Table Of ContentRefections on Academic Lives
Staci M. Zavattaro • Shannon K. Orr
Editors
Refections on
Academic Lives
Identities, Struggles, and Triumphs in Graduate
School and Beyond
Editors
Staci M. Zavattaro Shannon K. Orr
School of Public Administration Political Science
University of Central Florida Bowling Green State University
Orlando, Florida, USA Bowling Green, Ohio, USA
ISBN 978-1-137-60008-0 ISBN 978-1-137-60009-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-60009-7
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016962736
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the
Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifcally the rights of
translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on
microflms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval,
electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now
known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifc statement, that such names are
exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information
in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the pub-
lisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the
material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The
publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional
affliations.
Cover image © ImageZoo / Alamy Stock Photo
Cover design by Tom Howey
Printed on acid-free paper
This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature
The registered company is Nature America Inc.
The registered company address is: 1 New York Plaza, New York, NY 10004, U.S.A.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank all the authors who contributed refections to this
book. Their words and views are their own, and we appreciate their will-
ingness to share their personal experiences.
Shannon: It takes a village to raise an academic, and I am very thank-
ful for my village. I would like to thank my husband Marco and daughter
Bella for their love and support in all that I do. I would especially like to
thank my dad who inspired me to follow in his footsteps in academia.
From the time I was a child, he taught me the importance of work/life
balance, respect for students, and fnding joy and meaning in your work.
I’d also like to thank my fabulous co-author Staci, who went from job can-
didate to friend in short order and has made academia more fun as a result.
Staci: I never wanted to be an academic, yet life takes you on funny
turns. Thanks to my parents Nancy and Richard for their love and sup-
port. They listen as I ramble on about research, teaching, and academic
life. Thanks to Shannon, who is willing to be an intrepid explorer and fnd
the best desserts in the world with me.
v
contents
1 Introduction 1
Zavattaro, Orr
2 A n Ode to Rejection and Other Academic Advice 5
Benneworth, Garner, Dioko, Mihalyfy, and Yaure
3 G raduate School: Refecting on Everything from
Choosing to Finishing 27
Gopaul, James, Ho, Darragh, Smith, Archer, Haupt, Khayat,
Campbell, Englebrecht, Brown, Gasper-Hulvat, Nardone,
Hildebrandt, Costopoulous, Pacheco-V ega, and Gonzalez
4 O nto the Job Market! 73
Oliveira, Bond, Fay, Kennedy, Hanna, Hetherington, and
Gardner
5 D eveloping a Research Agenda: Your Bread and Butter 95
Shaw, Farmer, Brown, Cannady, Huang, Stout, and Hapke
vii
viii CONTENTS
6 T he Art of Teaching: Really, It is an Art 121
Storla, Catlaw, Brice, Brooms, Harris, Gannon, Gallagher,
LaMan III, Hoyle, Welty, Gulya, Beckermann, Dunbar, and Fritz
7 S urviving and Thriving in Academia: Obtaining Balance,
Health, and Clarity 161
Sprague, Briones, Elias, D’Agostino, Orr, Eagan, Love,
Edwards, Schewe, King, Brainard, Gamage, Orr, Knox,
Berdahl, Zagumny, Perry, Brooms, Dixon-Reeves, and
Polk
8 C oncluding Thoughts—Now What? 221
Zavattaro and Orr
L ingo and Terms 223
I ndex 233
editor BiogrAphies
Staci M. Zavattaro, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Public Administration at the
University of Central Florida and a research associate with the Center for Public
and Nonproft Management. She is the author of Cities for Sale and Place Branding
Through Phases of the Image. She serves as managing editor for Administrative
Theory & Praxis. Follow her on Twiter @StaciWithaZ.
Shannon Orr, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Political Science at Bowling Green
State University. She is the author of the book Environmental Policymaking and
Stakeholder Collaboration (2014) and has recently published research in the areas
of climate change, national parks, and sustainability. She is currently fnishing a
book project on Asian Carp and the Great Lakes. She can be found on Twitter at
@CapacityBldg4SD.
ix
contriButor BiogrAphies
Candace Archer, Ph.D., is a policy analyst at the American Federation of
Government Employees where she works on legislation and federal policies that
affect government workers. She was previously an Associate Professor of Political
Science at Bowling Green State University and the Director of the Labor Studies
program at the National Labor College. She has a Ph.D. in Political Science from
the University of Delaware and has published extensively on political economy and
global fnance.
Kay Beckermann is a Ph.D. student at the North Dakota State University
Department of Communication with an emphasis in Media and Society. She is in
the beginning stages of research regarding the interactions of culture and journal-
ism in the United States. Kay holds a Bachelor of Music from Minnesota State
University Moorhead and a Master of Arts in Communication from North Dakota
State University. She lives in Fargo, ND, with her husband and two daughters.
Paul Benneworth, Ph.D., is a senior researcher at the Center for Higher Education
Policy Studies at the University of Twente in Enschede, the Netherlands, and a
senior Researcher at Agderforskning, Kristiansand, Norway. Paul’s research inter-
ests concern questions of democracy and inclusion in innovation activities in
increasingly knowledge-centered societies. He is a Fellow of the Regional Studies
Association where he edits the early career section of their journal Regional Studies,
Regional Science.
Loleen Berdhal, Ph.D., is Professor of Political Studies at the University of
Saskatchewan. Her current research explores science and expertise in policy-mak-
ing; additional research interests include Canadian federalism and regionalism,
public policy, and public opinion. Loleen is the Project Leader for the Survey and
Group Analysis Laboratory (SGAL) at the University of Saskatchewan’s Social
xi
xii CONTRIBUTOR BIOGRAPHIES
Sciences Research Laboratories, and recipient of the 2014 University of
Saskatchewan Provost’s Award for Outstanding Teaching in the College of Arts
and Science, Division of Social Science, and the 2014–2015 College of Arts and
Science Teaching Excellence Award, Division of Social Sciences.
Alexander L. Bond, Ph.D., is a Senior Conservation Scientist at the Royal Society
for the Protection of Birds, Europe’s largest environmental NGO and the UK
partner in Birdlife International. His research focus is on island restoration, seabird
conservation, and marine pollution in some of the most remote corners of the
globe. When he’s not on remote islands, he makes his home in Bedfordshire,
England, with his husband, Jeremy.
Lori A. Brainard, Ph.D., is Associate Professor at the Trachtenberg School of
Public Policy and Public Administration at George Washington University. Her
research focuses on communication and civic engagement. This includes under-
standing how agencies use social and other media to connect with citizens and
how people use social and other media to engage in public life.
Darryl A. Brice, Ph.D., is currently an Instructor of Sociology and Diversity and
Globalism Studies at Highline College where he has taught since 2003. While
teaching at Highline College, he was recognized as Faculty Member of the Year in
2008. He was also the recipient of the NISOD (National Institute for Staff and
Development) Excellence Award. He attended Frostburg State University where
he received his BS in Political Science and Justice Studies. He received his MA and
Ph.D. in Sociology from Loyola University Chicago.
Rowena L. Briones, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Public Relations at the
Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture at Virginia Commonwealth
University. Her research agenda explores how social media and technology impact
public relations and health communication in terms of campaign development and
relationship building, particularly in the areas of sexual health, crisis communica-
tion, and risk communication. She has an extensive research record, with publica-
tions in top journals including The Journal of Public Relations Research, Public
Relations Review, PRism, Health Communication, and Journal of Health
Communication.
Derrick R. Brooms, Ph.D., is faculty in Sociology at the University of Louisville
and serves as a youth worker as well. He specializes in the Sociology of African
Americans, particularly Black males, with research and activism that focus on edu-
cational equity, race and racism, diversity and inequality, and identity. Dr. Brooms
serves as a Member-at-Large for the Association of Black Sociologists and was the
chair for the Committee on Teaching and Learning for the Midwest Sociological
Society (2015–2016). He earned his BA in African and African American Studies
