Negotiation is an important skill for faculty at all stages of their career, but one that research suggests is often uncomfortable for women faculty to employ. This paper focuses on the topic of negotiation, with an emphasis on providing practical ideas and strategies relevant to academic professionals at both entry-level and mid-career who find that they need to negotiate a career opportunity. The paper will review negotiation basics, as well as discuss what can be negotiated, how one might proceed to discuss these, and how listening is critical to negotiation. By viewing negotiation as a “wise agreement” that seeks to meet the needs of both parties to the extent possible, this paper presents several common cases or scenarios that illustrate the importance of understanding the elements involved both from the faculty member’s perspective as well as from the perspective of their department head, dean or provost.
Janet Callahan is Professor and Chair of Materials Science and Engineering at Boise State University. Dr. Callahan received her Ph.D. in Materials Science, her M.S. in Metallurgy, and her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Connecticut. Her research interests include institutional change, women in engineering, mathematics, and materials science and engineering.
Dr. Mary Besterfield-Sacre is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Nickolas A. DeCecco Professor in Industrial Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. She is the Founding Director for the Engineering Education Research Center (EERC).
Dr. Carpenter is founding Dean of Engineering at Campbell University. She is Immediate Past-President of WEPAN, was PI on Tech's NSF ADVANCE grant, a member of the mathematical and statistical societies Joint Committee on Women, and advises a variety of women and girl-serving STEM projects and organizations. She is a past Vice President of ASEE and current Chair of the ASEE Long Range Planning Committee.
Kim LaScola Needy is a Professor of Industrial Engineering and serves as the Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas. She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, and her Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Wichita State University. She previously held an academic appointment at the University of Pittsburgh, and served as the Industrial Engineering Department Head and later the Dean of the Graduate School and International Education at the University of Arkansas. Prior to her academic appointments, she gained industrial experience while working at PPG Industries and The Boeing Company. Dean Needy is a Fellow and Past President of both the Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers (IISE) and the American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM), a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), and a member of the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS) and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). She is a licensed Professional Engineer in Kansas.
Cheryl B. Schrader retired as president and rejoined full-time professor ranks in Wright State’s Department of Electrical Engineering. Prior to Wright State she served as chancellor of Missouri University of Science and Technology and associate vice president for research and dean of engineering at Boise State University. Professor Schrader earned her BSEE degree from Valparaiso University and MSEE and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Notre Dame. Over her career she received several best paper and presentation awards; authored approximately 100 publications; and delivered more than 100 invited presentations and keynote addresses. Her grant and contract funding exceeds $11 million.
A Fellow of both the ASEE and IEEE, Professor Schrader has served ASEE in myriad technical, regional and institute-level elected leadership positions and committees and has been recognized for her many contributions. She was most honored to receive the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring from the White House, enhancing participation of individuals who might not otherwise have considered or had access to opportunities in STEM.
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