As a pracademic for my entire career and a department chair for almost 20
years, I found the wonderful symposium on pracademics to be right on target.
The examples and the advice for faculty and administrators are invaluable to
our profession. Thank you for publishing it.
However, I think my friend Dick Engstrom and his coauthor Michael McDonald
may have overstated the downside of the expert witness gig. While tense, I
have found most depositions and cross-examinations to be challenging and
fun. The trick is to be modest in your claims and stick closely to the facts
in your report. If you do that, then even vicious cross-examination will
roll off your back. But they are right to advise that those who don't handle
tension and deadlines well should do other things.
Two possible practical outlets were not mentioned directly in the symposium.
The first is running for public office and serving if elected. Most local
elected offices are part-time and can easily be combined with university
teaching schedules. State offices are another matter. I ran for city council
in 1977. While I lost the election, the experience of being a real candidate
taught me things about the electoral process I would not have learned in any
other way. I have used the experience in teaching and it suggested research
topics.
A second practical outlet not mentioned in the symposium is local appointive
office. Most local boards and commissions are part-time and may include a
small stipend or expenses. These positions give the academic an inside view
of government that cannot be duplicated. I served for 12 years on the county
board of elections and for six of those years as the board chair. I thought
there was no better place for a political scientist whose specialty is
elections and voting. Again, I learned things about the process that have
been useful in both teaching and research. The contacts gained also helped
me to get offers to be an expert witness in several cases where expertise on
nitty-gritty election procedures was required.
I never felt that my practical activities detracted in any way from my other
professional duties, and I was adequately rewarded by chairs and deans for
my service.
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As a pracademic for my entire career and a department chair for almost 20 years, I found the wonderful symposium on pracademics to be right on target. The examples and the advice for faculty and administrators are invaluable to our profession. Thank you for publishing it.
However, I think my friend Dick Engstrom and his coauthor Michael McDonald may have overstated the downside of the expert witness gig. While tense, I have found most depositions and cross-examinations to be challenging and fun. The trick is to be modest in your claims and stick closely to the facts in your report. If you do that, then even vicious cross-examination will roll off your back. But they are right to advise that those who don't handle tension and deadlines well should do other things.
Two possible practical outlets were not mentioned directly in the symposium. The first is running for public office and serving if elected. Most local elected offices are part-time and can easily be combined with university teaching schedules. State offices are another matter. I ran for city council in 1977. While I lost the election, the experience of being a real candidate taught me things about the electoral process I would not have learned in any other way. I have used the experience in teaching and it suggested research topics.
A second practical outlet not mentioned in the symposium is local appointive office. Most local boards and commissions are part-time and may include a small stipend or expenses. These positions give the academic an inside view of government that cannot be duplicated. I served for 12 years on the county board of elections and for six of those years as the board chair. I thought there was no better place for a political scientist whose specialty is elections and voting. Again, I learned things about the process that have been useful in both teaching and research. The contacts gained also helped me to get offers to be an expert witness in several cases where expertise on nitty-gritty election procedures was required.
I never felt that my practical activities detracted in any way from my other professional duties, and I was adequately rewarded by chairs and deans for my service.