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Advice for New Faculty Members: Nihil Nimus is a unique and essential guide to the start of a successful academic career. As its title suggests (nothing in excess), it advocates moderation in ways of working, based on the single-most reliable difference between new faculty who thrive and those who struggle. By following its practical, easy-to-use rules, novice faculty can learn to teach with the highest levels of student approval, involvement, and comprehension, with only modest preparation times and a greater reliance on spontaneity and student participation. Similarly, new faculty can use its rule-based practices to write with ease, increasing productivity, creativity, and publishability through brief, daily sessions of focused and relaxed work. And they can socialize more successfully by learning about often-misunderstood aspects of academic culture, including mentoring. Each rule in Advice for New Faculty Members has been tested on hundreds of new faculty and proven effective over the long run -- even in attaining permanent appointment. It is the first guidebook to move beyond anecdotes and surmises for its directives, based on the author's extensive experience and solid research in the areas of staff and faculty development. For new teachers.

Average Customer Rating:

Molasses...

Customer Rating:

I am very surprised to see all of the positive reviews on here. I have twice now tried to start reading this book and got about 15 pages in before canning it. It is painfully slow, repetitive, and mostly obvious. The narrative style just doesn't work for this type of book. And as new faculty, the last thing we need is to trudge through a dull text. I would recommend chapters 10-12 of 'Tomorrow's Professor' by Reis, or the latter half of 'What They Didn't Teach You in Graduate School', both of which are done in an easy-read manner with more practical hints.

too much

Customer Rating:

This book makes fairly simple information far more complex than it needs to be. The writing is much too wordy and repetitive. I think there are kernals of wisdom in the writing, but they are too difficult to glean. There are many books with the same material that are much easier to read. If you simply want advice, this is not the book to buy. If you want details about the author's research mixed with a great deal of psycho babble (e.g. he advises not procrastinating and starting early, but for some reason calls it "actively waiting") buy this book.

Excellent advice!

Customer Rating:

Robert Boice's Advice for New Faculty Members is one of the best books on the market for those emerging from graduate school and seeking tenure in the academy. I would also strongly recommend this book to those still in graduate school, and anyone preparing to enter graduate school, as it gives excellent and timely advice on learning to work effectively while maintaining social and personal habits for a balanced and satisfying life. One of the most difficult aspects of the shift from graduate student to professor is the realization that we are not taught effective work habits in graduate school. Graduate school teaches students to write to artificial deadlines rather than publication deadlines, procrastination followed by writing binges, solo work efforts, and a lack of balance that is reflected in relational difficulties on many levels. (Not to mention health difficulties such as depression, high blood pressure, weight issues, etc.) Boice gives excellent advice by giving numerous examples of prolific and successful writers and teachers who do not adopt hasty and ineffective habits leading to a chaotic and stressful career and life, but rather use a steady yet practical approach that results in excellent production on every front. Boice's examples and explanations of how to incorporate effective and efficient practices and work habits in your life is well worth he cost of this book!

Fire the proofreaders?

Customer Rating:

Although I have not yet read the text, the egregious misspelling of the Latin title, which evidently escaped both the author and everyone who proofread the text prior to publication, is not a good advertisement--at least not for anyone who knows even elementary Latin. The correct spelling of the title should be "Nihil NimIs". If I do in fact decide to read the book (I am hardly a "new" faculty member), perhaps I'll be inclined to write a more favorable review of its contents. Meanwhile, let's hope that a new printing will correct the spelling error.

Essential

Customer Rating:

I credit this book for allowing me to get anything besides teaching done my first year on the job. I often tell people that it is the most boring book I have ever read, but also the most useful. As mentioned in earlier reviews, "start before you're ready" and "stop before you're ready" help get rid of the psychological blocks in starting new tasks. Like others, I had also thought it was best to do work in large chunks of time, but after a year of the Boice method, I am a believer in brief daily sessions. Other priceless pieces of advice are to do research (or whatever is most daunting) first thing in the morning, to focus on organization and big picture ideas rather than flooding with details, and to let others do the work for you. This last, especially, has helped my teaching-- giving the students autonomy decreases my workload and increases their interest and depth of understanding. This book makes great bathroom reading. I suspect that it is boring and repetitive on purpose-- Boice is forcing us to read the book in moderation, just as he recommends we do our work.