Most know that Sept 1st marks the day that my Promotion and Tenure portfolio is due. A two inch notebook which contains documentation of all accomplishments since coming here to Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi 4.5 years ago. The notebook begins with a review by faculty at the departmental level, passes to the Dean of College and if it passes muster, goes to the Provost of College and then all the way through the A&M system - hopefully getting a thumbs-up all along the way, including external reviewers who are selected blindly (i.e, not known to me). The process takes about a year. And it's high stakes - if I get P&T, I stay for as long as I like (remaining productive of course). If I don't? I have one year to find another job. I'm in pretty good shape - great teaching evaluations, mucho service to the university and community, many grants funded, but publications have been elusive since I spend so much time teaching - when compared to my colleagues who research and teach one class a semester, as a science educator I typically teach 5-6 classes per semester. So, this semester an adjunct instructor has taken over one section of classes. And, I was freed up from some ancillary work (i.e, committees). I've been writing like a wild woman since January. Five, yes FIVE manuscripts submitted to five different journals. Three more in prep. This week, I found out that not one but TWO were accepted!!! TWO!!!!! The other three are still being reviewed. Oh yes, I was doing a happy dance!! I'm on my way...here is the first that was accepted. Fingers crossed, and feeling a bit more confident!!
