Tenure: A Game Manual

Table Turned: A Student's Perspective

In this episode, student assistant and podcast editor Sebi reflects on the experience of balancing student life, creative work, and career goals while helping shape the podcast behind the scenes. From editing episodes to collaborating closely with faculty, she discusses what it was like to learn through hands-on work outside the classroom and how the project deepened her understanding of academia, mentorship, and meaningful work as a graduating student.

Prescription to post-tenure malaise: a perspective from an ER doctor

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Jeffrey Michael Beckett, an emergency medical physician at the Dallas Department of Veteran’s Affairs Hospital and Methodist Dallas Medical Center to compare careers in medicine and academia. The conversation explores the extensive training, high-stakes responsibility, respect, compensation, autonomy, and work–life challenges shared by both fields. Dr. Beckett also reflects on rising burnout and early exits in each field, emphasizing that time and autonomy are among the most valuable, and often overlooked forms of compensation.

Pathway to Administration

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Meghna Sabharwal, Professor of Public and Nonprofit Management and Associate Provost for Faculty Success at UT Dallas, about her pathway to administration, from her early years as a faculty member to becoming one of the few women in senior academic leadership at a major R1 university. Dr. Sabharwal discusses how her research in public administration informs her leadership style, and how she balances institutional responsibilities with teaching, research, and family life. She also offers practical advice for faculty and graduate students considering administrative roles and reimagining the possibilities of an academic career.

Leaving Tenure

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Darcie Vandergrift, an award-winning sociology professor who transitioned from academia to regional government work as a qualitative researcher. Seven years into her new role, she reflects on how the work, schedule, and compensation compare, and what her journey reveals about the growing trend of leaving academia.

From Idea to Business

This episode features an interview with Dr. Bethany Wilinski, an associate professor at Michigan State and a sabbatical coach. Dr. Wilinksi discusses her experience planning her sabbatical and how sabbaticals can help build sustainable and fulfilling careers.