Academic Leadership by Day, Student by Night: Juggling Department Management, Teaching, and a PhD Program as a Minority Woman

Beyond Individual Experience

While my experience might seem unique, casual conversations with colleagues suggest this shapeshifting identity convergence is increasingly common and higher education. Within my own institution, I’ve had conversations with numerous faculty members and department leaders pursuing advanced degrees while maintaining their professional positions. Through my involvement in an informal graduate student support group, I’ve witnessed the hunger for spaces where academics/practitioners can discuss the realities of juggling full-time academic or industry work with doctoral studies, often while also managing family responsibilities. These informal conversations, which frequently and naturally get stumbled into, in virtual meetings I have with faculty and colleagues at the institution I work for as well as in graduate course breakout rooms, reveal a shared experience: the palpable energy shift when people find others navigating similar challenges. Beyond my institution, conversations at conferences and within online scholarly communities reaffirm that this convergence of professional and student identities is neither rare nor isolated to academic settings. Many professionals, whether an industry or otherwise, bring serious expertise to their graduate programs, creating similar opportunities for mutual learning and knowledge exchange. How common these experiences are suggests that structured support for academics/practitioners who find themselves in identity convergence could benefit a significant population.