for formulating and implementing a plan that attracts the best students to your institution. This month, we were able to gain many insights into this critical role by sitting down with an accomplished professional in the field, Steven Klein, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management at Angelo State University.
After reading, we invite you to continue the discussion in our LinkedIn group or follow HigherEd Careers on Twitter.
Andrew Hibel, HigherEdJobs: You are currently the Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management at Angelo State University and have spent the better part of 20 years practicing enrollment management. Would you briefly explain what encompasses enrollment management at your university and how you chose this profession?
Steven Klein, Angelo State University: Enrollment management is a rational, data-informed and systematic approach to understanding the dynamics of enrollment at a particular institution and to optimize enrollments based on those dynamics. Angelo State has created an Enrollment Management Division for the first time in its history as it is poised to grow from 6,000 to 10,000 students over the next decade. Admissions, financial aid, registrar and career services make up the direct reports to this unit, but we touch so many other areas to achieve our results. We work with student life, residence life, the academic community, multicultural services, athletics, alumni, development on a regular basis -- there is really no part of a campus community with whom we don't partner at some point. I chose the profession because I can make a difference in people's lives and the satisfaction I get from knowing that I am part of a team.
Hibel: What are some of the major challenges in general in the field of enrollment management today? How have these challenges changed from 5, 10, or 15 years ago?
Klein: Clearly, the economy is top of mind for so many in enrollment management. Families are not as comfortable with paying for higher education as we experienced just a few years ago. Couple that with the overall decrease in high school graduates, the demographic changes of those seeking higher education (more single heads of family, low-income families, a higher proportion of underrepresented and underprepared students), decreases to federal and state support to campuses and student aid, changes to family income and concern about job security, the hits that family income and investments have taken -- and campuses are faced with significant new realities. Campuses that had been investing heavily in direct student aid, infrastructure improvements, enhancements to residential living programs, and the like are suddenly faced with a wholly different approach to the services they can provide.
Hibel: Following up from the previous question -- you discussed some challenges. However, often from challenges, unique opportunities are developed. What positive changes or opportunities have you seen in enrollment management over the past few years?
Klein: Technology improvements allow us to reach more students in ways that were unimaginable 10 years ago. Ten years ago, texts were the words that made up a book! Today, it has a whole new meaning. The focus on rapid and continuous new student enrollments remains, but the demographic changes are causing much of the enrollment discussions to focus on retention efforts as well. There is a greater awareness of the financing challenges faced by families. The reality of shrinking state and federal budgets has put a renewed emphasis on finding ways to support students -- especially those from low- and middle income families. The recent federal legislation to shift funding from bank-based subsidized loans to increased Pell Grant funding is one example. The changes are helping us connect and think outside the traditional box.
Read more at: http://bit.ly/azIEje
Friday, June 25, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
The Current State of the Postdoc Experience
An important step in the career of many higher education professionals starts with a postdoctoral position. These positions provide the necessary experience, mentoring, and networking opportunities for a person's career. For this career topic, we reached out to Cathee Johnson Phillips, executive director of the National Postdoctoral Association for a conversation regarding "postdocs" and advice for people who are looking to obtain a postdoctoral position. The National Postdoctoral Association works to advocate for postdoctoral positions and to help academia and industry understand the vital role postdocs play in their organizations.
After reading, we invite you to continue the discussion in our LinkedIn group or follow HigherEd Careers on Twitter.
Andrew Hibel, HigherEdJobs: What is a postdoctoral position and how has the job changed over the years? Has this change had a positive or negative impact on postdocs?
Cathee Johnson Phillips, National Postdoctoral Association: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) define a postdoctoral position as "a temporary and defined period of mentored advanced training to enhance the professional skills and research independence needed to pursue his or her chosen career path." The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) worked with these organizations to establish this "official" definition, and we fully support it.
I should point out that there are various titles for a "postdoc," usually related to how the position is funded and whether the institution classifies a postdoc as an employee. For example, a postdoc might be called a "research associate," or a "postdoctoral fellow," or a "postdoc paid direct," or... So that's important to keep in mind when looking for a postdoc position.
While the general "job description" of the postdoc has not changed that much, the number of postdocs has. Since the '70s, the number of postdocs has steadily increased, as has the number of fields that offer or require postdocs. The number of postdoctoral scholars in the United States on temporary visas has tripled since 1985. Also, in biomedical fields, a postdoc has become required if a person has any hope of becoming a faculty member on the tenure track or wants to succeed on other biomedical career tracks.
The length of a postdoc also was dramatically increasing from a few years to more than five years or even ten years. That trend seems to have reversed in 2005. Finally, the U.S. scientific enterprise has become increasingly dependent upon postdocs to conduct research and maintain its position in the global research enterprise.
Source for these statistics: National Science Foundation Division of Science Resource Statistics. (January 2008). Science and engineering indicators 2008. Arlington, VA: National Science Board.
The impact of these changes is difficult to pinpoint; we need more data to understand why these changes are taking place as well as the impact they are having. For example, the data that we do have suggests that if a person remains in a postdoc for longer than five years, their chances of having a successful career in science diminishes. Of course, that may depend on how you define "successful." For sure, the postdoc has become a necessary position within the scientific enterprise. And, because the postdoc has become such an established part of the U.S. research system, the issues of appropriate compensation and benefits and working conditions have become paramount within the postdoctoral community. The negative impact is that we have more persons paid inadequately and more persons without benefits, as many postdocs are not considered employees. The positive impact is that the larger postdoc workforce now has a stronger national voice and can work to improve compensation and benefits and the working conditions. That's why the NPA was founded--to represent that national voice.
Hibel: For what type of professional would a postdoctoral position be an ideal job from which one can build a career?
Phillips: The majority of these positions are found in science, especially in the life sciences. Postdocs are increasing in the computer/mathematical sciences, the physical sciences, the social sciences, and engineering, and also outside of science, in the humanities. A biomedical scientist comes the closest to being the professional for whom a postdoc would be ideal, although, used properly, a postdoc can be invaluable for any professional.
Hibel: How can a person get the most out of the postdoctoral experience?
Phillips: Network. Network. Network.
And, possibly change one's attitude. Don't look at the postdoc as just a period of advanced research and increasing knowledge of a discipline. Also look at it as a time of professional development and growth in regard to lifelong learning and critical skills such as communication, professional etiquette, leadership and management, and responsible conduct of research.
Ph.D. candidates need to research postdocs while still in graduate school. They need to network with other postdocs and postdoc advisors. Call up an institution's postdoc office (if they have one) and visit with them. They need to understand the nature of the postdoc and know what questions to ask.
BOTH prospective and current postdocs need to ask themselves, "What are my long-term career goals and what do I need from my postdoc to achieve these goals?" In this economic climate, with fewer tenure-track academic positions available each year, they need to consider all of their career options. There are self-assessment tools, such as FASEB's Individual Development Plan (IDP), and resources, such as the NPA's Core Competencies, that can help them to consider what they need to get out of the postdoc to succeed.
Read more here: http://bit.ly/deqnPN
After reading, we invite you to continue the discussion in our LinkedIn group or follow HigherEd Careers on Twitter.
Andrew Hibel, HigherEdJobs: What is a postdoctoral position and how has the job changed over the years? Has this change had a positive or negative impact on postdocs?
Cathee Johnson Phillips, National Postdoctoral Association: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) define a postdoctoral position as "a temporary and defined period of mentored advanced training to enhance the professional skills and research independence needed to pursue his or her chosen career path." The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) worked with these organizations to establish this "official" definition, and we fully support it.
I should point out that there are various titles for a "postdoc," usually related to how the position is funded and whether the institution classifies a postdoc as an employee. For example, a postdoc might be called a "research associate," or a "postdoctoral fellow," or a "postdoc paid direct," or... So that's important to keep in mind when looking for a postdoc position.
While the general "job description" of the postdoc has not changed that much, the number of postdocs has. Since the '70s, the number of postdocs has steadily increased, as has the number of fields that offer or require postdocs. The number of postdoctoral scholars in the United States on temporary visas has tripled since 1985. Also, in biomedical fields, a postdoc has become required if a person has any hope of becoming a faculty member on the tenure track or wants to succeed on other biomedical career tracks.
The length of a postdoc also was dramatically increasing from a few years to more than five years or even ten years. That trend seems to have reversed in 2005. Finally, the U.S. scientific enterprise has become increasingly dependent upon postdocs to conduct research and maintain its position in the global research enterprise.
Source for these statistics: National Science Foundation Division of Science Resource Statistics. (January 2008). Science and engineering indicators 2008. Arlington, VA: National Science Board.
The impact of these changes is difficult to pinpoint; we need more data to understand why these changes are taking place as well as the impact they are having. For example, the data that we do have suggests that if a person remains in a postdoc for longer than five years, their chances of having a successful career in science diminishes. Of course, that may depend on how you define "successful." For sure, the postdoc has become a necessary position within the scientific enterprise. And, because the postdoc has become such an established part of the U.S. research system, the issues of appropriate compensation and benefits and working conditions have become paramount within the postdoctoral community. The negative impact is that we have more persons paid inadequately and more persons without benefits, as many postdocs are not considered employees. The positive impact is that the larger postdoc workforce now has a stronger national voice and can work to improve compensation and benefits and the working conditions. That's why the NPA was founded--to represent that national voice.
Hibel: For what type of professional would a postdoctoral position be an ideal job from which one can build a career?
Phillips: The majority of these positions are found in science, especially in the life sciences. Postdocs are increasing in the computer/mathematical sciences, the physical sciences, the social sciences, and engineering, and also outside of science, in the humanities. A biomedical scientist comes the closest to being the professional for whom a postdoc would be ideal, although, used properly, a postdoc can be invaluable for any professional.
Hibel: How can a person get the most out of the postdoctoral experience?
Phillips: Network. Network. Network.
And, possibly change one's attitude. Don't look at the postdoc as just a period of advanced research and increasing knowledge of a discipline. Also look at it as a time of professional development and growth in regard to lifelong learning and critical skills such as communication, professional etiquette, leadership and management, and responsible conduct of research.
Ph.D. candidates need to research postdocs while still in graduate school. They need to network with other postdocs and postdoc advisors. Call up an institution's postdoc office (if they have one) and visit with them. They need to understand the nature of the postdoc and know what questions to ask.
BOTH prospective and current postdocs need to ask themselves, "What are my long-term career goals and what do I need from my postdoc to achieve these goals?" In this economic climate, with fewer tenure-track academic positions available each year, they need to consider all of their career options. There are self-assessment tools, such as FASEB's Individual Development Plan (IDP), and resources, such as the NPA's Core Competencies, that can help them to consider what they need to get out of the postdoc to succeed.
Read more here: http://bit.ly/deqnPN
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