Hi Professors!
In today’s episode, I’d like to try and unpack something that I’ve been thinking about for a really long time. It has to do with amplifying the academic achievements of women of color faculty. And ultimately, I’d like to leave you with some thoughts about how to better have your wins amplified.
I was recently reminded of how sometimes it can be very difficult for women of color faculty to promote their own achievements. And truth be told, I am someone who has fallen into this category for most of my life. It’s something that I’m still working on, to be honest.
When I was a graduate student, I received a prize from the Society for Ethnomusicology, which is known as the Charles Seeger prize. It was based on a paper that I delivered at the Society’s annual meeting. It was a real honor to be named as a recipient.
I remember after the award was announced at the business meeting, a very good friend of mine wrote a congratulatory post on Facebook. And my advisor also immediately shared the news with our department administrator who published the announcement online; this was then picked up by the University’s news outlet.
I was so grateful for my friend and my advisor who took it upon themselves to share the news of my award.
Because the reality is that I would never have posted about the prize myself.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I was ashamed of winning the Seeger prize. In fact, I’m really proud of it.
It’s also not because I had imposter syndrome, although I have certainly grappled with that earlier on in my academic career.
If I’m honest with myself, it’s probably because of my own tendency to downplay my achievements coupled with the fact I grew up in a culture that has a distaste for self-promotion.
Grappling with Self-Promotion as an Asian American Academic
As the daughter of Korean immigrants, I learned that blowing one’s own horn was viewed as, well, uncouth. There’s even an expression in Korean that I really like that captures this sentiment in a reverse sort of way.
The expression translates to: “As the grain of rice matures, it bows its head.”
What is really valued is humility, and NOT the amplification of your accomplishments.
I know that this value of humility is not something everyone will relate to in higher ed. And in today’s day and age, it seems like so many people around you are actively engaged in some form of humble-bragging or self-promotion on social media.
But for some of you who are listening, can you identify with this deep sense of discomfort over broadcasting your own accomplishments?
If so, this raises another question, then, of how can you amplify your academic achievements in a way that feels authentic to you, when you are in a system that kind of requires it?
If you are a WOC professor, then amplifying your academic achievements is actually an important part of your success on the tenure track. And by achievements, I don’t just mean prestigious awards and fellowships, but also:
-your scholarly publications
-innovative courses that you have designed
-conferences or symposia you have planned
-your appointment to a leadership position within your university
-invitations to appear on national media for your expertise
-invitations to deliver keynotes
-national or international recognition for your research
-community-engaged research projects that land well
These can all be taken into consideration when you go up for tenure or for promotion to full professor. But beyond just listing these as another line on your CV, it is also ideal to have these wins broadcast to not just your colleagues but also your scholarly networks.
Because it is from within your networks that you will have other scholars who will be asked to serve as your peer reviewers and letter writers. The more of a known quantity you are, the more other scholars will feel inclined to endorse you and to write for you.
This last part is important for those of you who are going up for tenure. Because some institutions state specifically that your external referees need to be “at arm’s length.” Meaning that the people who are writing these letters in support of your tenure promotion really only know you from your scholarly profile.
They should not be former advisors, collaborators, friends, or colleagues.
So now you can see why it’s important to have your achievements amplified, even if the thought of promoting yourself is the last thing you’d want to do.
I also want to throw in another wrinkle into this…I want to acknowledge that some departments don’t do such a great job at acknowledging or boosting your achievements, even though it’s something they really should do on a regular basis for all of its faculty. And even though it would ultimately make the department look good, too.
It makes sharing any good news with your department kind of an unpleasant experience.
So with all of this mind, what are some things that you can do to ensure that your accomplishments are acknowledged, documented, and amplified?
6 Ideas on How to Ensure Your Accomplishments are Acknowledged, Documented, and Amplified
Here are six ideas for you to think about the next time you have some sort of academic success:
1. If it feels deeply uncomfortable for you to share your wins, then find some supportive allies who can share the news for you. And then maybe you can return the favor for them in the future. In my third podcast episode, I mentioned that it can be really useful to find a small group of women of color faculty that you can create a support group with. Signal boosting could be something that you do for one another.
2. If there is an official announcement of your fellowship or award, then go ahead and forward this to your chair and maybe even the director of communications at your university. You can also send this announcement to your scholarly society, as they often have newsletters.
3. If you were featured on a national broadcast or interviewed by a news outlet regarding your research, share this with the Communications office at your university.
4. Post about your achievements on social media in a way that feels comfortable for you. One way may be to offer gratitude for any help that you may have received for a publication or for landing a major fellowship.
5. Consider creating a simple website that you can update with your recent research, publications, and achievements. You can also seek help and support from people like Jennifer van Alstyne, who helps faculty create an online presence and personal academic websites. I’ll put the link to her information in my transcript.
6. And lastly, connected to the point about institutions being slow on the signal boosting or worse yet, silent … if this happens repeatedly to you and you find that none of your accomplishments are really being recognized and amplified by your institution—ask yourself, is this a place where you feel valued and where you want to stay long term?
This last one is a big question, and one that you probably want to reflect on for a while before making a significant decision to pivot out of your institution. But if you do want to seek another faculty position at a different university, then it is all the more important to have ways to document and convey your scholarly impact.
I know that this is a complex and nuanced topic. I hope that by addressing this subject in today’s podcast episode, you can start to understand how critical it is for your wins to be amplified and acknowledged.
And I hope that you can find some helpful ways to reframe what may feel like shameless self-promotion to something that’s more like an amplification of your achievements and the sharing of your scholarly research.
There are people out there who are rooting for you, and they want to engage with your ideas and research!! But they first have to be alerted to it.
That’s it for today. I’d love to hear what you think, especially if this is something that you’ve personally dealt with.
Also, in my 6-month Signature program for women of color faculty, I do help you with such topics, and strategize ways with you to broadcast your achievements and speak up and gain recognition in your academic career. You’re always free to contact me at Katherine at RisewithClarity.com.
Thanks for listening.