A powerful and eloquent read, particularly as I endeavor to begin my own career as a professor. I empathize with Dr. Powers even as I lived, for the last seven years, the “alt-ac” side of this equation (btw, that term drives me bonkers, non-academic work is not “less than” and it’s hard to argue that academia is not the gold standard when employing a term that does just that). Missing from this article is a discussion of the need to conduct research, write, and participate in the complex interplay of theory and practice—a fundamental necessity for the growth and development of any discipline or field.
“Committed teachers and scholars are walking away, and they’re not doing it silently. Silence will not pave the way for someone else, or make the environment more just. This is why I write this, because, like Audre Lorde, I believe that “what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal, and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood”. I add my voice to the choir of voices. I am consciously uncoupling from academia.” ~Jill Powers
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/why-i-am-consciously-uncoupling-academia