Book Review: Unraveling Faculty Burnout

     I believe social work professors are social workers. I understand this position is not universally accepted. Yet, as a clinical (non-tenure-track) professor, I see the work I do as a natural part of my career trajectory. I left my job as a full-time hospital social worker in 2012 to become a full-time clinical assistant professor in a social work department. I learned quickly how different the worlds of direct practice and higher education are. In practice, a family in crisis over a sudden trauma was cause for immediate action, often necessitating overtime spent in the Emergency Treatment Center. As a faculty member, I would sometimes be called in the evening over a different kind of perceived emergency: a student at risk of academic dismissal, or concern that recent state legislative action would impede the ability to discuss topics freely in the classroom.

     All of this is to say: when I read Dr. Rebecca Pope-Ruark’s book, Unraveling Faculty Burnout, I felt seen. Dr. Ruark’s book opens with her personal experience with her faculty role, particularly how, despite a successful track record of teaching and research, the pressure of “expectation escalation” was always present. It’s heartbreaking, but it affirms a generally unspoken situation about higher education, particularly among women. (Full disclosure, I identify as a man, and this book provided insight into the practice of higher education, as well as the ways my identify allows me to benefit in this historical space of inequality.)

     It’s the rare educator who isn't acquainted with this sense of “never enough,” of never feeling that there’s an obtainable career stride they can reach, especially during the early stages of their career. In higher education, this pressure to constantly produce more is often coupled with the lack of time to appreciate the work a professor has accomplished. Consider this: journal articles are often anonymously peer-reviewed by three academics with knowledge of the author’s field and expertise. Among professors, there is a well-known meme about “Reviewer 2,” an anonymous critic who evaluates a professor's work and dismisses it with harsh criticism, often directly countering the comments of Reviewers 1 and 3. “Reviewer 2” has become shorthand for unfounded criticism in the face of earnest and meaningful work.

     Ruark describes how the “inner Reviewer 2” prevents people from reaching out for help and support. Despite the idealized perception of the life of a professor, feelings of burnout remain common. Early in my own career path, I had several supervisors deny that burnout even exists, saying that workplace burnout is actually the result of a mismatch of employee and a position. I internalized this early on, quietly absorbing the implication that “good” social workers love and follow their calling without question, even if that meant taking on an excessive workload. Given these expectations, it's easy to lose sight of the social work Code of Ethics, particularly Standard 2, Ethical Responsibility to Colleagues, 2.01: “(a) Social workers should treat colleagues with respect and should represent accurately and fairly the qualifications, views, and obligations of colleagues,” and, “(b) Social workers should avoid unwarranted negative criticism of colleagues in verbal, written, and electronic communications with clients or with other professionals.”

     This isn’t meant to describe direct social work practice as inherently more worthy as a vocation than teaching and scholarship, or vice-versa. I experienced an immediate and significant contrast between these two professional environments. As much as I prepared for the former (through coursework, practica, and mentorship), I wasn’t prepared for the latter. And, yet, I believe all this work is a part of my social work identity.

     Throughout each chapter, Ruark invites readers to reflect on their own lives. What brought you into higher education? Do your values align now? Who are you when you are in higher education? These reflection points helped me refocus and reframe what brought me to higher education and why I value the work I do. The Appendix includes insightful discussion on the importance of legacy reflection. This was a wake-up call for me. I’ve led discussions on Ego Integrity versus Despair, the Erikson Stage of Development in later life, but had never considered deeply how important it is to apply this stage to my own career, particularly as a clinical professor.

     While not specific to social work practice, Unraveling Faculty Burnout is an excellent work that provides meaningful career focus to social work instructors on any track and capacity. If you are tenure track, instructor track, or adjunct, Professor Ruark’s book is essential for you.

Reviewed by Stephen Cummings, MSW, ACSW, LISW, Clinical Associate Professor and MSW Program Director, University of Iowa School of Social Work.