Study: pressure beyond the podium
By Jake Miller
Lance Writer
March 4, 2009
 Wake up, eat, sling your bag onto your shoulder and head to lecture. Such a routine sounds familiar to most students who go through the daily ritual of beating the professor to the lecture hall.
Student anxiety is a commonplace in post-secondary education that can only be magnified during frequent evaluation periods. However, Christin Moeller, a graduate psychology student, is undertaking a study to examine stress experienced by professors.
“An abundance of research projects indicate that academic work stress has become a significant concern to both universities and faculty alike,” said Moeller.
“Numerous ill effects such as decreased job satisfaction, diminished productivity, higher turnover intent and various health problems have been reported as issues related to stress,” she added.
Moeller’s ambitious study is under the supervision of Professor Greg Chung-Yan who indicated that one of many reasons for the study is, “given that professorships are structured differently from many other jobs, [it is interesting to find] out how colleagues cope with unique challenges in their job.”
Most have heard of the title of “professional student.” For some people it means further study for the purposes of an advanced degree, while for others it just means being unsure of an academic specialization. However, it is imperative to remember that professors are positioned in the dual role of being the educator and constantly furthering their education through personal research.
The idealized image of a professorship is often one where holding tenure is assumed, pay is more than substantial, and work hours are flexible. However, in many cases the opposite may be true. “Work overload, insufficient recognition and inability to keep up with developments in one’s own field are frequently mentioned challenges by university professors,” said Moeller.
The potentially broad scope of this study is likely to yield fruitful results in discovering the origins of stress within university faculties. By knowing the root of the dilemma, steps to reduce stress can be taken.
The fast pace of academic life where our personal deadlines take top priority make it easy to overlook the obligations professors must honour.
Obligations not only to students, but to family, faculty and the added burdens of travel and the tireless initiative required of them to receive grants and publish their research.
In the context of an education era defined by swelling university populations, an increase in less-rewarded sessional professors and familiar ordeals such as labour disputes experienced only months ago, it is fair to assume professors bear a burden few students would like to adopt.
During one of the periods where professors and students can tame their stress, it would only be fair for professors to offer requested assistance to further Moeller’s, while students should acknowledge their professor as not only a teacher, but a professional with personal and/or family obligations not looking much unlike our own as time progresses.
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