Today is a fairly momentous day in my professional life. Today Purdue University voted and awarded me tenure and promotion to associate professor. As a professor at Purdue University Calumet since August 2003 there have been trials and tribulations. Some would say that the tenure process is an extended hazing ritual, and some would say that the process is romantic if antiquated. Either perspective and so many more would be right, but I think it means different things to different people. To me it means acceptance.
Dr. Melissa Dark presented a view of tenure to me that says it allows the maximum scholarly freedom when the topic is not appreciated or may be hostile to the consensus at the time. Whether the hostility is politically inflammatory or the academe reticent the protection of tenure allows the inquisitive to pursue societal changing science and scholarship. In my position tenure means that though my colleagues may not agree with me they have accepted my scholarship as worthy of inclusion into the ranks of academics as a partner and peer. Tenure does not mean a job for life, but it does mean I can continue doing what I have been doing.
The steady encouragement of Dr. Reza Kamali has been a lifesaver and a mirror to my lack of reason. Though we may not always agree he has always listened to my concerns and given me a fair hearing. Sometimes he does what I need or want and sometimes he doesn’t. He always seems guided by the principles to do what is best for the department. Professionalism is sometimes embodied in a single person and for me that will always be Professor Charles Winer. He is the person who has modeled how to be a successful academic in service to the University. No praise would explain the depth of gratitude I have for his mentorship at Purdue University Calumet. The same could be said for my fellow faculty Professor Barbara Nicolai, and Dr. Keyuan Jiang. We shared as junior faculty the woes of seeking tenure and now I join them in status. As a team we have solidified into the diamond we always hoped to shape.
Over the period of time that I’ve been seeking tenure the relationships of technology, science, scholarship, and teaching have radically changed. When I joined Purdue University Calumet my department’s faculty included two PhD professors and one EdD. and the rest of us simply had masters degrees in a variety of topics. Since then the faculty has changed to near half who have PhDs. I to am seeking my PhD and I see tenure as one step on the path of scholarly excellence.
I have excellent role models along the path of what scholarship looks like. My PhD advisor is Dr. Marcus Rogers and he has pushed my scholarly output and shaped my thoughts on the relationship between society and the tumultuous technological manifestations. I’ve already mentioned Dr. Melissa Dark without whom I simply would not be writing this missive and engaged in the act of scholarship. Though my fellow faculty at Purdue University Calumet has supported me, Dr. Dark shaped my thinking. From her tutelage and mentorship I learned how to think and teach.
If somebody were able to reach into the back of my mind and drag out the wrinkles of humor they would have the stamp of Dr. Victor Raskin all over them. In many occasions when faced with difficult choices or attempting to tease out a possible solution the specter of Dr. Raskin would rise out and bludgeon my own pomposity and provide the mechanisms to future consideration of the problem at hand. All with the flow of humor. Someday I will read his book and understand it. The last three attempts have been failures.
Sitting in a diner late at night in Albuquerqe New Mexico Dr. Ira Agins explained the intellectual benefits of being on a faculty. From this seed of intellectual discourse expanded the idea of seeking a job in academia. Though our paths crossed while riding motorcycles his passion and cantankerous nature led to life altering decisions. Today was a milestone along that path. Similarly my father in-law and mother in-law who are life long academics, a past dean at the Texas Tech medical school, celebrated educator physician/biologist and a professor emeritus from the Virginia system their academic career path has led to many discussions. They likely don’t realize the positive effects of their efforts.
There are a lot of people I owe many thanks to for their unequivocal support as an academic, a student, a scholar, and a person. One who can’t go without being named is my wife Sydney. When we met in graduate school, both in the process of divorces, both challenged by life, and both seeking a sense of purpose. When we met who knew where it would lead. She is both smarter and more talented than I. Without her constant support I would not have ever contemplated such a radical change in direction. From her I derive my sense of purpose, morality, and accomplishment. Without her any success would be meaningless.
As I reflect on the events leading to this milestone and share in some minor way my thanks I don’t consider this an end of the road but one more step. In my thanks I offer up the following promise that I will endeavor to continue to challenge myself, mentor others as I have been mentored, attempt to understand and support my fellow faculty, and seek the next level on the path to scholarly success. Today I celebrate because there is still a lot of hard work to do.