Dear colleagues,
I’m happy to announce that Academic Labor: Research and Artistry (https://wac.colostate.edu/alra/) is seeking proposals for projects that investigate the future of labor in higher education. As the landscape of higher education continues to evolve, it is crucial to understand the changing nature of labor within academic institutions and how such labor is structured, compensated, and valued. Understanding these changes, alongside the challenges and opportunities they present, is critical for charting new futures for academic labor. We see this work building on the white paper by Thomas Miller and Charles McMartin, “The Path Ahead for Recent PhDs” that was published in Issue 8 of ALRA. Proposed research and artistry topics may include, but are not limited to:
- The impact of technological advancements on the workforce in higher education
- Strategies for supporting contingent and non-tenure track faculty
- The role of unions and collective bargaining in shaping labor conditions
- The influence of globalization on the higher education labor market
- Alternative models for organizing and compensating academic labor
- Policies and initiatives that demonstrate promising new approaches and ideas
- The role of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in shaping labor policies
- The impact of declining enrollments and financial constraints on labor practices
- The future of graduate student labor and its impact on academia
We encourage research-based, essayist, creative, and interdisciplinary approaches and welcome proposals from scholars, practitioners, community members, and policymakers. Proposals should clearly outline the scholarly questions and methodologies that will be used as well as potential contributions to our understanding that the manuscript offers for the future of academic labor.
Co-Editors Bruce Kovanen and Sue Doe
Schedule
March 1, 2025: Proposals (not more than 300 words) sent to Sue Doe and Bruce Kovanen
March 15, 2025: Invitations and regrets sent to authors in response to proposals
June 1, 2025: Completed articles due to the editors. Peer Reviewing begins.
July 1, 2025: Peer review process completed. Decisions sent to authors.
August 1, 2024: Revised final draft articles due to the editors
September 1, 2025: Copyediting
Late Fall 2025: Publication
To submit work to ALRA, please visit our submissions portal at https://submissions.colostate.edu.