The Professor Life Cycle (Report‪)‬

THE INTRODUCTION STAGE The four stages of the Product Life Cycle include Introduction, Growth, Maturity, and Decline stages [Lamb, Hair&McDaniel, 2011]. During the Introduction Stage, a non-tenured professor focuses on heavy campus involvement, establishing a teaching methodology, increasing confidence in both subject matter and command of the classroom. The new professor spends most of his/her classroom time lecturing and using publisher-provided materials. Because the new professor is attempting to increase job security, he/she becomes heavily involved in on-campus activities ranging from service as an advisor for student organizations to service on a campus committee. It is imperative that the new professor actively engages in numerous research and publication activities, sometimes individually or coauthoring with a mentor or colleague. Collegially, during this stage, the professor is attempting to establish credibility and create political allies in an effort to secure tenure.