[Tomorrow's Professors] 12 Books.

I Find Karma (adam@cs.caltech.edu)
Thu, 13 Aug 1998 11:36:17 -0700


The one book of the twelve recommended below that's striking a nerve is

> * S. R. Covey, A. R. Merrill, and R. R. Merrill, [First Things First,]
> New York, NY: Simon & Shuster, 1994. Goes beyond the familiar reminders
> and lists, calendars and appointment books, and even planning and
> prioritizing, to adopting the "importance paradigm" of putting first
> things first by "doing what's important rather than simply responding
> to what's urgent."

What are the most important things in your life? Do they get as much
care, emphasis, and time as you'd like to give them? Far from the
traditional "be-more-efficient" time-management book with shortcut
techniques, First Things First shows you how to look at your use of time
totally differently. Using this book will help you create balance
between your personal and professional responsibilities by putting first
things first and acting on them. Covey teaches an organizing process
that helps you categorize tasks so you focus on what is important, not
merely what is urgent.

First you divide tasks into these quadrants:
1. Important and Urgent (crises, deadline-driven projects)
2. Important, Not Urgent (preparation, prevention, planning, relationships)
3. Urgent, Not Important (interruptions, many pressing matters)
4. Not Urgent, Not Important (trivia, time wasters)

Most people spend most of their time in quadrants 1 and 3, while
quadrant 2 is where quality happens. "Doing more things faster is no
substitute for doing the right things," says Covey. He points you toward
the real human needs--"to live, to love, to learn, to leave a
legacy"--and how to balance your time to achieve a meaningful life, not
just get things done.

Hmmm. Sounds compelling.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684802031/forkrecommendedrA/

The rest of the twelve books every science and engineering professor
should have on their shelf is given below...

> Date: Mon, 6 Jul 1998 06:23:41 -0800
> From: Rick Reis <reis@stanford.edu>
> To: tomorrows-professor@lists.Stanford.EDU
> Subject: Tomorrow's Professor Msg. # 39 The Designated Dozen: Twelve
> Books Every Science and Engineering Professor Should Have on Their
> Shelf, or in Their Department Office
>
> Folks:
>
> Here is a recent list, prepared for a summer workshop on teaching and
> research, of twelve books that should be available to every begining
> faculty member in science and engineering. Your additional suggestions
> and comments are always welcome.
>
> Rick Reis
>
> reis@cdr.stanford.edu
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Twelve Books Every Science and Engineering Professor Should Have on
> Their Shelf, or in Their Department Office
>
>
> NOTE: Because of e-mail formatting difficulties, titles of books are
> not underlined, they are placed in [ ].
>
>
> General References
>
>
> * Committee on Undergraduate Science Education, National Research
> Council, [Science Teaching Reconsidered: A Handbook.] Washington, DC:
> National Academy Press, 1997.
>
>
> * Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, [Reshaping the
> Graduate Education of Scientists and Engineers,] Washington, DC:
> National Academy Press, 1995. Seminal report on the status of graduate
> education in science and engineering with specific recommendations on
> how to improve the academic preparation and career success of graduate
> students and postdocs in these fields.
>
>
> * National Science Board, [Science and Engineering Indicators -
> 1998<underline>,] </underline>Washington, DC: US. Government Printing
> Office, 1998 THE source of quantitative information and analysis
> regarding science, engineering, research, and education in the United
> States. Available biennially in even numbered years..
>
>
> Preparing for Academic Careers
>
>
> * P. J. Feibelman, [A Ph.D. Is Not Enough,] Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley
> Publishing Company, 1993. A classic, this 110 page book, offers pithy
> and insightful advice on all aspects of a research career in science
> (and engineering).
>
>
> * R. Reis, [Tomorrow's Professor: Preparing for Academic Careers in
> Science and Engineering<underline>,]</underline> Piscataway, NJ: IEEE
> Press, 1997. Designed to help you prepare for, find, and succeed at
> academic careers in science and engineering. Looks at the full range
> of North American four-year academic institutions while featuring 30
> vignettes and more than 50 individual stories that bring to life the
> principles and strategies outlined in the book.
>
>
> Succeeding as a Professor
>
>
> * C. I. Davidson and S. A. Ambrose, [The New Professor's Handbook: A
> Guide to Teaching and Research in Engineering and Science,] Bolton, MA:
> Anker Publishing Company, Inc., 1994. Quickly becoming a classic, this
> book is the right source for everyone making the transition to new
> faculty member in science and engineering. Covers both teaching and
> research.
>
>
> * M. L. Whicker, J. J. Kronenfeld, and R. A. Strickland, [Getting
> Tenure,] Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, 1996. A brief, practical
> guide on the tenure process with concrete advice (including the Ten
> Commandments of Tenure Success) for graduate students, postdocs, and
> junior faculty on how to maximize their chances of getting tenure.
>
>
> * P. C. Wankat and F. S. Oreovicz, [Teaching Engineering,] San
> Francisco, CA: McGraw-Hill, 1993. "This is a fine compendium of
> theoretical and practical information about engineering education.
> Nothing else like it has been published, either as a teaching resource
> or a guide to the literature, and it will be invaluable to anyone
> seriously interested in the profession." Richard Felder, North
> Carolina State University
>
>
> * E. L. Boyer, [Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the
> Professoriate,] Princeton, NJ: The Carnegie Foundation for the
> Advancement of Teaching, 1990. Arguably the most influential book on
> the work of the Professorate in the last decade, Boyer's classic lays
> the foundation for the four types of academic scholarship: research,
> integration, teaching, and application.
>
>
> * P.J. Frost and M. S. Taylor, [Rhythms of Academic Life: Personal
> Accounts of Careers in Academia,] Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications,
> 1996. Offers support, guidance, and advice for those contemplating or
> already involved in academic careers. It is a comprehensive work that
> surveys important topics relevant to the world of academia, such as
> publishing, research, teaching, pedagogy, teamwork, sabbaticals, and
> tenure. Written by a diverse group of scholars mainly from the
> information and organizational sciences area, much of what is said has
> application to all engineering and science disciplines.
>
>
> Time-Life Balance
>
>
> * S. R. Covey, A. R. Merrill, and R. R. Merrill, [First Things First,]
> New York, NY: Simon & Shuster, 1994. Goes beyond the familiar reminders
> and lists, calendars and appointment books, and even planning and
> prioritizing, to adopting the "importance paradigm" of putting first
> things first by "doing what's important rather than simply responding
> to what's urgent."
>
>
> * W. H. Gmelch, [Coping With Faculty Stress,] London, SAGE
> Publications, 1993. Eighty-five pages packed with practical advice on
> how to deal with the whole range of academic pressures, including how
> to tackle the ten most troublesome stress traps for professors.
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Richard M. Reis, Ph.D.
>
> Executive Director - Stanford Integrated Manufacturing Association
> Associate Director for Global Learning Partnerships - Stanford Learning
> Laboratory
> Building 02-530, Room 225
> 440 Escondido Mall
> Stanford University
> Stanford, CA 94305-3036
> (650) 725-0919
> Fax (650) 723-5034
> Reis@cdr.stanford.edu
> Interested in an academic career in science and
> engineering? Check out TOMORROW'S PROFESSOR at:
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----
adam@cs.caltech.edu

A writer is like a bag lady going through life with a sack and a pointed
stick collecting stuff.
-- Tony Hillerman