Your Career: When your big idea gets spurned

"No" is sometimes the right call. Handle it well and you improve the workplace for everyone. ADVERTISEMENT [Your Career Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. “No” is sometimes the right call. Handle it well and you improve the workplace for everyone. It’s never pleasant to have your pet project rejected, but how you cope with the bad news — especially when it’s artlessly delivered — can affect your future relationships and career options. We’ve all dealt with leaders who were particularly bad at saying No. In the financial climate facing higher education today, everyone is saying and hearing No a lot more often. Clearly there is an etiquette to rejecting something (or someone) professionally and with minimal blowback. It follows, then, that there is, or should be, an etiquette for how to accept a No without hurting your career or unit. Here are some dos and don’ts of reacting to a rejection: - Assume it’s business, not personal. Friends and colleagues say No to each other all the time in every enterprise today, including higher education. The first step in transcending a No in the academic workplace — without rancor or bitterness — is to accept those words of wisdom from The Godfather: “It’s not personal; it’s strictly business.” - Be a good sport, and your civil reaction now can help you score wins down the road. Your boss is very likely to remember both when you handled a rejection gracefully, and when you didn’t. Continue reading: “[Admin 101: How to Accept ‘No’ for an Answer]( by David D. Perlmutter Share your suggestions for the newsletter with Denise Magner, an editor at The Chronicle, at denise.magner@chronicle.com. If you’d like to opt out, you can log in to our website and [manage your newsletter preferences here](. ADVERTISEMENT SPECIAL OFFER FOR NEW SUBSCRIBERS Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for as low as $59. Take advantage of our limited- time savings event and get unlimited access to essential reporting, data, and analysis. NEWSLETTER [Sign Up for the Teaching Newsletter]( Find insights to improve teaching and learning across your campus. Delivered on Thursdays. To read this newsletter as soon as it sends, [sign up]( to receive it in your email inbox. LATEST CAREER ADVICE, OPINION, AND NEWS ADVICE [Ask the Chair: ‘When Did I Become a Bureaucrat?’]( By Kevin Dettmar [STORY IMAGE]( A new department head wonders if your scholarly reputation suffers merely by accepting that leadership role. SPONSOR CONTENT | Queen's University Belfast [How Data Analysis Reshapes Healthcare Management]( ADVICE [A New Player Enters the Graduate-School Game]( By Leonard Cassuto [STORY IMAGE]( How a national project aims to give master’s and doctoral students the same level of attention as first-year undergraduates. ADVICE [Are We Asking the Wrong Questions About ChatGPT?]( By J.T. Torres and Adam Nemeroff [STORY IMAGE]( Stop agonizing about your syllabus policy and start helping students use AI to extend, not replace, their thinking. AN INCONSISTENT LANDSCAPE [Dozens of Campuses Shed or Alter DEI Efforts as Political Pressure Mounts]( By Maggie Hicks [STORY IMAGE]( A Chronicle analysis finds that at least 116 college campuses have responded, and in an uneven way. FREE-SPEECH FACE-OFF [A Tenured Professor Was Removed From the Classroom Over a Pro-Palestine Essay]( By Kate Hidalgo Bellows [STORY IMAGE]( The president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges said that, as a result of Jodi Dean’s comments, “there now may be students on our campus who feel threatened in or outside of the classroom.” THE REVIEW | PROFILE [‘Get Rid of the Zionists Here’]( By Len Gutkin [STORY IMAGE]( When a dean becomes the target of student protesters. FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [The Athletics Advantage - The Chronicle Store]( [The Athletics Advantage]( For tuition-driven institutions, sports are often a key recruiting tool. [Order this report]( for insights on how small colleges are using athletics to drive student enrollment, engagement, and retention. SPONSOR CONTENT | Rochester Institute of Technology [RIT's Role in Cybersecurity Innovation]( Dive into how RIT's pioneering research and educational initiatives are shaping the future of cybersecurity. From cutting-edge solutions to innovative programs, discover why RIT is at the forefront of this critical field. What we’re reading Here’s more on career issues and trends from around the web. See something we should include? [Let me know](mailto:denise.magner@chronicle.com?subject=Your Career feedback). - A [report]( in The Wall Street Journal on the “small but growing” number of employers who are offering “psychedelic-assisted therapy” as a employee benefit. - Science magazine [looks]( at the question of whether researchers should “use AI to write papers.” - In Roxane Gay’s [Work Friend]( column in The New York Times, she offers advice on how to cope with colleagues who are a little too caring. MORE CAREER RESOURCES PAY UPDATE [How Much Has Faculty Pay Changed Over Time?]( By Brian O’Leary [STORY IMAGE]( See the latest federal data on compensation for all ranks of the profession at thousands of American colleges. DATA [Tracking Higher Ed’s Dismantling of DEI]( By Erin Gretzinger and Maggie Hicks [STORY IMAGE]( We’ve documented actions taken on dozens of campuses to alter or eliminate jobs, offices, hiring practices, and programs amid mounting political pressure to end identity-conscious recruitment and retention of minority staff and students. POLITICS AND RACE [DEI Legislation Tracker]( By Chronicle Staff [STORY IMAGE]( Legislators, mostly Republicans, want to get rid of diversity, equity, and inclusion offices; end anti-bias trainings; and banish diversity statements. [The Trends Report 2024]( [STORY IMAGE]( Our annual investigation into the most consequential developments in higher education. JOB OPPORTUNITIES [Lousiana Tech's College of Business Faculty Openings in Accounting, Entrepreneurship & Marketing]( Louisiana Tech University [Executive Director of the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP)]( United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (the Fulbright Commission in Pakistan) [Dean, Arts & Sciences]( Danville Area Community College [University Director of People & Culture]( University of Austin [Search other jobs.]( CAREER RESOURCES [April article collection about salary negotiation] [Read the April collection]( to learn strategies on salary negotiation. Dive into our topics on why negotiating every offer matters, what to do if you were lowballed, and more! NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. 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