Administrators as Advisors

[acewolf]

I'm a first year grad student in the physical sciences, and I love the department I'm in. There are a number of excellent research opportunities I am exploring before I make a formal request for a specific research advisor in November.

 

I have found myself interested in the research of a senior administrator who is also a professor in my department. He seems reasonably accessible, currently mentors a very successful student from his previous university (where he was also a senior administrator), and I get along great with his secretary. His research is awesome and may be exactly what I am looking for, although, like I said before, there are lots of excellent opportunities throughout the department.

 

This type of advisor is going to expect a motivated and mature self-starter, and I think I fit the bill. I am older than most grad students and I have several years of industry experience.

 

What else should I keep in mind as I consider this administrator as a potential advisor?

Edited October 29, 2013 by acewolf

[Eigen]

I'm curious from your definition of him as an administrator. 

 

Is he a faculty member with administrative duties? Or is he purely an administrator?

 

You seem to be confusing the two, when they are very different things. 

 

IE, is this person a Dean/Provost, or are they a Vice President?

[fuzzylogician]

Sounds like you're describing a professor who is currently serving in some administrative capacity (dept head, assistant/associate dean, etc). If so, the only reason I would consider not working with such a person is if their other (non-research) duties are taking up so much of their time that they will not be accessible when you need them. If you don't think that is a problem, I don't see why you think this advising relationship would be any different from other ones, and why the professor's admin position is even relevant. I'd approach this decision like I would any other: ask yourself if you and your potential advisor fit in terms of personality and in terms of research, find out what his mentoring style is like, how accessible he tends to be, how many other students he has (and has had recently) and how those relationships are doing (and where the recently graduated past-advisees have ended up), etc. The admin position has no bearing on almost all of these questions.

[acewolf]

He is a faculty member with administrative duties.

 

I've talked to his current grad student. She seems very happy and suggested I work for him.

[juilletmercredi]

Why don't you ask him directly?

 

"A faculty member with administrative duties" can be anything from the head of a search committee to the head of a special program to department chair to a dean who teaches one or two classes.  They will all have various amounts of time depending on their duties and the department - in some departments, the chair is a figurehead and in others it takes up a significant amount of time.  One of my advisers was department chair for 3 years while he advised me and he was still wonderful (he was also on sabbatical for one year that he advised me and is on sabbatical again now).  My other adviser became the head of the special departmental program I'm in and was also still wonderful.

 

You can set up a meeting with him and ask if he has time to take on another student and his mentoring style.