Forum: Promise and Peril of Being a SLAC Professor

Abstract The purpose of this forum is to illuminate the pros and cons of a career at a small liberal arts college (or SLAC). Using different perspectives, the forum highlights the diversity of international studies career paths. The forum places particular emphasis on the differences between SLAC careers and those at research-intensive institutions and discusses the ways that teaching-centric jobs at SLACs can be both extraordinarily rewarding and challenging. The forum is written by six tenured, senior professors who have the advantage of having experienced the “winds of change” at their institutions over the course of their careers. We hope that this forum serves to encourage and prepare current graduate students who are interested in careers at SLACs. Further, we offer our colleagues at larger, research-focused universities insight that may be useful as they advise graduate students about careers at SLACs.