A good question to ask yourself before you jump in to a career in higher education. . .
Are you assertive?
You really better be. Whether you are a professor or an administrator, you will likely be faced on a pretty regular basis with situations where a student, a student’s parents, or even the majority of a class takes issue with something you have said or done, and drags you into discussions about policies, prioritites and plans. It’s important when these things come up that you hold your own in your interactions with co-workers, students and their parents.
If you need a refresher on assertiveness, take a look at a presentation I did for Residence Life Coordinator staff this summer.
I hope that you will find it useful.
