Calling All #Alt-Academics!

I’m happy to announce that a census of alternate academics, the first public-facing component of my work with the Scholarly Communication Institute, is now open to contributions. If you have graduate training in the humanities and work outside of the tenure track, I’d like to warmly invite you to add your information to the growing database. Not #alt-ac? Check out the report to learn more about who we are and what we do.

As I discussed in an earlier post, the census has a dual purpose: First, it will serve the many individuals who are employed in (or considering) alternate academic roles by showing the breadth and depth of career trajectories that can follow graduate work in the humanities. The resulting database may help people to discover others with shared interests, find potential project collaborators, or open up new lines of inquiry. Second, it serves as an important first step towards the survey that SCI will conduct, which aims at better understanding career preparation and #alt-ac employment in relation to humanities graduate programs.

I’d like the database to be as broad and truly representative as possible, which means I’ll need help in extending its reach. Please forward the link widely and encourage the #alt-academics you know to contribute–the database becomes more useful as more people join in.

This census is part of a suite of new content and features at #Alt-Academy; the announcement is restated below. Please read, contribute, and circulate!

We are very happy to announce a new phase of publication at #Alt-Academy, an open-access online project at MediaCommons. #Alt-Academy was launched last summer with 24 essays by 33 authors, highlighting the role of “alternative” academic professionals in the humanities and related fields. The four projects joining #Alt-Academy today promise to open the publication to an even richer and more diverse set of voices.

Please consider contributing to:

• “Who We Are,” a census of the community, led by Dr. Katina Rogers, who is also (with the Scholarly Communication Institute) conducting a survey of graduate preparation for alternative academic careers: http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/alt-ac/who-we-are

• “Visible Margin,” a forthcoming regular publication of the site, edited by Drs. Polina Kroik and S. Miller.  Visible Margin will feature creative and critical work by PhDs, graduate students, and alternative academics: http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/alt-ac/visible-margin

• “Getting There 2,” a second “Getting There” cluster for #Alt-Academy, offering practical pathways, signposts, and advice for people considering alternative academic careers. This cluster will be edited by Dr. Brian Croxall: http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/alt-ac/pieces/cfp-getting-there-2

• and “Alt-Ac Goes Entrepreneur,” a new cluster to be edited by Dr. Daveena Tauber, examining the role of entrepreneurialism in academic training, the knowledge economy, and the alternative academic community: http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/alt-ac/pieces/cfp-alt-ac-goes-entrepreneur

#Alt-Academy also welcomes proposals for further new clusters and features.  For more information, see “How It Works” on our MediaCommons site.