books.
The Engaged Scholar: Expanding the Impact of Academic Research in Today’s World by Andrew Hoffman is an engaging (couldn’t help myself), thought provoking, inspiring book. what the book lacks in practical advice, it makes up for it with a healthy discussion on the systemic ways in which the academia continues to trip over itself. more importantly, Hoffman poses a call to action for readers, from graduate students to full professors to deans to journal editors, to remember why you chose to become a professor in the first place. it’s incredibly well written to boot.
Going Public: A Guide for Social Scientists by Jesse Daniels and Arlene Stein is a very good resource and guide for scholars looking to start their journey in public scholarship. with chapters focusing on telling stories, building an audience, and making a difference, the authors lay out a detailed roadmap to, get this, going public! i especially appreciated the ever-flowing and applicable advice on writing. i refer to their passive voice/’by zombies” advice on a daily basis.
No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer is a bit off topic. i have a niche interest in the rise (and fall) of business tech companies, namely ones that changed the way we connect, move, and live. see: Uber, Facebook, Instagram (honorable mention: Theranos). this book, though, focuses on the value of human capital, specifically around innovation. humans are where the ideas come from! this is a book about how company culture lends itself to innovation thus elevating netflix to its position today. netflix pivots and evolves as the industry and human nature allow, leaving its competitors in the dust (i’m talking about you, blockbuster) in large part due to its culture. lessons here can be applied to other industries including higher education, where bureaucracy, red tape, and complacency is rampant, thus stifling the workforce and its creative energy.
Atomic Habits by James Clear was a book i wasn’t sure i needed. i am a committed and habitual person (for all the good habits i enjoy doing like exercising and drinking water). but there are plenty of habits i want to rid myself of (my obsessive need to check my email 1000 times a day will be the end of me). and what the author presents is a level of self awareness needed to create and nurture an identity that supports your habit shift. in 2023, i want to be someone who becomes detached from her cell phone (aka doesn’t check email and social media 1000 times a day), who can sit with herself in silence every day (aka mediates daily). Clear also provides loads of additional resources through his website.
I also read Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman but, for the life of me, i cannot remember any of the key takeaways besides life is very short so spend your time more intentionally. maybe it was as simple as that.
research.
Carol Dweck’s Ted Talk – The Power of Believing You Can Improve is about growth versus fixed mindset. the internal belief that you can change. i am excited to dive much deeper into growth mindset, personally and professionally, in the new year.
Colbeck, C. L., & Michael, P. W. (2006). The public scholarship: Reintegrating Boyer’s four domains. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2006(129), 7-19. – Boyer (1990) argued that academics should be equally evaluated across four domains – discovery, integration, application, and teaching. the authors argue that public scholarship is the through line across all domains, and should be evaluated as so.
McMillan Cottom, T. (2015). Who do you think you are? When marginality meets academic microcelebrity. Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media, and Technology. McMillan Cottom is a celebrity in her own right, and this piece was a fascinating introspection on the ways in which this notion, especially as a black woman, defies the gravity of what the public considers ‘academia’ and ‘knowledge-based work’. relying on comments posted on her own blog, she provides a snapshot and unique perspective of public engagement that puts light on how minorities within academia are perceived in the public space based on nothing more than their assumed gender and skin color.
Stewart, B. (2015). Open to influence: What counts as academic influence in scholarly networked Twitter participation. Learning, Media and Technology, 40(3), 287-309. – through a qualitative inquiry, Stewart explores how academic influence is sought after outside of the academy, namely through Twitter (may she rest in peace). she discusses the way influence is developed and operationalized for scholars who are also active participants on social media but also the way that social media can empower scholars to be more open.
Borman-Shoap et al. (2019). Knowing your personal brand: What academics can learn from marketing 101. Academic Medicine, 94(9), 1293-1298. – this brief does more than talk about the value of brand development for academics, it also prompts the reader to inquire about their why. revisiting or (discovering) your mission, vision, and values inform your brand, and can help you lead a more sustainable, meaningful career.
Colbeck, C. L., & Weaver, L. D. (2008). Faculty engagement in public scholarship: A motivation systems theory perspective. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 12(2), 7-32. – this paper should be read by department chairs, deans, and any administrator interested in supporting and promoting public scholarship amongst their ranks.
Hoffman, A. J. et al. (2015). Academic engagement in public and political discourse: Proceedings of the Michigan meeting. Ross School of Business Paper, (1367). – this document is a conversation with academic leaders (e.g., university presidents), researchers, and students on the many facets surrounding public scholarship. it also contains loads of practical advice on becoming a public scholar from those who practice what they preach.
inspiration.
longreads is a weekly newsletter of excellent curated longform journalism and writings from across this here internet. it’s exquisite in its ability to both compile such an extraordinary list week in and week out. but its the short summaries that introduce the piece within the newsletter that plant the intrigue. through longreads curated list, i’ve discovered a world in which i never knew i needed like i’m not the only person on earth who holds on so dearly to the nostalgia of the 1990’s and how luke perry wanted his body decomposed by mushrooms.
hunter harris’s hung up newsletter is a pop culture writer who joined the flurry of independent writers and thinkers on substack. like many of my favorite internet folk, i found her through twitter. funny, relevant, and relatable, hunter harris not only has a way of compiling all the pop culture news i care about (and some I don’t, which is very easy to brush past), her writing style makes me wish we were at brunch gabbing about which Real Housewife could be our best friend. and i don’t even watch Real Housewives. what matters more than anything, is her writing makes me laugh out loud.
psyche was one newsletter that surprised me. i wasn’t sure what to expect, but i’ve grown fond of the various science-based articles on how to be a better human being. its wide-ranging psychology-based topics can meet the needs of any blood pumping human. there is also a good range of perspectives on interesting topics like how to be a happy nihilist.
roxane gay’s the audacity newsletter provides us with her own personal curated list of interesting reads each week, also brought to us by substack. i love the authenticity roxane brings to every single thing she does, even within the confines of a simple newsletter. but its the bi-weekly emerging writer series that inspires me. beautiful prose that narrate the story of our lives.
from me to you, with love.
of course i can’t compile a list of my favorite resources without including a few of my own!
reflection.
the end of the year is upon us, and my colleague Julia from Glass Full reflected on it so beautifully… ‘Somehow we are once again siting in that place between where we’ve been and where we’re going…’ well. where have you been this year? and where are you going in the next? (not literally, of course).
i spent one sunday morning in the most cozy situation possible (read: a cup of hot ginger and green tea, faux fireplace on the television thanks to netflix, candle burning, clear blue sky, and this workbook), reflecting on the year behind me and building intentions for the year ahead. i invite you to do the same (the workbook is free). i am still determining what my theme will be for 2023. i’ve been thinking a lot about light, and trust is another word that keeps coming up. i’ll check back in the new year to share what i land on.
beginning the journey to public scholarship.
as you cruise into 2023 with clear eyes and a full heart, feel free to watch my free webinar on how to become a public scholar. there is also a blog post on where to begin that can supplement the webinar (in addition to some of the books listed above).
i have a curated list of resources where i collect any and all public scholarship research, articles, and resources i come across. it also includes loads of information on making it count with your tenure and promotion file. and i curate my random reading list through flipboard if you are also interested in what random beautiful stories exist on the internet.
do you have any reading recommendations for me for 2023?
