7 Grad Center Alumni Share Their Tips to Get on the Tenure Track

The academic job market can be daunting, but these Graduate Center alumni are using their experience and research to find tenure-track positions at colleges and universities around the country and abroad. They share their tips with fellow scholars who want to land a tenure-track job.

Morgan C. Williams, Jr. (Ph.D. '18, Economics) started a tenure-track faculty position in July in the Economics Department at Barnard College of Columbia University. He shares what he wished he would have known when he started his Ph.D. program and what made him stand out as a job candidate.

Two 2021 alumni of the Graduate Center Ph.D.-D.M.A. Program in Music received tenure-track faculty positions .Michèle Duguay will start as an assistant professor at Indiana University and Noel Torres-Rivera will be an assistant professor of music theory at the University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory in the fall of 2021. They explain why being true to yourself is key to finding a tenure-track position – especially in a challenging academic job market. 

José R. Chávarry (Ph.D. ’19, Latin American, Iberian, and Latino Cultures) starts a position in fall 2021 at the College of Charleston as an assistant professor of Hispanic Studies. He shares two pieces of advice for others looking for tenure-track jobs.

Allison Guess (Ph.D. ’21, Earth and Environmental Sciences) will begin a tenure-track position as an assistant professor of Africana studies at Williams College in fall 2021. She explains how creating a close group of mentors and colleagues helped her find a position, even in the aftermath of an economic crisis. 

Raj Korpan (Ph.D. ’21, Computer Science) starts a new role as a tenure-track assistant professor at Iona College in fall 2021. He shares tips on where to learn interview strategies and how to best apply for tenure-track positions.

Katherine Entigar (Ph.D. ’21, Urban Education) landed a new tenure-track position as an assistant professor of critical adult education at the University of Toronto, beginning in fall 2021. They say “finding a mentor who is your champion is key” and share a “powerful” daily practice that helped them succeed.