ABSTRACT
I entered Cornell as a very young 28-year-old assistant professor. Similar to many in my profession, I was inadequately trained for my new job. No one taught me how to teach (except through passive, usually negative modeling); how to be a citizen of my department, university, and profession; how to blend the personal and the professional; or how to confront sexism, racism, or homophobia in the workplace. I was, however, well versed in how to be a researcher. You will probably discern in the course of this essay moments when I should have known better or should have expected other than what I did. The story I share with you concerning my personal experiences of being gay and a faculty member at a “major” university may at times be unique to my time and my setting, but it may ultimately be one shared to some degree by you at other times and other settings.
