Hiring chemical educators: The view from the dean's office

CHED 12

Marion H. O'Leary, moleary@csus.edu, College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics, California State University, Sacramento, 6000 J St., Sacramento, CA 9560806123
There is a place in the comprehensive universities for faculty whose scholarship is in the field of science education, but success (e.g., tenure and promotion) is defined differently than for faculty with a more traditional research orientation. Departments considering such hires should be asked about the expected background in science and pedagogy, the anticipated teaching assignment, expectations for supervision of research students, interactions with the College of Education, and promotion/tenure criteria. Candidates should be asked about scholarship expectations, teaching desire/expectations, and understanding of promotion/tenure criteria. Deans should be asked about congruence between departmental and candidate expectations, relation to college mission, relation to faculty in other departments, and promotion/tenure prospects. It's a challenging assignment.