The Foreign Service Journal, February 2010

then progress through the ranks of assistant professor, associate profes- sor and, finally, to professor (think of the Senior Foreign Service). At larger state universities and more prestigious private institutions a Ph.D. degree is required to advance beyond the instructor level, al- though one can teach undergradu- ates with a master’s degree in the field of instruction. Tenure — orig- inally intended to assure academic freedom — is a key issue. The trend is toward fewer tenure-track positions (now averaging about 45 percent of a teaching staff, but with a high degree of variation among institutions), al- though faculty strongly support creating more. Management Parallels While no two university structures are identical, the en- tire organization is headed by a president or chancellor (if, for example, there is a school “sys- tem” made up of one or more uni- versity campuses, plus a medical school or law school). The chief ac- ademic officer is usually the pro- vost, who may also carry a senior vice presidential designation, and serves as the “DCM” at most insti- tutions. Then, depending on the size of the institution, there are var- ious other senior vice presidents, vice presidents, vice chancellors, vice provosts, plus asso- ciates and assistants at each level. Again, structures vary widely from campus to campus, and sometimes there is not a clearly defined chain of command. Top-level administrative officials, in addition to per- forming their management functions, also maintain their faculty status and may even teach a class or two (think DCM as the function and FS-1 as the rank). Faculty can leave their administrative positions (chair, dean, provost, even president) and remain on campus in their professo- rial role to teach or do research. The mandatory retire- ment age — if there is one — also varies among insti- tutions, but is usually quite high (70 to 75). At the same time, management in academia often re- sembles trying to herd cats. Most policies are developed through committees, and decisions are arrived at through collegial discussions. Thus, someone accustomed to a real- time, command-and-control management style faces con- stant frustration. Fortunately, when I arrived here, academic colleagues were very supportive and understand- ing of someone coming from the outside to a relatively high- level position, and provided patient guidance and advice. A Growing Trend Given the continuing emphasis on globalization and in- ternationalization, Foreign Service skills will become even more welcome and readily transferable to campuses. When I took my current position seven years ago, there were rel- atively few former colleagues in similar positions; now there are many more. With thousands of campuses across the country, there will likely be at least one academic institution nearby, wherever you plan to spend your post-FS life. For me, academia has turned out to be an ideal follow- on career. The Foreign Service experience serves as ex- cellent preparation for the campus — just as academia can be a great precursor to a Foreign Service career. ■ 28 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 0 F O C U S Academia offers tremendous professional and personal satisfaction — but you do need to learn the language and culture.