Careers in International Affairs, Eighth Edition

14 University Research Institutes - Careers in University Research Institutes

14 University Research Institutes Careers in University Research Institutes Elizabeth Gardner Elizabeth Gardner, a 1988 graduate of the Master of Science in Foreign Service Program at Georgetown University, is the associate director for administration and external affairs at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation. She previously worked for the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations , and Pacific Council on International Policy. IF YOU ASKED a group of young university employees to name the best parts of their jobs, what answer would surprise you the most? It would not be a surprise to hear that an invigorating intellectual environment is a big draw at a university research institute (in this case, Stanford University ’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, or CISAC). Faculty , students, and staff are all attracted to a place where world-class, rigorous scholarship is the basic stock in trade. University international affairs research centers are a special breed; they are not think tanks but they are not purely academic institutes, either. At the finest universities, the core mission of the international institutes is identical to that of the universities themselves: to conduct research, publish, and teach. Many international affairs centers, however, reach beyond campus into the halls of governments. Faculty members choose research topics with important, real-world ramifications. They advise government and international organization officials, sometimes forging enduring partnerships 382 Careers in University Research Institutes • 383 as the ‘‘brain trust’’ for elected and appointed leaders. They work in government and international organizations, often making a career of going back and forth between the academic and policy worlds. The CISAC professor William J. Perry, for example, was secretary of defense in the Bill Clinton administration, and CISAC’s Condoleezza Rice served as secretary of state in the George W. Bush administration. Many international affairs centers reach beyond campus into the halls of governments. All these efforts in research, teaching, publishing, and policy advising rely on the hard work of a cadre of highly capable people, many of them young professionals getting to know the international affairs field. Younger workers at a research center come in two flavors: student or staff. Graduate students are employed for short periods of time to assist faculty with research, usually while laboring on their PhDs. Staff employees have responsibilities that are either purely administrative—managing a visiting scholars program, for example—or a combination of research and administrative work. Research affords staff members the chance to delve deeply into an international topic and explore it under the tutelage of a faculty member. Some staff will draft lectures or essays for professors or edit work the professors authored themselves. Administrative work can be highly demanding, requiring a strong strategic sense, outstanding leadership, and great problem-solving abilities. Younger employees will have an opportunity to hone their business communication skills, plan complex events, and manage long-term, complicated projects. But some administrative work may prove mundane and routine. There are moments of ‘‘underachievement’’ when the work is not challenging enough. Like any job, though, university staff positions are what you make of them. An administrative job can be much more than the formal job description states. For those who display an interest in what is going on around them and a willingness to take on new challenges, their superiors will gladly respond and delegate more responsibility. There are two advancement paths within a university research center. The most senior positions require a PhD and often an appointment as a professor. For those without a PhD, the career ladder moves up administrative rungs. Younger administrative employees often will have relatively 384 • University Research Institutes short tenures of two to three years, getting their feet wet in the field, determining what it is they want to do next, and then moving on to more schooling or greater responsibility elsewhere. They leave with a greatly enhanced knowledge of international affairs and a cell phone filled with important contacts. For those who pursue a longer career in a research institute, an advanced degree is highly desirable and common, although not mandatory . More senior administrative employees will typically have professional experience in international affairs, having worked for the government or an international organization, for example, in addition to a professional specialization, such as financial management or public affairs. These employees can expect long careers in universities, where their interests and expertise match nicely with the...