PREPARING THE PROFESSORIATE OF THE FUTURE: GRADUATE STUDENT SOCIALIZATION FOR FACULTY ROLES

Abstract

While graduate education produces talented individuals who have the knowledge and abilities to pursue a range of careers, one of its primary functions is to prepare the next generation of college and university faculty members. The socialization that occurs during graduate education contributes to how faculty members understand their work and assume their professional roles. Thus, the nature of graduate student socialization for faculty roles deserves attention among the range of scholarly questions pertaining to the professoriat. Furthermore, over the past decade, research on doctoral education and new faculty experiences has highlighted a wide range of important concerns and issues such as the changing academic job market, the experience of underrepresented demographic groups in the academy, the impact of technology, and the increasing need for interdisciplinary dialogue on teaching and research. These as well as other issues heighten the importance of paying increased attention to the processes and outcomes of graduate socialization for faculty roles.