Academia in Summer

Many American tenured or tenure-track academics have 9- or 10-month contracts where they are paid only during the terms when they teach, but not summers. During fall and winter terms, classroom responsibilities, meetings, governance of programs and departments, lab management, student supervision, community engagement, and other student support activities require at least 40 hours per week for most professors. Yet, most incentives at major research universities (i.e., merit, tenure, and promotion) are for producing scholarships such as scientific manuscripts and book writing and publishing and writing funded grants. The result is excessive work hours. There are a host of books critical of academic life, the deterioration of academia, the shrinking number of tenure-track positions, and the impossibility of a work-life balance for a professor who is responsive to student needs and produces useful knowledge to advance their profession.

Although the public and many policymakers believe academics have three months off from work (“So much vacation time! That must be nice!”), summer is among the most challenging and busy times for academics. And that does not feel great for the folks who are not paid during this period. The roles and functions of academics are heterogeneous and there is no such thing as a typical professor. Yet, whatever the role and expectations; if used mindfully, then summertime is an opportunity to go beyond the day-to-day hustle and hassle.

Rest, Reset, and Recover

Academic burnout is real. Budget cuts, threats to tenure and job security, anti-science aggression, pressure to produce more each year, and many other factors take a toll. The personal and professional factors involved in functioning in a pandemic have been intensely stressful for academics, students, staff, and nearly everyone. Supporting students and providing quality educational experiences in challenging circumstances is time and energy-consuming. Not to mention the stressors caused by so many academics falling ill or caring for ill family members. One result is that academics are quitting tenured positions in large numbers. Given that so many academics are on the road to burnout, some time to unwind and recover is required. Take a vacation. Not for the entire summer, but a nice chunk of time fully and completely away is important and necessary. This is a top priority and not an if-I-have-time situation. Make it clear to all students, co-authors, and colleagues that you will be away on specific dates. Do not check your email. Fully relax. And get some sleep while you are at it.

Think

Most professors are paid to think. But with the continuous hamster wheel of activity and emotional labor over fall and winter terms, there is little time or energy for any deep thinking. Summer is the chance. Schedule and protect time for reading, team discussions, and deep thinking. This is the chance to question assumptions, rethink your scholarly trajectory, think big, and be creative. For most of us, this is the fun part of academia. Yet, deep thinking mostly takes place when the rare commodities of time and rest are available.

Review and Plan

Improvement is built on the rubble of failure, seeds of success, and the insight that is experience. Allocate time to plan and organize. But this is only effective if the effort of the past is evaluated accurately. What worked well? What did not work at all? What can I change? For example, what was missing from the last academic year was a sense of community and teamwork. No question most academics missed a lot of fun last year. Zoom is fine for communicating, but team and community development are mainly in-person activities. Assuming the public health situation improves, I am planning for more lab lunches, discussion groups, social events, and team project sessions. Academic work needs to be taken seriously, but the work is communal and needs to be fun.

Write and Create

My position is a 12-month contract at a research-intensive university. For me, about 75% of my writing takes place from May through August. This is when grant proposals are written, ethics proposals are developed, the major writing on books is finished, and manuscripts are written and submitted. I usually spend April preparing my tasks (e.g., reading papers, analyzing data, creating outlines). May is typically a bit muddy as many leftover administrative tasks from the spring. But I am in full writing mode on June 1. This may appear to be especially keen and overly ambitious for summer work. Yet, summers are different. Without commuting, endless meetings, administrative work, teaching and grading, and the daily email avalanche; getting writing done in the fall and winter required a 12-hour day; the same amount of writing in summer now requires only a 4-hour day. Short and productive workdays are the best. My preference is to work in the early morning and generally be done by noon. The rest of the day is spent running the dog, time with family, cooking, reading novels, and napping.

Each academic thinks differently about summers. There are different pressures and requirements depending on the nature of the university position, contract, and professional goals. Most of us are running around and simply getting by for 8-months of the year. Summer is not free time, but if used strategically, summer is our opportunity to rest, recharge, plan, and create.