Ben Mangrum writes:

Post warnings and statistics on department websites, the Doctoral Study report recommends; inform students about the uphill battle for tenure; discuss honestly during the first year of graduate study the prospect of an adjunct career. For one, this recommendation places an ethical obligation upon departments to create awareness about the state of academia, which (although by no means a panacea) seems right. This strategy also gives departments a concrete avenue for staking out ground within the unfavorable, changing academic landscape. If a department provides concrete examples of its training for both academic and non-academic careers, as well as specific numbers about its placement record, this kind of “candor” could cultivate more transparency for both prospective and current students, who often view the job market as some veiled and ominous force.

Read the full post at Ethos Review.

Ben Mangrum is a doctoral candidate in English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.