Forming and managing your committee

1
Forming and managing your committee

• Sarah KaplanWharton School, University of
  Pennsylvania

2
Picking a chair/advisor a two-way street

• You want an advisor who
• Does work you admire
• Is actively involved in research (continuing to
  publish)
• Is sympathetic to your research question/approach
• Will be a good match in terms of work style,
  personality
• Good advisors are usually in high demand
• They want to make sure that there is a reasonable
  payback for effort
• The mutual getting to know you process
• Set up meetings
• Take their courses, do good work, push the
  thinking in class
• Be appropriately visible in research seminars
  (ask a few smart questions)
• Trial runs become an RA in your first year pick
  a likely candidate to advise you on your 2nd year
  paper

3
What you need from your advisor and your committee

• Help in navigating the literature
• Help in formulating your question
• Guidance in methodology
• Help with preparing papers for the publication
  process
• Contacts for data collection
• Funding for your research
• Support when you go on the job market

4
Putting together the full committee

• The kinds of people who can help with the thesis
• Intellectual diversity (avoid group think)
• Members strong in related theories vs. related
  methods
• Members immersed in related literature vs. those
  immersed in the same or related research context
  (e.g., industry)
• Senior (more experience advising doctoral
  students, more clout in the field) vs. junior
  (closer to the process, perhaps more time to work
  with you)
• The kinds of people who can help with the job
  market
• Consider the extent to which at least some
  members of your committee can represent your work
  well to the outside community
• BUT, this doesnt help if the thesis isnt good,
  so make sure you satisfy (1) before you satisfy
  (2)

5
Maintaining the relationship with the advisor and
each committee member

• Demonstrate your value
• Be reliable
• Turn work around quickly
• Do correct and thorough work
• Think through the next steps
• Demonstrate that you bring something to the table
  other than elbow grease complementary assets
  such as new methods, new theoretical lens,
  primary data
• Make productive use of your committees time
• Understand how each person likes to work and be
  responsive to their needs in terms of level and
  type of involvement.
• Push as far as you can before seeking advice use
  the advisor when you are stuck
• Keep the advisor up to date communicate very
  regularly

6
Managing the committee as a whole

• Dont expect to be managed by them you need to
  manage up
• Communicate with everyone regularly
• Get on their calendars in a timely manner to make
  sure everyone is on board at each milestone
  (e.g., proposal defense, going on the job market,
  final defense)
• Give them enough time to review materials before
  each milestone
• Hold meetings individually with each member on a
  regular basis. Hold group meetings as needed.
• Make sure that differences in views are flagged
  early so that they can be resolved before they
  become problems. Avoid last minute surprises.

7
Committee as relationship

• Requires relationship management
• If it is not working, dont play the victim
  figure out a way to make it productive
• Build trust
• Manage towards a future when you are no longer
  the student to the advisor but faculty
  colleagues