Speak of the Devil and (S)he Appears: The Role of Academic Administrators During Graduate School and Beyond

Graduate students, job candidates, and new faculty members encounter administrators in a variety of spaces, and the dizzying array of titles and job descriptions can make it difficult to know exactly who does what. This chapter offers a “who’s who” of administrators on college and university campuses, explains some of the reasons that tensions often exist between faculty members and administrators, and offers graduate students a guide for interacting with administrators during their time in graduate school and as they navigate the academic job market. This manuscript is part of Strategies for Navigating Graduate School and Beyond, a forthcoming volume for those interested in pursuing graduate education in political science (Fall 2022 publication).