M/MLA Special Session, November 9-12, 2006, Palmer House Hilton, Chicago

Session Title: Bridging the Gap: Transitions between Academic and
Nonacademic Careers

Every year since 1984, the MLA has held a job clinic at the annual
convention particularly intended for academics considering nonacademic
professional careers in business, government, and the not-for-profit
sector. Moreover, The Chronicle of Higher Education Careers Section
routinely contains articles about the transition from academia to
nonacademic careers. This special session, "Bridging the Gap," will
focus not only on the experiences of literature and writing faculty and
graduates who have made or are considering making the transition from
academia to the nonacademic sector but also on the experiences of those
choosing to re-enter academia after employment in the government or
private sector. We invite presentations on such topics as the
following: practical advice to individuals contemplating such
transitions; evaluation of the opportunities available to literature and
writing specialists in both the academic and nonacademic settings;
review of technological changes and the new job search and marketplace;
marketing of academic credentials to nonacademics as well as transfer of
nonacademic skills, knowledge, and experience to academic careers;
distinctions between serving four-year and community colleges and
between working for business, government, and not-for-profits; and
overcoming the psychological and social challenges of a major career
change.

Please send a 250-word abstract and a brief biographical note within the
body of an e-mail to Jon Mann, DePaul University, jmann10_at_depaul.edu,
and Harveen Mann, Loyola University Chicago, hmann_at_luc.edu, by April 15,
2006.

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Received on Tue Mar 07 2006 - 18:23:20 EST