Poor Alice. She’s pulled in different directions and doesn’t know what will get her to Tenureland.

As described by Cathy Trower, director and research associate at the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, fictional Alice’s predicament mirrors that of many professors who embrace interdisciplinary research but find trouble parlaying that into career advancement…

…In her ideal institution, more interdisciplinary positions would be created, and the junior faculty who fill them would have mentors in different departments. Professors would be encouraged to take on their desired research topics early in their careers, instead of waiting until after they receive tenure. Trower said groups like the Campus Compact, a coalition of college presidents asked to think about service learning issues, could prove influential in setting the agenda about how to reward interdisciplinary work.