Very late one night, as an assistant professor, I was working on a research paper with a graduate... more Very late one night, as an assistant professor, I was working on a research paper with a graduate student and the student asked, "Do you intend to keep working these hours after you get tenure?" I don't recall my answer, and I doubt it was very pithy; but I'm sure I intended to ease off the late night schedules of graduate student and junior faculty member. Unfortunately, it never happened. I became a university research administrator! The combination of a large funded research project and an extra course as overload led to late night sessions as an assistant professor; now it's long-range planning, budget allocations, tenure and annual reviews, and the other duties of serving as director of Washington State University's Agricultural Research Center-in which over 200 faculty annually conduct $29 million dollars of research in plant and animal sciences, forestry, home economics, and social science. Following Riley Dunlap's request when he organized this symposium, I provide in this essay a brief biographical sketch, offer a sociological perspective on the process of career mobility and administrative activities, and provide suggestions for aspiring administrators. My analyses and suggestions are clearly influenced by my own experiences, but hopefully they will provide some insights for those interested in administrative careers.
... Diffusion research in rural sociology: The record and prospects for the future. Post a Commen... more ... Diffusion research in rural sociology: The record and prospects for the future. Post a Comment. CONTRIBUTORS: ... SUBJECT(S): Agriculture; Diffusion of innovations; Agricultural innovations;Sociology, Rural; Technology transfer; Research. DISCIPLINE: No discipline assigned. ...
Major shifts in the terms of the social contract between society and land grant universities have... more Major shifts in the terms of the social contract between society and land grant universities have implications for the research, teaching, and extension agenda of rural sociology. By tracing the legislative, academic, and social context of these changes, one can understand the evolving process, the forces of change, and the necessity for new organizational strategies to respond to society's needs. Better networking with constituencies and use of advisory councils would tie the discipline closer to these needs. The identification of substantive needs are a product of such interaction and reflect new opportunities for rural sociology to provide leadership for human and community development programs.
A review of the methodology and sampling design used in the initial phase of a five-year longitud... more A review of the methodology and sampling design used in the initial phase of a five-year longitudinal study describes the model of family functioning in terms of energy consumption. The goal was to estimate the potential for energy conservation by families and to develop and test alternative energy conservation educational programs. The study involved two issues: the attitudes of household members and whether the information collected on families was adequate to determine energy practices. Sociologists are aware that the discrepancies between reported and actual behavior also exist in the area of energy use. The study evaluated sample households with respect to their response rates and comparability to the larger population. The final data will help in analyzing the acceptability of energy policies and the energy conservation practices in a family setting. 9 references, 12 tables.
Very late one night, as an assistant professor, I was working on a research paper with a graduate... more Very late one night, as an assistant professor, I was working on a research paper with a graduate student and the student asked, "Do you intend to keep working these hours after you get tenure?" I don't recall my answer, and I doubt it was very pithy; but I'm sure I intended to ease off the late night schedules of graduate student and junior faculty member. Unfortunately, it never happened. I became a university research administrator! The combination of a large funded research project and an extra course as overload led to late night sessions as an assistant professor; now it's long-range planning, budget allocations, tenure and annual reviews, and the other duties of serving as director of Washington State University's Agricultural Research Center-in which over 200 faculty annually conduct $29 million dollars of research in plant and animal sciences, forestry, home economics, and social science. Following Riley Dunlap's request when he organized this symposium, I provide in this essay a brief biographical sketch, offer a sociological perspective on the process of career mobility and administrative activities, and provide suggestions for aspiring administrators. My analyses and suggestions are clearly influenced by my own experiences, but hopefully they will provide some insights for those interested in administrative careers.
... Diffusion research in rural sociology: The record and prospects for the future. Post a Commen... more ... Diffusion research in rural sociology: The record and prospects for the future. Post a Comment. CONTRIBUTORS: ... SUBJECT(S): Agriculture; Diffusion of innovations; Agricultural innovations;Sociology, Rural; Technology transfer; Research. DISCIPLINE: No discipline assigned. ...
Major shifts in the terms of the social contract between society and land grant universities have... more Major shifts in the terms of the social contract between society and land grant universities have implications for the research, teaching, and extension agenda of rural sociology. By tracing the legislative, academic, and social context of these changes, one can understand the evolving process, the forces of change, and the necessity for new organizational strategies to respond to society's needs. Better networking with constituencies and use of advisory councils would tie the discipline closer to these needs. The identification of substantive needs are a product of such interaction and reflect new opportunities for rural sociology to provide leadership for human and community development programs.
A review of the methodology and sampling design used in the initial phase of a five-year longitud... more A review of the methodology and sampling design used in the initial phase of a five-year longitudinal study describes the model of family functioning in terms of energy consumption. The goal was to estimate the potential for energy conservation by families and to develop and test alternative energy conservation educational programs. The study involved two issues: the attitudes of household members and whether the information collected on families was adequate to determine energy practices. Sociologists are aware that the discrepancies between reported and actual behavior also exist in the area of energy use. The study evaluated sample households with respect to their response rates and comparability to the larger population. The final data will help in analyzing the acceptability of energy policies and the energy conservation practices in a family setting. 9 references, 12 tables.
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Papers by James Zuiches