Making the Most of your Summer
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Congratulations! You have now learned a lot about the rhythms of an academic year—even though it was not exactly a typical year. You likely experienced juggling research and teaching. You probably taught remotely or had limited in person experience with your students. You occasionally fumbled to find the unmute button on Zoom. You have probably worried about your students and you might have experienced intellectual isolation yourself.
Wow! You did learn a lot. You have more learning ahead: how to manage research as the world re-opens, how to get more acquainted with your departmental and school colleagues, what the IUPUI campus really looks like!
Here are some ways to keep your productivity up and your stress down:
- Ensure you have at least some vacation. Go, go, go, go, go = Crash! It’s easy to think, “If I just get THIS done, THEN I can relax.” If you relax a bit NOW, then THIS will usually be easier.
- Campus can be a calmer place but still active, like Indy Eleven soccer games! Leverage your parking pass to get you and your family close to a lot of attractions like the zoo, canal, downtown restaurants, and museums galore. Use bike share or scooters to get around; explore the cultural trail.
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Plan ahead for your family’s needs.
Watch out for how school (K-12) schedules interact with the IUPUI academic calendar and the most important conferences for your professional development. Even “virtual” conferences will take time and attention.
Communicate with your partner, household, friends, and family about your obligations—especially in summer. Some people think faculty have ‘summers off.’ This is clearly not true. Many non-academics are well-meaning but don’t understand how “non-nine-to-five” a faculty position is. Talk to them about protecting time for research, teaching, and your loved ones. But also, do try to find some time for self-care and rejuvenation.
The second year will still be stressful.
You knew the first year would be…brace yourself again.
It DOES get better.
Your third year is really when you hit your stride, for both tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty. You should experience fewer new course preps and glimmers of results from research.
Know where to find resources.
Healthy IU has many resources (elder and adult care, mental well-being, parenting, webinars, etc.) to make balancing work and life a little more attainable.
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By Catherine Matthews, Senior Consultant for Talent and Organizational Development, IU Human Resources
Summer is a good time to recharge, reflect, and prepare so that you can build on the previous year. Here are some quick tips for this summer.
Take stock of your year. Consider work flow and productivity, workplace interactions, energy and stress management, and skill development. What worked and what didn’t? What would you do differently? What would you like to learn? Think about your priorities over the summer to prepare for the new academic year.
Next consider who can help you. Having strong personal connections can fuel your engagement, add to your problem-solving network, and offer stress relief. Peers on campus often experience similar situations and can give great perspectives. There are also resources in Academic Affairs and IUHR, including Talent and Organization Development.
Whatever your focus, there are people to support you in reaching your goals and starting the academic year off strong. Contact me (ude[dot]anaidni[at]httamlac) directly if you have questions or would like to learn more.
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 Articles that are uploaded to institutional repositories are cited 18% more than articles that are only published through a journal’s subscription, and articles in institutional repositories generate additional metrics that can help a tenure-track faculty member show impact early in his/her career.
IUPUI has an Open Access Policy that helps faculty get scholarship in our institutional repository, IUPUI ScholarWorks.
– Submitted by Willie Miller, associate dean for communication and technology, University Library.
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Need-to-Know for New Faculty
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The writing group program provides a structure that encourages progress toward publication by promoting regular writing. At the start of each meeting, participants share their writing goals for the week. After writing quietly for 90 minutes or more, everyone reconvenes in the final minutes to discuss the session. This is a simple, powerful way to make time for writing in a supportive space.
Sign up: facultycrossing.iupui.edu/WritingGroups.
Questions? Please contact: ude[dot]iupui[at]ssorccaf.
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Articles that are uploaded to institutional repositories are cited 18% more than articles that are only published through a journal’s subscription, and articles in institutional repositories generate additional metrics that can help a tenure-track faculty member show impact early in his/her career.